The 2022 Love Local, Trust Local Awards are now closed for entries; founder Barbara Cossins reminds us all that supporting local producers is vital
The extreme heat we’ve all endured has meant a very challenging summer for all our farmers and UK food producers. I know from personal experience that we breathed a huge sigh of relief on the farm when the harvest finished and we knew we had made it through with no major fires & all our animals surviving the heat.
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A social award All of us here at Love Local have been busy wrestling with Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook – social media is essential for any modern organisation to communicate – working hard on our content as we gather in all the entries for the 2022 LLTL Awards. Throughout October and November our wonderful sponsors will be busy judging and, as you can imagine, Tasting Day is one of the best parts of the job! A big thank you must go to all of our Dorset enable these awards to happen. Being a self-funded not-for-profit organisation is always challenging, of course, but now moreso than ever when everyone is thinking about budgets and trying to save money wherever they can. The fact that our loyal sponsors continue to support us year after year shows us just how important it is that we keep on sending out the message to eat and support local.
Collective power With rising bills and the onset of huge fuel price increases for all of us, there is no better time to be championing our local food producers, farmers and fishermen. Our own mission is of course to let consumers know what is being produced right here in Dorset. But in a very real sense, if everyone supported just one local producer occasionally, the cumulative effect really would make a massive difference to both the local economy and to the environment. We need to grow food for everyone’s table and keep our carbon footprint down whenever we can. We thank all of the entrants for taking the time to fill out their forms – the judges look forward to meeting you all. Good luck with your entries, and we look forward to telling your stories.
Laura Wilson watched a therapist treat her horse – and gave up accounting to train as a McTimoney animal chiropractor
Laura with gentle giant Calido
My event horse Cookie had a guarded prognosis from the vets. After a diagnosis of a hind suspensory tear and sacroiliac strain, coupled with less than ideal conformation, they said he was very unlikely to return to eventing. I sought help and watched the incredible transformation that my McTimoney therapist Kazia Lyons achieved with him. At the time I was an accountant, but was inspired to retrain with the McTimoney Animal Association in 2014. Cookie was having treatments every six weeks from Kazia, and then when I qualified I took over. Nine years later he is still eventing (he’s 15 now), and we have had no recurrence of either issue. He had everything against him, and I am certain his regular McTimoney treatments are the reason he is still sound and well.
Laura treating ‘lovely Lance’
Gentle balancing McTimoney is a form of chiropractic manipulation which is used to treat pain and dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system. The technique is non-invasive and gentle, and is readily accepted by animals. It predominantly focuses on optimising alignment of the spine and pelvis in order to restore correct function of the skeletal system, the nervous system and the surrounding soft tissue, resolving dysfunction and balancing the animal’s musculoskeletal system, restoring health and movement, soundness and performance. I also incorporate various soft tissue techniques into my treatments, including myofascial release, craniosacral work and massage. I spend the majority of my time treating a huge variety of horses and ponies from all disciplines: eventers, show jumpers, racehorses (and ex-racehorses), riding and pony club horses, hacks, dressage, endurance, show … and some retired horses too. I also work with vets on rehabilitation plans after injuries or operations, helping the four-legged patients to achieve a return to fitness.
Dressage warmblood’s owner Liz Trowbridge called me to help with Lance’s rehab after a kissing spine operation a few years ago. It has been challenging at times, but it is so very rewarding to follow his return to work, watching him build muscle in the correct places and keeping on top of the inevitable little niggles that have presented themselves along the way. Liz says: ‘I needed someone who understands the physical demands and mechanics of an advanced competition horse , while always having the horse’s best interests as a priority. Laura is quiet with the horses but effective, completely reliable and I happily recommend her to everyone.’
Laura with ‘Miracle’ dog Toto
Toto One of my most emotional cases was a couple of years ago, when a vet called me to visit a rescued Romanian street dog called Toto, who had a spinal nerve impingement. He needed a lot of expensive diagnostics and the vet suspected a possible operation, which sadly the owners simply couldn’t afford. Toto had been really struggling for weeks and I was his last chance before the unthinkable decision had to be made. He was also a therapy dog for the owner’s young daughter, so emotions were high and the pressure was on. When I arrived I could see that Toto was struggling to walk – he was very wobbly and his hind legs kept giving way underneath him, so he’d drag them along behind. If I hadn’t already had veterinary permission to treat Toto, I would have definitely walked away once I saw him. He needed a multitude of adjustments from head to tail along his spine, and his pelvis was extremely rotated and tilted. I straightened him up and went away telling the owners to rest him and hope for the best … The very next day I had an excited message from Toto’s owner, saying that he had made a full recovery and was now completely fine! Toto had been fully restored to his former self after just one treatment and after an initial follow up I haven’t needed to see him again. I cannot explain how gratifying it was to treat this dog and give him back the quality of life that the owner thought was lost forever. Toto’s owner Clare Job says: ‘We honestly cannot thank Laura enough for what she has done for our boy. She is amazing – I just wish I had called her sooner!’ I always say that I have the best job in the world. It is absolutely true – every single day is different. I’m usually out in the open air, and meeting people who care deeply about their animals. I am doing a job I love, working with animals and relieving their discomfort. It is hugely fulfilling.
It’s never too late to reinvent your look; and that’s just what Classy Collections of Wimborne has done. After nearly 30 years in business, the award-winning, independent womenswear boutique has relaunched. In the heart of Wimborne Minster – and now renamed CC of Wimborne – the shop has enjoyed a complete makeover inside and out. It has rebranded, revamped and has a whole new offering of sought-after designer labels that women of all ages are loving. Collections include Canadian designer Joseph Ribkoff, Marble, Just White, Toni and Rabe Moden. Whether you’re looking for trendy jeans or classic cut trousers, fashionable coats and winter wrap-overs, jumpers, shirts, a party look or relaxed loungewear – inspiration can now be found under one stylish roof.
Marble jumpers to Sloggi bras Joseph Ribkoff is a Canadian designer known for fabulous fit and individuality. Dress it up one day for a wedding, wear it to a lunch another day. Even better, most items are crease-free. No ironing and so easy to pack! Marble and Rabe Moden offer smart/casual jumpers, trousers, gilets, dresses and tops while Just White brings a quirky mix of stylish shirts perfect for jazzing up your look. Orientique is an Australian eco-conscious label offering colourful organic cotton dresses and cover-ups perfect for beach to bar. Some are reversible – so you get two dresses for the price of one! With the long, hot summer this year, this cool and easy-to-wear collection sold out, but is being restocked with the latest new colours and styles for spring/summer 2023. Excitingly, CC of Wimborne are expanding the holiday collection nexty year by introducing leading swimwear brand Triumph with a stunning choice of swimsuits and co-ordinated cover-ups. A range of flattering bras and pants from leading designers Sloggi and Triumph means you can easily shape up your underwear too.
Still moving forwards Owner Nicola Sheppard launched the business in 1993 and still works in the shop nearly every day. She says: ‘Fashion is in my blood – I’m passionate about this business and I love helping a woman find what’s right for her. You just can’t get that one-to-one service when you shop online.’ Nicola and her team offer a personal shopping experience, and pride themselves on being friendly, honest and unpressurised. ‘We don’t do age-appropriate dressing here. We do age-less, helping every customer to find their individual style. Your clothes should reflect your personality and lifestyle.’ explains Nicola. She adds: ‘We plan to celebrate 30 years in business with lots of special events for customers – it’s a true milestone in retail. When I opened the boutique, there were seven other independent clothes shops in the town – three in this street! I’m the only one still here and I’m still moving forward with new ideas to grow the business! That’s something to celebrate!’
CC of Wimborne is at 11 East Street, Wimborne BH21 1DS. Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm. Visit classycollections.info
The really frightening thing was the speed at which the fire took hold. It engulfed the field of corn so quickly, despite the efforts of fellow farmers and fire crews to stop it.’ When Graham Birch’s crops went up in flames, help came swiftly from neighbouring farmers as well as a number of fire appliances who attended from the surrounding area. ‘One of our neighbouring farmers, Mark Tory, set up a WhatsApp group for us, so we can help each other out.’ Graham explained. ‘All the local farmers are on it, and they came running to help, creating a fire break. ‘Typically, they will bring a tractor, cultivator and a water tank to try and create a fire break to prevent it from spreading to other farms and areas. The fire brigade were brilliant at getting things under control and had several engines at the scene. It was an amazing piece of teamwork. We got the fire controlled within about 30 minutes, but it took two hours to put out.’
Red Fire Severity Alert Graham, who owns Hedge End Farm, at Winterborne Stickland, was reflecting on the terrifying wildfire on his land: ’There’s a lot … hit a flint, causing a spark that set the fire. Everything is so dry at the moment and our crops were super dry. Within moments the fire took hold. ‘My farm manager was treated for smoke inhalation at Dorchester Hospital.’ These dry conditions promoted Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to issue a Red fire severity alert. They are asking the public not to light bonfires or barbecues during this alert period. A red alert means that, should a wildfire be experienced, it could spread quickly and easily due to the dry conditions. The risk is most significant on large areas of open land, such as heathlands, fields and even cliffsides. The statistics make grim reading. Area Manager Marc House says: ‘From 1st – 10th August, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Services (DWFRS) has attended 180 fires in the open. During the same period last year, the service dealt with only 34 incidents of this nature. That is an increase of over 430%.’
All that remains of the fire at Hedge End Farm in Winterborne Stickland is a large area of scorched earth. Image: Rachael Rowe
Last year there were no agricultural open fires, but in 2022 there have been 23, mostly in fields of standing crops. DWFRS is asking the public to be vigilant. Marc continues: ‘Farmland is very vulnerable. They are harvesting and it’s a rural community. They need to get the crops in and we want to support the farming community. Farmers can do a lot to help themselves such as cleaning out chaff and dust from machinery and also using spotters.’ So how can we all help? Hopefully, people are getting the message about disposable barbecues, but as the recent fire at Studland Heath shows, they are still responsible for many open wildfires. Marc House adds: ‘People should avoid campfires, barbecues and bonfires. Cigarette ends will ignite a hedgerow. Litter should also be disposed of safely. Glass reflects the light and ignites material. If there is a fire, people need to get to a safe place and call 999.’ Graham thinks basic good judgment plays a part in preventing fires. ‘It’s not necessarily about legislation, but people having the sense to not use a disposable barbecue or a sky lantern. If you smoke, put the butt out properly. People need to use their common sense.’ Finally, think again if you imagine an odd rain shower is sufficient to reduce the risk. Everything is still very dry. As Graham reflects: ‘We need a LOT of rain.’
Minette Walters’ first full-length crime novel, The Ice House, was published in 1992. It took two and a half years to write and was rejected by numerous publishing houses before Macmillan bought it for £1,250. Within four months, it had won the Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey award for best first novel and had been snapped up by 11 foreign publishers. Minette was the first crime/thriller writer to win three major prizes with her first three books. Her second novel, The Sculptress (inspired in part by an encounter Walters had as a volunteer prison visitor), won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award. Her third novel, The Scold’s Bridle, then won the CWA Gold Dagger, giving her a unique treble. Minette is now published in almost 40 countries and has sold more than 25 million copies of her books worldwide.
Author Minette Walters takes on the Random 19 questions. Image: Vicky Fry
Forward to the past
When Minette discovered the bubonic plague entered England only a few miles from her 18th-century Dorset manor, she was intrigued, and her curiosity led her to write her first book in a decade. Breaking away from crime writing, The Last Hours was her first historical novel. Set in 14th century Dorset at the time of the plague it took several years to research and write and is as exciting and readable as any of her psychological crime thrillers. Her recent third historical novel, The Swift and the Harrier, is set in 17th century Dorset, and explores the local impact of the English Civil War, with the extra enjoyment of a myriad of familiar places and names for Dorset residents to recognise.
In 2019 Minette was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset.
1. What’s your relationship with the Blackmore Vale (the loose North Dorset area, not us!)?
Well, I don’t have a strong link with North Dorset specifically … I went to school in Salisbury, and grew up visiting my friends’ homes across Dorset. I loved it.
We were living in Hampshire when our youngest was at school in Sherborne so we were always driving across and got to know the area very well (and we know Dorset’s Lord Lieutenant Angus Campbell and his wife Caroline, so we often pop over to Iwerne Minster.
But we ended up in West Dorset. Almost by accident – 23 years ago my mother and my husband Alec’s parents were all getting rather elderly, and lived far from each other (and from us). Looking after them was increasingly difficult, so eventually we invited them both to move with us – and we started the hunt for a good property with extra cottages. We wanted them to remain independent, but to be just a short walk away. We couldn’t find anything in Hampshire, but then we happened across Whitcombe, here in West Dorset – it’s the most magical house, and we’ve been here ever since.
2. It’s Friday night – you have the house to yourself, and no work is allowed. What are you going to do?
Oh, I’m going to go to bed early to watch a Denzel (Washington) movie! Especially one directed by Tony Scott.
3. What was the last film you watched? This might be controversial! I love movies, I watch an incredible number, and I do watch them over and over again, too. But I think it must be The Forever Purge.
It’s the most recent in the Purge series. I have a serious passion for action movies, and this was fantastically violent. It’s just full of action, blood and gore. I loved it – a very happy two hours!
4. What is your comfort meal?
OK, it’s Moules Mariniere but it has to be to MY recipe. Soften the onions in butter, then add the garlic, parsley, white wine, mussels, obviously, but also giant prawns, lobster, cream and served with homemeade bread. My idea of heaven.
5. Who’s your celebrity crush?
Judge Judy! She is the funniest woman, I love her humour. And she’s educational too. I would love to have dinner with her.
6. Cats or dogs?
Dogs. I’ve always had dogs. I have two golden retrievers at the moment, but I’ve never been without dogs.
My second favourite animals are chickens. We have lots, and they’re just terrific to simply watch and spend time with.
Minette Walters with Benson (image from her personal photo album)
7. What shop can you not pass without going in?
Very few … I hate shopping! Although I do find it difficult to pass antique furniture shops. If there’s something in the window I like the look of, I’m in.
When I was a teenager I was surrounded by friends who I thought were prettier then me, and who had hordes of boys. In desperation I asked my brother to send me a Valentines card so I could pretend I had a boyfriend, and agreed I would do the same for him. I carefully signed his card with a question mark and sent it off, and the card I got back was signed ‘love, your brother’.
Not at ALL helpful!
You’re just a bag of hormones at that age, and worrying about your body image … and of course none of it matters. You’re so young at 15, it always works out OK in the end – I promise, I’ve been married 44 years now!
9. What’s your secret superpower?
Knowing what others are thinking! Especially my family. I always know. It drives them mad. I do have imagination by the bucket, of course, which also helps. I actually can’t watch crime dramas with the family, I always spot the clues and solve the mystery far too soon, and then everyone tells me to be quiet as I exclaim ‘Oh, well, you know exactly what’s going to happen …’
10. What would you most like to be remembered for?
Simply my books, I think. I do genuinely hope they’ve given as much enjoyment to readers as I have had writing them.
11. What was the last gift you either gave someone, or received?
The artist Richard Wilkin is a friend of ours. He paints architecture and building interiors, and I asked him to paint the interior of Whitcombe Church. It’s still consecrated, but is owned by the Churches Conservation Trust. It’s a tiny church with the Victorian pews all stripped out so that it is a simple, open space exactly as it was designed. The painting is beautiful, it was a gift to my husband and it now hangs in our hallway.
Google Maps – I’m forever looking up Dorset (Minette has already used Googlemaps twice during our call – Ed)
Amazon – and no, I’m not ashamed!
I buy so many books, and through Amazon I can access all the old interesting ones which are no longer in print. I’m always being asked for tips by aspiring historical authors, and my biggest one is to go and read lots of non-fiction from the period. Generally they’re no longer in print, but through Amazon you can access all the antiquarian bookshops across the country. I get the most exciting parcels arrive! All with old, well-thumbed books, with notes scribbled in the margins – just picking them up and starting to read I’m already immersed in history. It’s wonderful, everyone should do it.
15. Chip Shop Chips or Home Baked Cake?
I don’t really like sweet things, so chip shop chips please. Maybe a little salt and vinegar, but really I prefer them dipped in mayonnaise. Delicious.
16. Tell us about one of the best evenings you’ve had?
As a surprise for our 10th wedding anniversary, Alec booked us a weekend at Burgh Island. It’s an iconic landmark on its own tidal island off the Devon coast, entirely decorated in the Art Deco style. As well as the main house there is the Beach House – built in the ’30s as a writer’s retreat for Agatha Christie who wrote two novels while there, both set on the island (Evil Under the Sun and And Then There Were None). The dinner the night we arrived was literally unforgettable. The first course was pan-friend goose liver and it was just … melt in the mouth.
I’ll never forget it; I can still almost taste and feel it in my mouth.
It was followed up with duck, I think, and then a delicious orange, chocolate and cream dessert. I even remember we were drinking rioja … The whole meal was wonderful, and the evening was very special.
17. What in life is frankly a mystery to you?
Horses! They baffle me. We have a livery yard on our land, and there are always horses about. I do like them, but they are a mystery to me. I have never ridden one successfully, I always fall off. I’m happy to simply admire them from afar.
18. Your favourite quote?
It’s a Chinese proverb: “If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.”
Isn’t it terrific?
It’s exactly the same thing as ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’, but it’s far more graphic. Who doesn’t want to see the bodies floating by?!
19. You have the power to pass one law tomorrow, uncontested. What will you do?
Oh so many things …
I think top of my list would be to make it a crime to be anonymous on the internet. If you express an opinion then you should stand by it.
Honestly, the internet is probably the greatest gift to mankind since the wheel. The overwhelming good, the sheer opportunities it brings … Yet people just use it to be hideously abusive, there is a vile element filled with criminals and paedophiles, and data hackers think it’s their playground … it makes me so angry.
A surprisingly good harvest in the end, but it heralds a difficult winter, fears Tarrant Valley farmer James Cossins
Bringing in the last of the 2022 harvest
This year’s harvest of cereals, oilseeds and beans was completed in record time, finishing just a month after starting when it normally takes two. Yields were surprisingly good, especially for the wheat, when you consider how little rainfall we had during the growing season. Obviously the record amount of sunshine made the difference. Our biggest fear towards the end of harvest was the risk of fire in the fields we were working in. The combines were meticulously cleaned off each morning – any build up of dust around the engine could start a fire. There were several days when fires could be seen all around by mid-afternoon. On one occasion I thought Blandford Camp was on fire, but in fact it was a stubble fire near Pimperne. We completed harvest without a major incident, although we had a roadside verge fire near Ashley Wood Golf Course which burned a small amount of stubble; the cause is not known, but probably a cigarette from a passing car.
No forage crops The cattle side of the farm has been far more challenging – milk production has suffered a little in the heat and dryness. With little or no grass growth over the last few months and very little rain to speak of, we have had to supplement the cattle’s feed, initially using baled silage and hay from last year or barley straw to keep them satisfied. We are just beginning to feed some of this year’s silage to the herd. We will have to monitor the feed stocks carefully to make sure the milking herd doesn’t run short of the best silage. We also rely on forage crops such as turnips to outwinter some cattle. These crops have been sown for about a month now, but there’s little sign of germination. They may have to be redrilled – or maybe we just wait for rain. Whatever happens, it is going to be a challenging winter for our stock. One option may be to sell some, now that we are TB free, before our next test in November.
Being sucked dry Prices of energy are back making the headlines. With fertiliser prices closely related to the energy price we have managed to secure some of next year’s fertiliser, which has already been delivered. More will be needed but who knows what price it will be, or if it will even be available? One of only two fertiliser plants in the UK has shut and we may be more reliant on imports, which is never good news. The river Tarrant which flows through the farm is now completely dry. The last time this happened was in 1976, when most of the fish were removed before it dried up entirely. I do wonder about the effect on our local area of the water extraction from the bore holes at Shapwick, Sturminster Marshall, Black Lane near Blandford and at Stubhampton at the head of the Tarrant. Many millions of litres of water are being removed every day, not only supplying the local area but also being pumped further afield. I will monitor closely when the Tarrant decides to flow again. It rather feels at the moment like we are being sucked dry.
And finally On a positive note it was great to spend a day at the excellently-organised Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show. Judging by the car parks, it must have had near-record attendance.
Edwina Baines talked to Ursula Leach, known for her spare and richly-layered paintings of Cranborne Chase and the Blackmore Vale, in her Iwerne Minster studio.
The distant horizons of Cranborne Chase have long been a source of inspiration for famous artists including Lucian Freud and Elisabeth Frink. This vast, ancient landscape is built of rolling chalk grassland and escarpments, ancient woodlands, downland hillsides and river valleys, each with a distinct and recognisable character. For most of her career artist Ursula Leach has drawn on the Chase for inspiration, but a move to Iwerne Minster five years ago has led her to explore the hedgerows (or lack of them) and different agricultural practices in the heart of the Blackmore Vale.
Better out than in In the light, airy studio in her garden on a recent hot summer morning, she told me that although she continues to draw, she does not paint so much in the summer, as she prefers to be outside. She cycles around the Vale and walks with ‘my naughty mongrel Cloud’ – a dear little dog with a touch of Plummer Terrier. Ursula can access both the Chase and the Vale from her studio. It is on these excursions where an idea for a painting emerges. ‘Something will catch my attention in a glance. It’s no good going out looking for something. When I’m outside walking and I start to draw, it creates an appetite and I make masses of quick sketches to create an idea for a painting.’ Ursula draws attention to stunted and isolated hedgerows and the vast monocultures of modern farming methods. She wants the viewer to gain a different perspective of the landscape which is ‘revelatory rather than accusatory’ and to question our relationship with the natural world.
Vivid blocks of bright oil colour are used to bring landscapes to life, suggesting current agricultural practices and the gradual effects of climate change. The simplicity of the forms and use of the almost fluorescent colours within her work are intended to elicit a strong emotional response in the viewer. ‘I was always a country girl’ Ursula tells me. She was brought up in a Yorkshire village until the age of nine when the family moved to Hampshire. But at an even earlier age, a painting she fell in love with in the art room at school decided her on a future career. Following a course in fine art, where she was ‘taught how to look’, Ursula returned some years later as a mature student to Farnham Art College (now the University of Creative Arts) to follow a printmaking degree.
A ten year period of mainly printmaking followed, starting with very large monochrome etchings. But a desire to use colour made her search for another method of making prints. Carborundum is a gritty substance which, when mixed with PVA, creates a rough surface on the printing plate. This holds a lot of ink, and makes for rich velvety colours when inked up and printed. An initial base of colour is applied to the paper ‘to set the mood’ and the plate is printed with a very heavy Hunter Penrose etching press. ‘It’s hard work’ Ursula admitted, but the vivid results are well worth the effort. However, a desire for even more vibrant colours resulted in a return to painting. Ursula is now planning a series of black and white drypoints. ‘It’s all about line, and it’s fun to experiment.’ Drypoint is a method that involves scratching an image onto a plate with a pointed tool. The incised line or area holds the ink and creates the image.
A competitive world Ursula’s painting career really took off in the 1990s when she started selling prints in London. She had a lucky break after showing a large work at one of the UK’s most important art competitions – the Hunting Art Prize exhibition at the Royal College of Art. Subsequently, she received a letter from a woman who wanted to include her work in a new London gallery. Ursula’s sound advice to young artists is ‘Go in for competitions! Keep at it. It’s a very competitive world now but it’s not a competitive activity. There’s so much luck involved.’ In 1996 Ursula was elected to the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, one of the world’s premier printmaking organisations. All of the society’s members are practising professional printmakers, elected after a rigorous selection by a panel of their peers. Their home is at Bankside Gallery, next to Tate Modern, where they hold regular exhibitions showcasing the best in contemporary printmaking. Ursula says ‘if you live in the country it’s harder to meet both your audience and the major galleries.’ Currently her work is also shown at the Oliver Contemporary Gallery in Wandsworth. A new exhibition is planned at Black Swan Arts in Frome with six other artists who live and work in Dorset and Hampshire. Group 7, as they are known, are all long-term practitioners who have a strong commitment to the media of drawing, painting and printmaking. Another solo exhibition, at The Art Stable in Child Okeford, is in the pipeline for 2024. Hedgerows in the Vale may develop into the focus for this show, so look out for Ursula out cycling or walking with Cloud, camera and sketchbook in hand, examining the local field systems. ‘For me it always come back to colour in the landscape which catches my eye’
Baffled by the exam system and what those grades actually mean? Kingston Maurward’s Principal Luke Rake has an explanation for all us confused ones
The summer holidays usually mean a quieter time for newspapers, with Parliament in recess and editors scrabbling around during the “silly season” with things to fill their column inches (not The BV of course), but not in this exceptional year, with the Ukraine war, the drought, the energy and cost of living crisis and the Tory leadership battle.Thankfully, the annual release of GCSE and A Level results (and a load of other qualifications one never hears of, but more on that later) provides a glorious opportunity to fill space with images of leaping young people, and the strong suggestion by many papers – particularly The Telegraph – that the only people who did A levels were girls (don’t believe me? Just check the coverage to see the innate media bias). The successes of strong A Levels from boys, or of students studying for qualifications such as BTEC and City & Guilds (of which there are more), simply disappears into the ether. This year was notable for the changes that were required after the teacher-assessed grades during the pandemic, and the resulting shift in grade proportions during the process. It also highlighted again the changes in the last few years – what on earth is a Grade 8 or a 7 anyway? How does it compare to what we may have done when we were at school? And this year there were also questions about why the proportions of teenagers getting top marks had gone down.
Last year was different First things first. GCSE grades changed a few years ago to allow for more fairness and accuracy at the top end. The number of students gaining the highest grade was continuing to increase (why this happens in a minute) and so the system was changed, alongside shifts under then Secretary of State Michael Gove to remove coursework from large numbers of subjects and move to more ’traditional’ end-of-year examinations. Perhaps surprisingly, this more old-fashioned approach to having just examinations – coming with its own stresses and strains – has actually been shown to be a fairer system for students from lower income families, and thus more suitable to enable social mobility. Interestingly, coursework generally favours more affluent students who have better home and support networks and availabliity of private study space. This is important, as it helps explain the big shifts during the pandemic. The scoring system for GCSE changed to the one in the image on the left – any student with a 7 or above has clearly achieved great things. But then, by the same token, so will a student who has struggled with academic study and gets a 4, which is the ‘gateway’ level at 16. For those of us even older, this Grade 4 is the same as an O Level C or CSE Grade 1.
But why were the grades increasing? The usual red-top arguments are that the exams are getting easier. A similarly silly rationale is that students are getting brighter. More sensible views would note that, as new examinations systems come in, it takes time to really understand how to deliver them, not only for the test but beginning to prepare students as early as year 7 (that’s the first year of secondary school!). It is also worth noting that the examination bodies are businesses. They operate in a competitive market, so if, for example, one board gets a slightly higher proportion of students who achieve a 9, that perhaps provides them with some greater appeal. Schools can – and do – switch boards from time to time. Most importantly, though, the grade boundaries are set by the boards themselves, and this shifts every single year. Thus, the exact same exam score may elicit a different grade in different years. This profiling (or norm-referencing) enables the exam boards to control precisely the proportion of students who get a certain grade and prevent wide swings. As such, it’s entirely within THEIR control what happens, not the kids’.
Why the big shifts? During the lockdown periods of the pandemic, students (including my own children) were unable to sit exams and as such were awarded grades according to school-assessed performance measures. These were then aggregated by the exam boards and then, importantly, normalised by the Department for Education using the now-infamous algorithm. This caused a huge surge in top grades, and also significantly also favoured the more affluent and independent schools.
Is this fair? No.
Is it the schools’ fault? Also no.
This is because the system was hard-baked into a sociological process where students were being assessed on what they had already done and the confidence of staff on how they may do. There is bias all over this, most of it unconscious. Teachers routinely over-estimate student grades and ability (which is why predicted grades are treated with a massive pinch of salt at A level by the universities). This was particularly noticeable where students came from affluent families, which is why those students have this year, proportionately, seen the largest reduction in the top grades. Schools cannot improve equality or change the background of their students. They have enough else to do, and they do it brilliantly. As a result, the whole grade system fell down, as the usual processes to manage the proportions of students at each level weren’t in play. They needed rebalancing this year through a proportionate shift back, down to nearer 2019 levels of performance. They will almost certainly need one more year of rebalancing, and then we will return to the usual process where the number of passes and top grades incrementally improves by 0.3% or so every year – until we have another step-change in how students are assessed. I’m on the 15th Secretary of State for Education in my career – another one will be along in a minute, so it’ll always be changing. A final thought for those of you with children, like my own, who sat A Levels or GCSEs this summer. Their grades will undoubtedly be lower than had they received centre-assessed grades two years ago. Those grades will thus be competing in the work market for jobs in the future.
Is this fair? Er, no.
It really isn’t, and was both completely predictable and entirely avoidable. Gavin Williamson was clearly asleep at the wheel. However, in the long run, it is unlikely to make a permanent difference, although this requires time to be sure. Grades tend only to be used as staging posts at certain times, and as such the competition tends to be from the same peer group (getting into Uni for example). If you’re over 30, when was the last time someone asked about your exam grades?
Skills and attitudes What’s far more important is the range of skills young people develop around the hard grades – and this is what is most important now. Students need to be getting jobs, doing volunteer work, exercising, socialising and getting as many strings to their bows as possible. Your CV gets you an interview, your attitude gets you the job. For those of you who got your grades this summer – don’t worry, whatever they are. I know plenty of people with top grades and Oxbridge degrees who are far less happy than those without and who work in trades, and they are also frequently less financially secure. Yes, you really need to get your maths and English, which is why if you’ve not yet got a 4, any sixth form or college will make you resit and continue teaching you those subjects. Outside that, though, there’s more that matters. There is a world out there beyond the mundane path of GCSE > A Level > University. It’s actually the one most people take, whatever the mainstream media likes to tell us. The path you take is something only you can choose; just enjoy the journey.
