Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At One 20200813

And think about that. Thats about the government looking at this properly and thinking, whats gone wrong . Well assess the picture with a levels and btecs, and ask what it means for teenagers futures, as the labour leader demands a rethink of the results process. Also this luncthime 3. 5 Million People may have had coronavirus in england, according to a major new antibody study. The train driver and conductor killed in the derailment in aberdeenshire have been named they were Brett Mccullough and donald dinnie. Thunderstorms and heavy rain sweep across parts of the uk, and theres more to come, following the record breaking hot weather. And englands Jimmy Anderson takes an early wicket, but pakistan make a steady start in the second test at southampton. And coming up on bbc news. Kyren wilson on the comeback the eighth seed closing the deficit to Anthony Mcgill in the semifinals of the world championship. Good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. Hundreds of thousands of students in england, wales and Northern Ireland have received a level and btec grades, after the huge uncertainty caused by coronavirus. They didnt sit exams because of lockdown, so marks have been awarded using teacher estimates, standardised by exam boards. Head teachers say the results show a great deal of volatility. In england, more than a third of a level results were one grade lower than teachers had submitted, and 3 of results were down by two grades. Overall, the number of a c a level grades rose by 2. 6 compared to last year. Lets assess the picture up and down the country. Emma vardy is in Northern Ireland. Lets go first to tomos morgan in wales. The situation in wales is that a higher proportion in wales have received between an a and and a grade, the top grade for a level, but thats significantly less than what the teacher is assessed and estimated they should have. They estimated they should have. They estimated around 40 of pupils should receive top grade. Now the watchdog here, qualifications wales, said that was to generous, so they revise that number which meant around 43 of pupils would get a lower grade than they were predicted by their teachers. Following the outcry in scotland and england, the welsh Education Minister here, ki rsty welsh Education Minister here, kirsty williams, late yesterday made a pledge to all pupils in wales and said, because as levels, which are the exams ta ken said, because as levels, which are the exams taken in year 12, the year before a levels, were taken earlier in the yearand before a levels, were taken earlier in the year and were a reliable source of predicting grades in wales, she said no pupil in wales would get a grade lower than what they got in their as grade, so anybody in wales who has had a great lower than their as grade would get it upgraded in due course. This situation is affected thousands of people across the country, and i think the concern for many teachers in wales and scotland and england and Northern Ireland is, will this bea and Northern Ireland is, will this be a balanced Playing Field now that the devolved governments are doing slightly Different Things when it comes to the estimated grades at a level, and they havent even had the chance to work for a take those final exams. Our ireland correspondent, emma vardy, is in belfast. Whats the picture there . Some 28,000 students here in Northern Ireland were receiving their results today, and similar to elsewhere, they were based on predicted grades from teachers, then moderated and standardised by Northern Ireland tos exam body, and there has been widespread dismay and disappointment for some schools, is more than a third of results, 37 , we re more than a third of results, 37 , were lowered from the grades that we re were lowered from the grades that were predicted by teachers. Northern irelands exam body has explained this to some degree, saying it believes teachers can sometimes be overconfident when predicting results and if they had just taken the predicted grades from teachers there would have been a significant jump there would have been a significant jump in results this year, which they dont think would have been a fair reflection, but this has led to strong criticism from schools, saying they dont think the system worked, that it was erratic and inconsistent, some teachers have said. One told the bbc today they believe some pupils dreams and ambitions have been dashed by the use of this algorithm. An unanswered question here, really, is why things are not the same across different schools, with different schools having different results through the system. Here at Ashfield Boys High School in east belfast, they said broadly speaking the results they had back from the exam board they think is pretty fair, a pretty fair reflection of the predicted grades from teachers, so its not clear at the moment why some schools fared better than others through this system, and i think there is going to bea system, and i think there is going to be a lot of focus on the appeals process and what that reveals in the weeks to come. Emma vardy in belfast and tomos morgan in newport. Hundreds of thousands of students have received their btec grades today. The department for education says early indications show vocational results are broadly in line with Previous Years. But as the students look towards the workplace they face an uncertain jobs markets. Nina warhurst reports. After two years studying level three btec in health and social care, holly and lucy are all set for university and a future in midwifery and primary education. We are always going to need midwives. I mean, im obviously worried for the retail side of things like that. I do think its going to have a massive impact on that, but i feel confident in what im going to do. Ill be fine, yeah. You know more young people like abbie will receive vocational qualifications this summer than a levels, and because they face assessment as part of their training, that means their final grades are less likely to be amended. But finding work in a rapidly contracting job market will not be easy for everyone. There are some concerns about the short term. Certainly in the north east where hearing some challenging messages in the for example engineering manufacturing in the short term, but what is really important here is to think about longer term workforce strategy and how employers can start to plan that workforce strategy. Taking students from btec qualifications to help solve those workforce challenges. Hairdressing, hospitality, tourism, these are industries deeply scarred by covid. Melissa won a National Student hairdressing competition in february. Now shes worried about work long term. Yes, i think its still quite worrying because i feel like, even in years to come, the social distancing is still going to be in place. Have you noticed customers behaving differently, feeling less confident . Yes, definitely. I feel like people dont want to book in as much as they did before, as you cant social distance in a salon much. And practical experience matters. Robs Manufacturing Business makes dashboards for nissan, a big local employer with dozens of local apprentices. He worries in a struggling economy Vocational Training will be neglected. I think thats the worry, that businesses panic and dont take on apprentices. So i think we need to look long term at where the business is going and make sure that we still fill those gaps, because we still have an ageing workforce who are getting to retirement age, so, for me, its that we need to look longer term and invest in young people. These are our midwives, our engineers, our builders and chefs, and they are ready to hit the ground running. And they hope that the economy can help them to thrive as the recession begins to bite. Nina warhurst, bbc news, sunderland. Lets talk more about the a level picture in england. This report from danjohnson. A for achievement against the odds. These students had it all stacked against them in a year of School Lockdowns and cancelled exams. But these estimated, standardised grades have delivered serious disappointment, too. Have delivered serious disappointment, toolj have delivered serious disappointment, too. I am not happy with my results because theyve been downgraded at least a grade from the assessments and my mock results. 0livia had moral support from her mum this morning but she didnt get what she wanted. Im disappointed but im glad there is an appeal system, but a lot of people today are system, but a lot of people today a re really system, but a lot of people today are really upset and disappointed. Its politicians being blamed. Theyve had months to get this right andl theyve had months to get this right and i think they should have had more trust in teachers and schools for their honesty, really, for their integrity, and thats the frustrating part for me. Leila has been downgraded but should still get a place at university because of the flexibility in this years admissions but, after all her school yea rs, admissions but, after all her school years, these grades are about more than that. After university, you might be up against somebody from a Previous Year or next year who has sat the exam and got their true grade, whereas ive been given one by the government that my teachers didnt even put in for me. Its like the board hasnt listened to the teachers. A lastminute tweak to appeal options followed a u turn in scotla nd appeal options followed a u turn in scotland allowing teachers grades to stand. The word is these results are as fairas to stand. The word is these results are as fair as possible in a year of disruption. We have a system of checks and balances to make sure there is a consistency or approach across all schools across the country, and it is always going to bea country, and it is always going to be a situation where, when you have moderated grades, some of them do change. The government needs to rethink this, they shouldnt rule anything out, including the approach that was forced on the scottish government, to go back to the assessments last week, but they need an answer, individual peels, waive the appeal fee, but this has been a disaster. Potentially disastrous for app. Ive never felt anything. Im not used to it, which was why it was so not used to it, which was why it was so hard when i opened it. She couldnt believe her result, couldnt believe her result, couldnt speak to us at first, now the impact is starting to sink in. Of weevil been downgraded, i had got into uni because of it, and i was supposed to go durham. No i cant. Ive got to go through clearing and resit my exams, and i havent been learning since march. Edge in 22 yea rs of learning since march. Edge in 22 years of teaching ive never seen so many unhappy students on a results day. Angry head teachers and College Leaders across the country, preparing to appeal and wanting a wider rethink. Teachers do this job every day and they know the students i cant see how you can move that many grades in the wrong direction. It does not make sense to me we are not happy at all. If teachers estimates had been accepted without question, todays results in england would be up i2 . Standardisation has flattened that to a 2 rise, but who is up and down, where is the worst impact being felt . That detail is key to working out if this system is truly fair. For those who have missed out, all is not lost. Clearing is busier than ever, with lots up for clearing is busier than ever, with lots upforgrabs, clearing is busier than ever, with lots up for grabs, and todays results may still not represent the final assessment for the class of 2020, the covid generation. Some students getting results today may need to use the clearing system, which helps people get into university if they didnt get the grades theyd expected. John maguire has been at the university of bristols Clearing Centre. Well, this is the Clearing Centre at the university of bristol socially distanced, of course. This room would normally be full, around 60 people here, and theyve got call centres right across the city to deal with the amount of students making contact. There will be 6,000 undergraduates coming here at the beginning of the new term, and they expect today at least to handle around 9,000 calls. You can see they will be talking to students, some of whom will have done very well, perhaps better than expected and, in many cases, students that wont quite have got their grades, so the phones have been ringing. You can hear, i think, a general hubbub of people making contact, looking for a bit of reassurance, i think, as much as anything else. Erik lithanderfrom the university, hello to you. Whats so different this year with regards to clearing, do you think, from Previous Years . Theres no question that its the uncertainty. Its the unpredictability. We hope that results day is a day of celebration and excitement for students. I think this year that will be tinged with some uncertainty, some anxiety about the fact that they havent been able to take their exams, their results have been calculated in a different way, and there have been changes in policy at the relatively last minute. So we are expecting thats going to come through in the calls we are taking today. What about the appeals process . What, if any, impact do you think that will have . It could be that a significant number of students who originally were not successful in getting a place in their chosen course are elevated, which is appropriate, and in that case those universities, including ours, are obliged to give them that place, and we will, of course. It could put some pressure on our numbers and capacity, and the universities will simply have to deal with that through Additional Resources and additional teaching. Thanks very much. All the very best for the rest of the day and the new term, when it starts. After so much uncertainty then for students, for parents, for schools, for everybody, really, involved universities as well, of course perhaps this morning starts to give some sense of stability. People will start to get back to normal, ready to study when the autumn term starts in a few weeks time. 0ur education correspondent, sean coughlan, is here. What are you picking up on . What sense are you getting from schools and colleges . This is on unprecedented exam day. Usually we would be celebrating great results, the most a and a grades, but is this uncertainty and nervousness among teachers. People are expected to really good grades havent, and they are saying it is possibly unfair, and its a reflection of this rather odd a year when people are getting results without taking exams, unprecedented, so the exams been constructed to give results according to an algorithm rather than an exam paper, and we are seeing the outcomes, some people getting great news, some getting disappointing news. Appeals are still to come, also clearing, so lots more places to go with this. And we dont know where it ends, because the appeal system is still to go through for a lot of people. Its to go through for a lot of people. Its an open ended and confusing book, because we dont know things like mock exams, if you got a better mock exam, how would that work out in terms of appealing . There are other questions about the fairness of which types of school might not have got the grades they wanted, so i think there is more to come on this on the days ahead. 0ur political correspondent, jonathan blake, is in westminster. As the government can to come under pressure on all of this, jonathan . It is, as students open the e mail oi it is, as students open the e mail or letter with their results today, the governments approach to allocating grades, no exams have been taken, is straining under pressure like every part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic being tested to the limit in unprecedented circumstances. What is clear, as youve been hearing, there area clear, as youve been hearing, there are a lot of students who believe the grades they have been governed do not fairly and accurately reflect their achievements and their ability and their parents and their teachers are voicing those concerns as well. Labour has stepped up its criticism of the way the government in england has handled the exam season this year. So keir starmer sad is a bare minimum student should be able to appeal themselves rather than through their skills and the fee for doing so should be weighed and theyve also gone further today saying that the option of scrapping the standardisation model and reverting to predicted grades that teachers gave should be on the table. I dont get the sense the government is ready to do that at all. Sources close to Gavin Williamson pointing out that predicted grades are often very different to the grades of students end up getting in their actual exams and the standardisation model used to adjust grades across england and other nations has now been published, and is therefore all to see. So will the governments approach hold up to criticism and pressure . 0r approach hold up to criticism and pressure . Or will they be forced to rethink . Its just too soon to say the moment. Jonathan blake, thank you. What are the questions youd like answered about exam grades, appeals, university places or going into the world of work . Send them to us. 0n the bbc news channel this afternoon at 2 30pm, well be putting your questions to the ucas chief executive, clare marchant. Use the hashtag bbcyourquestions on social media, or visit bbc. Co. Uk news or the bbc news app. Now the rest of the days news. A major study involving home Antibody Testing suggests nearly 3. 5 Million People may have had covid i9 in england, far more than the 270,000 confirmed cases. Separately, the number of people waiting longer than 18 weeks for routine hospital treatment in england has hit a record level. The figure stood at 1. 85 million in june, as the nhs continued to deal with the challenges of coronavirus. Heres our health correspondent, lauren moss. The virus has changed the way of life for so many. Now its thought 3. 4 Million People in england may have been infected. The findings come from a study of 100,000 volunteers who were tested for antibodies. The results indicate just 6 of the population may have had covid 19 but still higher than previously thought. We are not saying that each of those people is immune. Theyve been in contact with the virus and their body has mounted a response to that, that we can detect. Five months after going into lockdown, the impact of the pandemic is still being felt across the health service. More than 90,000 people were admitted for a planned operation in england injune. 67 lower than the same month last year. More than 140,000 were urgently referred to a cancer specialist. 19 lower than june 2019. And although higher than previous months, attendances to a e were 30 lower than july 2019. Lorraines Knee Replacement was cancelled in april. Its now been rearranged for later this month. Theres light at the end of the tunnel. Its just amazing, just amazing. My pre op is next week and thats over the telephone, which could be interesting. And ive got to be tested for covid. Although the number of people being seen and treated is increasing, there are concerns about a backlog of patients needing care. What we do need to make sure is that that backlog of people who havent seen their gp yet, whose tests and treatment might be postponed or delayed because of changes during covid 19, that all of that backlog has been building up and we must make sure there are resources in place so people can be seen quickly and safely. A review of how deaths are counted in england has reduced the uk covid death toll by 5000. Now only people who have died within 28 days of a positive test will be counted in the daily figures, bringing england in line with the rest of the uk. Latest data shows that one in five people testing positive for covid still arent being reached by contact tracers. The app will help us safely get back to the things we love. Now another new phone app to alert someone if theyd been near an infected person is being trialled after shortcomings with the previous one. So people who might meet in public transport, or in social events and so on, you might not know their name, so that they can be notified if theyd come into contact with somebody infectious. With the epidemic far from over, the way we manage it and move forward is evolving every day. Lauren moss, bbc news. Scotlands transport secretary says its clear that extreme weather had an impact on the Train Derailment in aberdeenshire yesterday which left three people dead. The driver and conductor, who were killed alongside a passenger, have been named. The incident near stonehaven followed heavy rain and flash flooding. Andrew anderson reports. Crash investigators arriving this morning at the scene of yesterdays catastrophic derailment in aberdeenshire. Three people died in this wreckage. Among them two of the train crew. The conductor, donald dinnie, seen here on the left, and the train driver brett mcculloch. The passenger who died has not yet been named. Investigators will be looking carefully at weather conditions at the time. Its believed the train struck a landslip caused by hours of heavy overnight rain. As environmental changes are happening, and we are getting these longer periods of very hot weather followed by very sudden heavy rain showers and downpours, that maybe this is affecting the infrastructure in the way which has not been seen in over 170 years of its existence. We are seeing things that are unprecedented. A section of the line close to the scene of the accident was flooded yesterday. Network rail released these pictures. Its believed the train driver was trying to return to aberdeen instead of continuing on to glasgow when the accident happened with such fatal consequences. One question investigators will be asking is whether the train should have been running at all given the horrendous weather. An investigation into the accident is now getting under way and it is important that we allow that to do its work. But in time, we must also ensure that any and all necessary lessons are learned. However, for the moment, my thoughts are with the injured, all those affected directly by this tragedy, and indeed with everybody who works on a railway. Network rail has announced its to carry out inspections of high risk track side slopes with similar characteristics to the crash site in aberdeenshire. Britains railways have enjoyed a good Safety Record in recent years. This is the first fatal derailment since 2007. The transport secretary will visit the site today. Grant shapps said that the government will offer every possible assistance following this tragedy. Andrew anderson, bbc news, aberdeenshire. The time is 1. 24. Our top story this lunchtime. Thousands of pupils in england, wales and Northern Ireland have had their a level results downgraded from the original teacher estimates. And coming up the growing impact of coronavirus in india, as the countrys death toll overtakes the uk. Coming up on bbc news, England Strike early against pakistan. James anderson getting them off the mark in familiar fashion at the start of the second test in southampton. India has overtaken the uk in the number of people who have died with coronavirus. The country has recorded more than 47,000 deaths and the number of infections is rising rapidly among the population of 1. 3 billion. 0ur south asia correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan sent this report. At one of the worlds wealthiest temple complexes in south india, theyre paying a heavy price. Its been two months since the shrines at Tirumala Tirupati reopened after lockdown. But, even with strict measures in place, at least 740 staff have tested positive with coronavirus. Three have died, including a priest. This temple remains open, despite the outbreak, as places of worship across india welcome visitors again. As the country continues to relax restrictions, markets are packed and streets are busy. So, too, are the countrys graveyards. Coronavirus deaths continue to rise. India has now overtaken the uk and is now fourth in the world for fatalities. In a country of 1. 3 billion, its still a relatively low death rate. But for every family losing a loved one, theres fresh pain. More than 200 doctors have now died of the virus. 27 year old Joginder Chaudhary one of the youngest. Seen here at the great wall of china, joginders father, a farmer, borrowed money so his son could study medicine overseas. Translation my son was fearless while on covid duty. He was dedicated to his job. We never imagined he wouldnt survive. He was a covid warrior. And in the fight against covid in india, these are the foot soldiers. An all female army of health workers, who visit slums and villages. Thousands recently went on strike, calling for proper protective equipment and better wages. Their work to track and trace cases is key, as is increased detection. Compared with other countries, indias testing rates are low. The countrys prime minister, narendra modi, has called on states to ramp up tests, as india works to flatten its upward curve. Its very difficult to say what the trajectory of the epidemic will look like here in india. There are some studies that have shown that substantial proportions of the population in some areas may have already been exposed to the virus, and therefore could have some level of immunity, meaning that the peak could come sooner, rather than later. Containing the spread of covid 19 in this densely populated country continues to be challenging. Its still unclear when india will be past the worst. Rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news. Weather warnings remain in place for many parts of the uk, after a second night of thunderstorms. It follows whats thought to be an unprecedented spell of high temperatures in many areas. Yellow warnings for more thunderstorms have been Caroline Davies has this report, which does contain flashing images. On another day of record temperatures, this. Storms battered parts of south london with wind, rain and hail. This was inside a supermarket in telford, in shropshire, ceiling panels falling as the rain pours in through the roof. Some parts of scotland saw almost seven hours of continuous rain. Many areas saw flooding, including here in perth. While cars were stuck, floating in floodwaters in aberdeen. And in bristol, two people were rescued by the Fire Services from the mud along the banks of the avon new cut, after getting stuck earlier in the evening. The met office have warned that the current hot weather creates ideal conditions for thunderstorms. The heat is due to continue in some places, with little drop off at night. And for a sixth day in a row, temperatures in london hit at least 34 degrees, for the First Time Since 1961. So far this month there have been four nights where somewhere in the uk stays at 20 degrees, so called tropical nights, with some dramatic results. It is certainly impossible to get a good nights sleep at the moment, whether it is to do with humidity or the thunder and lightning. But just look at this year so far, we had the wettest february on record, followed by the sunniest spring on record, followed by these exceptional bursts of heat this summer. On their own, these extremes have often occurred throughout history and they will continue to occur but, with global warming, with climate change, we are expecting more and more extremes to occur. Yellow thunderstorm warnings have been issued for today for much of england, wales, parts of Northern Ireland and south west scotland, as the week of extreme continues. Caroline davies, bbc news. Pakistans batsman have made a steady start on the first day of the second test against england in southampton. At lunch, the visitors were 62 for 1. Our sports correspondentjoe wilson has been watching. Now, who does shan masood see approaching . That is james eternal anderson. It took 11 minutes to prove what englands captain already knew no bowler does it better, certainly in england. Of course, theres stuart broad. Catch that. Bowlers need fielders. The chance fell to burns or sibley, and fell to the ground. If that was frustrating, this was agonising. Chris woakes the bowler, trying to work out what had just happened. Wait for the angle that reveals it to us. The ball struck the stumps but too weak to remove the bails. Not out, of course. We can accept that taking catches is never taken for granted