UNIVERSITIES that do not return to full face-to-face teaching for the academic year ahead should not be charging students full fees, Gavin Williamson has said.

England's education secretary was speaking to Kay Burley on Sky News when he made the claim.

He said: "I think if universities are not delivering what students expect, then actually they shouldn't be charging the full fees."

He said the UK Government has made it "clear" that "all universities can move back to face-to-face teaching".

"That's what we want to see," Mr Williamson added.

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Thousands of students across the UK will find out their A-level results today with decisions to be made on what to do next.

The government announced in January that students would not take national GCSE, AS and A-level exams this summer, due to the impact of the pandemic on young people’s education.

Exams were scrapped for a second year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and grades will be determined by teachers, based on a range of evidence like mock exams, coursework, class tests and more.

Plans for next year

Gavin Williamson has said the government will consult on a contingency plan “largely based around” teacher-assessed grades for next year, but with a hope to move back to an examination system.

Asked on Sky News what the contingency plans are for next year’s exams, he said: “In the last academic year we have conducted an extensive consultation as we move back to examinations, and in a few weeks’ time as we go back into the winter period we will be doing another extensive consultation as to the contingency, which will be largely based around teacher-assessed grades, but we very much hope that we will be moving to a system of where we are able to move into the more normal pattern of examinations from next year, but always conscious that this pandemic, we have not always been able to predict the course of it, it has continuously changed, and it’s absolutely right that we have contingencies there, as we always do.”

Asked if he was ruling out teacher assessments for this time next year, he said: “What we are saying is you will probably have seen our consultation in the last academic year, we are very much planning to move back to examinations as a form of assessment, but we always have to have a contingency plan in place, and that’s why we will be consulting in the next academic year on those plans.”