I wrote a few weeks ago about the effect of Teacher Assessed Grades possibly being an even worse problem than the usual exam mania. I really couldn’t quite see how it might be done given that teachers hardly knew their pupils after so little actual classroom teaching time. Now Alice Thomson in The Times has weighed in even more forcefully, confirming the impression I am getting from schools about the effects (“daily assessments” etc). You can read her remarkable piece by going to:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/this-exam-shambles-is-worse-than-last-year-jp3nqwwd3?shareToken=482722e7b0c1179fd57aea1342962c09
That problem allied to fears about Covid and outbreaks of cases in schools, allied to the wettest (and coldest) May since 2012 when it rained almost every day except May 26th which was glorious, means that even now I am getting reports from schools saying “played our first match today”. Yet I am still being bombarded with requests for fixtures as the opposition has recently cancelled.
There is light at the end of thus tunnel with improving weather from today and the end of TAGs in sight.
Eton comfortably defeated Harrow at Lord’s on Saturday. I hope to include a report on this most traditional of fixtures very shortly; I shall add it to this column.
Results (see below for National T20):
*Millfield 310-6 (40 overs) (B Beaumont 114), Hampshire ICA 90
Myerscough Manchester 114-6 (20 overs), *Shrewsbury 89-7
Oakham 95-5 (10^ overs), *Bedford 67-8
Perse 93-4 (10^ overs), Oakham 95-2
Cranleigh 181 (50 overs), *Tonbridge 182-5
St John’s Leatherhead 135, *KCS Wimbledon 136-2
*Canford 137-6 (20 overs), Bryanston 119-6
*Oakham 210-9, Oundle 115
Free Foresters 113 (50 overs), *Eton 114-0
Harrow 161, Eton 163-6 (at Lord’s)
^”100” format