Kristina Murkett

Kristina Murkett is an English teacher, private tutor and journalist

Saturday

Kristina Murkett

The cancelling of next year’s GCSEs looks inevitable

When the Scottish government made the decision this summer to do a U-turn and award teachers’ predicted grades instead of exams, it was inevitable that England and Wales would follow. Now that Scotland has cancelled National Highers next summer, the question is: will GCSEs again follow suit? With less than 84 per cent of secondary schools fully open at the moment, it is clear that schools are caught between a rock and a hard place. They are also inching towards a cliff edge. It is estimated that thousands of children and young people were not in school last week, and further disruption is inevitable.

Thursday

Kristina Murkett

The sanctimony of the celebrity Facebook boycott

Kim Kardashian West is the latest in a long line of celebrities, including Katy Perry, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, to freeze their social media accounts in order to protest against the spread of ‘hate, propaganda and misinformation’. But while the #StopHateForProfit campaign has no shortage of famous people signing up, it won’t be long before the same celebrities return to social media; the latest campaign lasts for just 24 hours. So is this really about stopping hate or is a bid to generate some easy publicity? It’s hard not to be sceptical. That’s not to say, of course, that the campaign isn’t a worthy cause. Created in June, its aim is to put pressure on Facebook and Instagram to do more to stop the spread of hate speech and fake news.

Thursday

Kristina Murkett

Do we really still need a Women’s Prize for Fiction?

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Women’s Prize For Fiction, and there is much to celebrate. Over the last quarter of a century the prize has become one of the most successful awards in the world, and has exposed readers to important, challenging and accomplished works by female authors. There is no doubt that the Prize will go down in the ‘herstory’ books as a force for good. However, with Maggie O'Farrell announced as the 25th winner last night, perhaps it no longer needs to be part of our future. Much has changed in 25 years. In 1991, when the idea for the Prize was in its early embryonic form, there was not a single female writer in the Booker Prize shortlist, and clearly many female writers were being overlooked.

Thursday

Kristina Murkett

Universities should ignore this year’s A-Level results

I had just finished my last day teaching at school when I found out: it had been a blur of Microsoft Teams training, unexpected farewells to pupils and packing up suitcases full of books. Much like my students, I was exhausted, apprehensive, and more than a little confused. I turned the radio on, and that’s when I heard Boris Johnson’s announcement: 'Exams will not take place as planned in May and June, though we will make sure that pupils get the qualifications that they need and deserve for their academic career.' Five months later, it is clear that not all A-level pupils have got the qualifications that they need, and that even more have not got the qualifications they deserve. Universities must acknowledge this, and they must do so quickly.