SHADOW education secretary Kate Green is calling on the government to stop “dithering” and set out a “credible plan” for GCSE and A-level exams.

More than 8.7 million children in England face living under a second round of Tier 2 and 3 restrictions when the national lockdown ends on Wednesday, according to new House of Commons Library data.

Ms Green has demanded that Education Secretary Gavin Williamson makes sure pupils who have faced significant learning disruption since March are not unfairly disadvantaged in 2021 exams.  

According to Labour, the government’s promised allocation of laptops and remote-learning equipment to schools has been cut for some by 80 per cent.

The party wrote to Mr Williamson earlier this month asking for greater optionality in exam questions, for reserve papers in all subjects for self-isolating children and “a credible Plan B” for grading pupils if exams do not go ahead.

National Education Union general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “Labour is right to point to huge deficiencies in what the government has so far said about exams for next summer. 

“Teachers, parents as well as hundreds of thousands of 16 and 18-year-olds deserve better than this.”