National 5s CfE Scotland this year- are you worried?

[atthestrokeoftwelve]

CfE in Scotland- I am worried it is turning into a shambles. Prelim results from other local schools were patchy to say the least. I am worried how these May exams will pan out.

[S4Worries]

My name is my answer!

I have more concerns about the new Highers now. I'm resigned to this year being a bit of a shambles but it's the following year that will be tricky I think for my child and our schools' particular set up. That could impact on further education options.

How will selection work when schools have taken such a variety of pathways?

[atthestrokeoftwelve]

I am worried too. So few kids in my son's year (S4) have actually been even put forward fo Nat5s, that I don't know what the new higher set up will be.- and as you say that is crucial for univeristy entrance. I feel sorry for the teachers, they have had this whole mess dumped on their lap, but the stress is really starting to affect staff and pupils. Which region are you in?

[S4Worries]

I'd rather not say where I am!

Yes I think it is worse for the teachers than anyone else.

Here they have done 3 + 3 with the result that many kids just didn't get into gear and were then put into National 4 classes for S4. It seems worse than what it replaced - Standard Grade General and Credit seemed to work OK.

[PurpleFrog]

Yes - I am worried. Dd's Prelim results were OK, I suppose, but 3 out of the 6 were a lower grade than I would have hoped/expected. I am hoping that the school was intentionally trying to shock pupils into putting more effort into their revision for the actual exams. From what I can gather talking to dd, she did do better than a lot of her classmates, and a number of kids have been changed to Nat4 on the basis of the Prelim results.

We also had problems with dd's choices for Higher. She was happy with 4 out of her 6 S4s for Higher but decided she really didn't want to do either of the other 2. We suggested she could probably 'crash' something like Geography but she wouldn't go and speak to the staff about it. Anyway, after an anxious few weeks, she did change her mind, and is doing one of her remaining 2 Nat5 subjects after all. Phew!

That, though, is a definite drawback of only doing 6 Nat5s. I remember from my own O'Grade days that some subjects can change quite a bit from the earlier years once you have to sit SQA exams in them.

[floofyapogo]

They seem to have a shocking amount of work. Working over lunchtime, staying at school for an extra three hours each day - do you think some of the teachers are panicking a bit and overloading them? There just seems to be so much of it all the time .

[floofyapogo]

I'm not sure I feel more sorry for the teachers than the pupils though - the latter are complete guinea pigs, will be next year too, are being told that what they're doing has shown up how they got it wrong, and have no clear information. Teachers are getting stressed but often passing it onto them - one teacher in my child's class has been crying regularly, so the pupils all feel guilty. Mine has now been told that next year's students won't be allowed to do 8 Nat 5s, which makes him even more anxious about the workload - how feasible is it if it's never going to happen again?

[PurpleFrog]

Dds school is doing a mixture of "old" and "new" Highers next year. It is apparently being decided on a Faculty basis. Each subject will only be putting on one version of the higher for both S5 and S6 and all Ints appear to have gone for next year's S6. At present I have no idea which subjects will be which higher!

[PiggyPlumPie]

My DD sat her last prelim yesterday and has her first exam on easter Monday. With that sort of timescale I have to question the benefit of the prelims - in some subjects they have not finished the syllabus.

Like a PP she has stayed late at school and worked through lunch on numerous occasions.

She is doing 8 N5 subjects studied over two years. DS is currently S2 and will be choosing his subjects at the end of S3. He will do 6 but the exam will be after one year. I can't see it getting any better for him.

As to highers, some subjects will be the old ones and some the new ones but have no idea which.

Poor kids...

[PurpleFrog]

DDs Prelims were the last 2.5 weeks in January. She is currently on her Easter holiday, but when she gets back there will be 'top-up prelims' in some of her subjects. She doesn't appear to know how close to the end of the syllabus she is in any of her subjects, though...

Her first exam is English and they will be off on study leave at the beginning that week.

PiggyPlumPie I am interested that your dd's school is also doing a mixture of old and new highers. When I read some Education or SQA website a few months ago it seemed to imply that next years S5 would all be doing the new highers but S6 should be offered the old highers and Ints.

[S4Worries]

floofy, my child told me one teacher has said in light of this year's experience he will teach N5 course in a different way next time, so yes they are the unfortunate guinea pigs. I just think teachers have been given little to no guidance from the SQA and have been left to reinvent the wheel for these courses.

Here they have been limited to 6 subjects maximum, which is less stress - no extra long working hours. But will it have an effect in the future when compared to others with 8? I feel if later you go for jobs and training schemes (especially in England) it will appear lacking to have fewer qualifications.

Also it is silly to cull subjects so early on, I dread the almost inevitable request to drop physics next year. Nothing obvious would go in it's place. It's a nonsense.

Thanks to this thread at least I know to ask about new v old highers.