School refusing to run a GCSE Maths re-sit in November

[FozzieMK]

My youngest DD's school contacted me today to tell me that they are not running any GCSE Maths re-sits in November. She really wanted to re-sit, can anyone tell me if they can actually refuse to do this or if it would be possible for her to re-sit elsewhere?

[TeenAndTween]

Can you clarify 'wanted to resit'?
Do you mean needs to resit as didn't get a C
Or took it (early?) and passed but wants a higher grade?

They might let you pay for her to be entered as a private candidate I suppose. But what is their reasoning for not resitting at the earliest opportunity?

[Floralnomad]

Contact your local colleges and ask if any of them take private candidates , it's quite a simple procedure but costs vary .

[FozzieMK]

Thank you. Teen she got a D and was not too many marks off the C so the school promised her a re-sit on results day. Sadly they are now telling me they are not offering this. It is a private school so I guess we would have to pay anyway.

Floral I will do that thank you. She does have a place at a local sixth form but the option there is a re-take in July not a re-sit in November.

[LIZS]

Are they letting her go into 6th form without it, or proposing a resit next year?

[FozzieMK]

LIZS The sixth form she is moving to are proposing she does the one year Edexcel re-take at the end of next year. We really wanted her to take a re-sit of the AQA exam this November so that she could get her C and not have to study maths for another whole year.

I have found out that she can re-sit as a private candidate and looked at the list of participating centres for this. Hilariously her old school who are refusing the re-sit is listed as a centre!!

[Longlost10]

november maths resits are no longer valid

[FozzieMK]

Longlost The AQA website says they are for this year.

www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/entries/make-entries/gcses-are-re-sits-only-in-november-2016

[noblegiraffe]

It's a private school, they'll take your money to enter her!

She needs to go on mathswebsite.com right now, it really isn't long till November. She should also request her script back from AQA (through the school, it costs) so that she can see exactly where she needs to improve.

[FozzieMK]

Apparently not noble even though they promised her a re-sit on results day. Not very impressed at all :(

Thank you for the website, that's really helpful. I will enter her as a private candidate elsewhere I think.

[RalphSteadmansEye]

I don't understand. If she's moving to a new school, she would normally do the resit (after timetabled teaching) with them, not through her old school. Or have I misunderstood??

[Longlost10]

We don't accept November resits at all, and haven't for some time, they simply don't count for anything

[noblegiraffe]

What do you mean they don't count for anything? They're a GCSE, same as the June sitting

[OhTheRoses]

I agree do it elsewhere. Have you got some tutoring in place for her in the meantime?

[worriedmother1929]

There's no fun so unless you get under a C, which is then re sat the following June exam season. November resits haven't happened for a long time

[worriedmother1929]

Funding sorry

[DellaPorter]

If the new 6th form doesn't enrol her on a GCSE course, she won't be funded AT ALL for post 16 course.

www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding#grade-d-requirement-to-the-condition-of-funding

[noblegiraffe]

November resits still happen. We've got kids sitting them in a few weeks. Last year a bunch of kids passed and could drop maths/English. They got a proper new GCSE certificate that didn't say 'November resit' anywhere on it.

[LooseAtTheSeams]

Absolutely, and for what it's worth we're putting students in for English and maths resits in November at college for free, although only if they were a near-miss on the exam. Things do go awry under exam pressure and I see no problem at all in these students having another go. They need the grade C but no one in the future is going to care when they got it!

[catslife]

November resits still happen for GCSEs in Maths and English but not for any other subjects.
There are only limited opportunities (Nov 2016 and June 2017) for pupils to resit the Higher and Foundation papers for the "old" A*-G qualifications as for these subjects it is being replaced by the new 9-1 qualification so I would go for it.

[Dahlietta]

It's a private school, they'll take your money to enter her!
The money for resits and remarks goes straight to the exam board - the school doesn't get any of it.

[noblegiraffe]

Depends on if they charge for invigilation and an admin fee!

[meran]

I would still enrole her on the year long course in college though.
If she doesn't get in November she will have a chance in June.

Make sure she does all the past e am papers she can get her hands on

[FozzieMK]

Thank you everyone for all your help. We have found a school that will let her re-sit in November and she is also enrolled onto the one year re-take course as a back-up. I will contact her old maths teacher this evening who also gives private maths lessons and get my DD to use the website suggested by noble.

In my experience having one DD at college and one at independent, the exam remark costs vary considerably, so I imagine the school would add admin charges for a re-sit as noble suggests. The remark at college was free for my eldest as she was 4 marks off the grade she needed (had to be within 5 marks) but the school want £50 for a remark of a paper my youngest is 1 mark off the next grade.

[ReallyTired]

Maths is a life essential. Surely it's better for her to do the one year course and have a more solid grounding in maths for life. I realise that she may not like her maths lessons, but failing GCSE maths inspite of attending a private school may mean she really struggles with maths. Failing a November resit would be horrendous.