How do you think school closures will impact on current year 10s GCSEs??

[mostwonderfultime]

My heart goes out to current year 11s and 13s.
My DS is year 10 and worrying about what impact missing all this teaching will have on his exams. What are your opinions? I keep reassuring him that all will be well, but have no idea really.

[TeenPlusTwenties]

I have a year 10.

I think schools will sort themselves out to try to get through content next term by using

• power-points
  
• maybe videos of teachers talking through them
  
• uploading stuff to be marked, or self marking to mark schemes and uploading scores & weak points
  

Then there will need to be more emphasis in y11 on question answering / essay technique as that is harder to teach remotely I think.

The practical subjects (my DD is doing Food and Drama) will suffer. Maybe they will have to accept lower standards and keep proportions getting whatever grades the same.

The kids who miss out will be the ones who

• don't have good access to technology at home (maybe PP money could give them all laptops?)
  
• don't have good working environment at home
  
• don't have good self motivation or parents keeping them focussed
  
• don't have parents who can help them if they get stuck

[WhatHaveIFound]

I have a Y10 too. In the case of academic lessons the school has put everything online so it's just a matter of us making sure DS does it rather than 24/7 gaming.

Language lessons are a bit tricky so i'm hoping my Y13 will be able to teach her brother as she was just about to take the same language at A Level. Plus there's apps like Duolingo.

PE - will have a knock on effect next year which i hope will be taken into account. Sports such as athletics & tennis are moderated in Y10 instead of Y11 due to it being Summer sports (normally after exam season). Plus facilities are shut due to CV. I think the practical side is 30-40% of the final mark.

Music, Drama & Art will be hit too i think. My DS's school doesn't offer Food Tech but i'm planning on teaching him to cook in this extended break!

[mostwonderfultime]

My DS has said he’s going to get stuck in and do the work school set but I am a bit worried that he’ll need a massive kick u the bum to actually do it. I work 3 days so am worried he’ll be making a half arse effort when I’m not there🙄
Hopefully I’m being unfair. I suppose time will tell.

[Foodhoarder]

My son is on day 1 and taking the piss! He has educational needs and so won’t even try. It’s going to be a slog getting him to do anything!

[mostwonderfultime]

Massive sympathies to you Foodhoarder. It’s so worrying

[TeenPlusTwenties]

I haven't started with DD yet as she is currently ill (something else + ?CV?). Her attendance this year has only been 90% (usually close to 100) so when she's feeling better she'll have catching up to do plus all the new work being posted.
She doesn't normally like working from home, but I'm planning a strict routine and rewards.

[CallarMorvern]

Awful in our case, although the Isle of Man is refusing to close schools. But my year 10 has assessed work due now and is sitting some GCSEs in November. Apparently iGCSEs are going ahead, but no one is telling the kids anything and they are all so worried.

[HappySonHappyMum]

My DD is feeling anxious about the lack of order and routine. She has cleaned and organised her bedroom and commandeered the dinner table for her school work. She has started at 9 and finished at 3 for the last 3 days since her school shut. Her school is setting work that needs to be completed every day. It's making her feel calmer that at least some things are staying the same - it's her way of dealing with it I suppose.

[TwigTheWonderKid]

I'm praying they decide that they all need to repeat the year. I just can't see how learning at home on Google classroom is anywhere as effective as having a teacher there with them.

[TeenPlusTwenties]

They can't repeat a year for missing one term.
Logistically it would be a nightmare.

They would be better off accepting lower standards in the final exams, or turning e.g. English Lit into only your best 3 questions count instead of 4 or something.

[ihearttc]

My DS1 is in Year 10 and is worried about what impact this will have on him.

He is doing GCSE PE and has picked Football (which has already been assessed), athletics and Cricket both of which now can't be assuming they all stay shut.

[WhatHaveIFound]

They'd obviously all been talking about at my DS's school yesterday and the general consensus from the teachers was that the 2021 grade boundaries would take this missing term into account.

[PettsWoodParadise]

I am worried for DD too, she is in Y10. She will probably buckle down but keeping it up will be a challenge. She loves learning and this is a huge blow. We did homeschool at the end of Y6 but that was just one term and wasn’t such a critical phase. Her school seem to be organised in how this remote learning is gong to work. There are some horrific rumours that they might not go back until September, then it will flare up again in the winter and then they will be off again until spring 2021. I am praying it is just that, rumours and speculation.

However it is the emotional and mental health side I worry about most. I know they can keep in touch with their friends digitally but it just won’t be the same.

[PettsWoodParadise]

DD’s Emgineering course is 80% coursework - don’t know how that is going to work if they miss too much more time. First module was due in end of next term.

[Powergower]

I have dc in year 10 and 12 and both are worried about missing a whole term. If you think of a levels and gcses as being taught in 5 terms, missing one term is equivalent to 20% learning. They are trying to keep up with the work but it's so hard when it's not face to face like in school, and they're struggling with the complete lack of routine . Going from have having school, sports, friends, meals out, dates etc to being at home is a massive adjustment and is affecting the mental health of my eldest. At their school they both already had daily period 6 after school to ensure the teachers had times to teach the full curriculum. I have no idea how they'll make up a whole missed term.

I don't know what the answer is. The most sensible solution at this point would be to lose the grade boundaries next year to make sure the kids aren't penalised. My friend is a teacher and said that it is the year 10 and 12 students who will really suffer with the fallout from this year's premature school end.

[TabbyStar]

I've got a year 12 doing A levels. I think they'll have to be more flexible in exam questions, e.g. giving a choice of more topics, to recognise that they are unlikely to have covered the syllabus, certainly not in as much depth. There is potential for real inequality with kids different home situations. DD has coursework that's due in soon, there's been no announcement about it, they're just carrying on via email at the moment.

[JellyBabiesSaveLives]

It’s going to be very unfair though. Some schools are setting lots of work, and doing online classes. My sons school has just told them to revise what they’ve done already. And some kids have parents who’ll get them to do the work at home, and can provide laptops etc, and other kids will just ignore the work because no one is chasing them.

[TheHumansAreDefinitelyDead]

My y10 and 12 not worried and are taking to online lessons like ducks to water. Both college and school are sticking to normal teaching schedules. I am pretty impressed with the teachers!

Not sure they get as good an education as they would at school, but at least they are happy not to have to be on the awful school bus, and I am trying to keep them not-stressed

What will be, will be

[TheHumansAreDefinitelyDead]

Jellybabies, sorry to rub it in with my cross post. I was not aware that not all schools are providing lessons

[deepflatflyer]

My son is Year 10 (the other is Year 8) and I'm worried too. I suspect this will show which schools and, individually, which depts/teachers can make the best out of this and which can't. It already looks like the good, organised teachers at my sons' school are going to be far more useful than the ones who are always disorganised anyway. Wondering if anyone in the school is checking up on the various staff. I fear that, when they do eventually get back to school, it's going to massively stressful as the school will be worrying about their league tables.

[mondaynoon]

My DS is worried about this too. His teachers have been brilliant so far and are setting plenty of work online. He is getting up early and starting work straight away. I just hope everyone can keep well and motivated for the rest of the academic year and that the schools start back in September.

[Travelban]

I have a year 10 too but I must say it's very early days to say how it will pan out. At the moment, she is enjoying the later starts, no uniform, comfort of thr home and online lessons, being able to catch up on gaps and fade timing friends. Long term, I don't know how effective this home learning will be and whether the enthusiasm will wear off.

Definitely worrying..

[enjoyingSun]

We're in Wales so my year 10 was due to sit last exam in one subject and sit 6 other GCSE exams in next few months.

They've said they will be treated differenetly to Y11 - but haven't said how yet - possibly being put in with Nov re-sits or something else.

DD has proven the hardest to get doing homeworking - she been very demotivated and younger child in same school seems to be having more work set.

[PettsWoodParadise]

I think I am the one stressing out here. Rumours abound about this virus resurfacing again in the winter and once the exams have been cancelled once it can happen again. I feel as though DD and her friends can never know when they are going to be judged so the pressure is on to always perform, or wonder if the opportunity has passed already. Maybe no different from the US system of the GPA but not something our children are brought up to expect or be conditioned to. Yes I know I am probably over analysing but as I can't say this to DD IRL so I am venting here.

Doesn't help that I have leave booked for tomorrow and am not able to cancel it under current work rules and seriously wondering what has gone wrong that I am excited about being able to paint half a shed. I can't paint a whole shed as I can't get more paint in the same colour. Gardening is compromised somewhat as our garden waste is no longer being collected. I am thankful for my shelf of unread books.

[waltzingparrot]

Couldn't they drop a book in English literature?