GCSEs 2014 Changes -pls explain how this will impact current Yr 9s/

Argh! My kids are just 3 school years apart and it changes every time!

Eldest DD did mostly terminal exams as will youngest it seems (eldest coped fime DD2 more of a stresshead so I'm not so happy). DS now going through the continual lower level annoyance of all the controlled conditions stuff. It doesn't suit him at all- doing fine but doesn't like it IYSWIM. As a bight boy he'd be better with a terminal exam schedule.

Such is life!

noblegiraffe - I am with you in every word you have said! I teach a vocational subject and the amount of changes I have had to manage in the last 5 years has been ridiculous! I just get my head around one spec/assessment criteria etc ane another qualification/specification is rolled out

noblegiraffe I sympathise completely with your point of view - DS is my third DC to go through GCSEs and there have been so many changes in a short period of time that I'd just like to get hold of someone in government and yell "stop messing about with things" in their face. I would like my DCs teachers to able to focus on actually teaching and not learning how to deliver yet another new syllabus.

I've been a maths teacher 7 years, in that time I've taught linear with coursework, linear without coursework, three tiers of entry, two tiers of entry, modular with a multiple choice section, modular with a functional maths element. I also prepared kids for a pilot of a functional maths exam that was supposed to be taken alongside maths and they wouldn't be awarded a C at GCSE if they didn't pass it. That was quietly scrapped a couple of months before it was due to be rolled out, I expect because so many kids failed.

I really wish successive education secretaries would stop pissing around with what they reckon will be a good idea and bloody tinkering all the time.

And I wish it wasn't so bloody political. Employers bang on about how kids are leaving school without basic numeracy skills despite having a C at GCSE (which is, tbh, probably fair). So the government says that kids need to prove their numeracy skills and add a practical maths element to the GCSE. Kids can't do this (which employers already know) because the changes haven't had time to bed down in the curriculum. But instead of sucking up the new lower amount of kids getting a C and giving it time, the grade boundaries are lowered so once again we get record numbers of passes. Hurray for the government for improving standards.

end of rant.

So what's wrong with the controlled assessments? Surely they haven't been around long enough to make the decision that they are not working?

Dd3 just started yr9 and every few months since year 7 the parents have been summoned to school with yet another GSCE change. First it was the introduction of vocational GSCEs because the school was losing out in the local league tables by only doing traditional subjects, then that was abolished because of the Eng Bacc so NO ONE is allowed to do vocational GCSEs, then last year, language options had to be decided so they could start a 3-year course starting this term, then it was decided that everyone had to take a DT GCSE and choices had to be made last term (in year 8 fgs) now we have a meeting next week which I assume is to discuss the latest changes.

I really feel for the Teachers who will have to get to grips with yet another Spec! I've just looked at the spec for my DD's GCSE English Language and fail how to see it could be more vigrously assessed. DD will have to do two one hour external exams plus 4 hours of CA for one unit and a further unit of spoken language which includes 3 speaking tasks and a two hour CA on Studying Spoken Language. Lets also not forget prep time for these CA's the board is recommending for some 15 hours.... I'm actually starting to think DD turning up for 2 2 hour exams in yr11 might be a bit of a doss!

Current courses have controlled assessments rather than coursework. The govt wants to remove this and focus on terminal exams, with minimal resit opportunities. Nothing is known for definite yet, but it is intended that this starts with ks4 from 2012 courses, so current y9. Many schools however start ks4 in y9, so the restriction of 2 yrs to teach will have impact here. We can only wait and see, then cope with yet another change to specs, moving of the goalposts and then take the flak for the lower results that are inevitable if thus goes ahead. Tough times for students and teachers.

It's started in English already. The 'coursework' component is now done under teacher supervision in class. It's to deal with plagiarism