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Original poster

First entry rules changed to force new GCSEs

37 replies

noblegiraffe · 28/10/2015 13:13

I've just seen that any schools that try to get around their kids being guinea pigs for the the new GCSE by entering early for the old GCSE will be penalised as these results will no longer count as first entry for the league tables.

So any students in Y10 who might have been entered for Maths or English in June of Y10, or November of Y11 will not have those results entered into the league tables at the end of Y11, they will have to sit the new GCSE. Any school that only enters all their kids early for the old GCSE would get 0% headline measure.

I guess this would also have implications for the next phase of GCSEs for schools who do a three year KS4 and enter for some GCSEs in Y10. I expect they won't count either.

OP posts:
Original poster
noblegiraffe · 29/10/2015 09:49

How does that work with the league tables? Do the Y10 results get published in that year's league tables or are they held for a year and published when the cohort finishes Y11?

OP posts:
UhtredOfBebbanburg · 29/10/2015 09:32

Blimey. Our school does all GCSEs in Y10. Has done for years. Either we get a special pass or...the whole year will have to wait a year to do their exams. Which will have a huge knock on effect and involve completely remodelling the 6th form. What a mess!

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 29/10/2015 08:47

AS-level counts towards the Ebacc so that should be ok for the league tables.

OP posts:
balletgirlmum · 29/10/2015 00:02

He is in year 9 now.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 29/10/2015 00:01

The only new GCSEs available for teaching now are English and maths so it shouldn't as long as she wouldn't be in the 1st cohort to take the new French GCSE whenever that comes out.

If she's in year 10 now it should be OK .

balletgirlmum · 28/10/2015 23:51

So that will also affect a child in dds year I guess who is being entered for gcse french early & then AS level in year 11?
(Tiny cohort so will skew the figures)

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 28/10/2015 23:46

Interesting. I'd imagine that's going to be an issue if you happen to be a school that has a 2 yr ks3 followed by a 2yr ks4 then a 3 year 6th form.

Presumably they will just have to explain away the 0% 5A*-C for the current yr10s.

ScentedJasmine · 28/10/2015 15:43

A school my children likely to attend does early entry and it does give falsely low bottom line. However, even ofsted says that they are using early entry wisely. 'Best' result not part of bottom line.
Unfortunately, parents often just look at league table bottom line and not 'best' results and schools around here that don't do early entry known to play dirty with their advertising....

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 28/10/2015 14:36

I don't think you read it on MN many times, because the info about the new GCSEs are coming out in dribs and drabs. The old rules were that the first entry would count in the league tables (to discourage early entry). The new rules are that the first entry won't count (to discourage early entry).

The thing with further maths in Y11 is that it's harder so grades are often lower than the GCSE grade. My A-A students at GCSE last year got A*-C on further maths. With progress 8, schools won't risk top students getting lower grades on a harder qualification and having that count in the double-weighted maths basket.

OP posts:
ragged · 28/10/2015 13:45

What NG is saying I already thought was true, & I thought it read it on MN many times!

Hmmm, maybe I was prognosticating :).

WildStallions · 28/10/2015 13:31

DS in Y10 will be sitting the current maths GCSE this year and the new one next year.

Normally they sit GCSE in Y10 and further maths in Y11 so he is missing out on doing further maths.

All other years will be doing it like that - GCSEs in Y10 and further maths in Y11.

I don't really see your problem.

Ladymuck · 28/10/2015 13:23

Presumably you could still do a different qualification in year 11 which would count though, eg so Additional maths and the other English qualification? That would fill the Progress8/Attain8 bucket?