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Original poster

A level predicted grades

38 replies

SaltyMyDear · 18/06/2018 11:53

School is refusing to predict DS the grades he needs to apply for the university course he wants to do.

Originally The teacher said he’d either get an A or an A but he wasn’t allowed to predict an A

Now he’s saying DS works not good enough to predict an A* - which I totally don’t believe given his earlier comment.

Is there any way I can reason with school so they don’t destroy his dreams?

I’m aware how hard it is to get an A* I’m also aware why he ‘only’ got an A in his mocks this year and why he should do better next year.

OP posts:
glitterbiscuits · 18/06/2018 12:50

www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/apply-and-track/results/ucas-adjustment-if-youve-done-better-expected

I need how to learn to do a clicky link

noblegiraffe · 18/06/2018 12:47

Wow that does sound bad. I’m surprised they are still kicking kids out for mock results after what happened with St Olaves. Surely if they’ve booted kids out then they can expect a higher percentage of students to get the top grades - that’s why they do it after all Hmm

The complaints procedure should be on the website, it normally goes governors after the head.

Complaint should be ‘Teacher thinks that student is capable of A, student needs A to apply to Cambridge and is being restricted in their ambitions by a prediction target set by SLT’. Don’t understand why your DS should be the one to suffer from low expectations set by SLT.

glitterbiscuits · 18/06/2018 12:47

Have you heard about 'adjustments ' OP?
I understand it to be a bit like clearing but if you get higher grades than you were predicted you can contact universities and 'trade up'
My DS is in year 12 so I don't speak from personal experience but it's something I found out about at an Open Day

Original poster
SaltyMyDear · 18/06/2018 12:38

Yes, they're saying 'oh, he can always take a gap year'. But that's not a realistic suggestion.

So, when SLT turn me down, I need to ask what the complaints procedure is - which is presumably a complaint to the governors? And then do it.

Gee, I so want him to move school. This is so unnecessarily nasty.

They've already kicked kids out for their mock grades - which I know is illegal. It's just turned into a really nasty school, and nothing like the prospectus :(

I really, really don't want him to go back there next year.

OP posts:
NotARegularPenguin · 18/06/2018 12:32

Thanks Panda, will tell her to go to the open day and ask.

noblegiraffe · 18/06/2018 12:31

I don’t think changing schools would be a good idea at this stage.
If SLT really won’t budge due to arbitrary A* prediction targets (from where?) you could escalate your complaint through the complaints procedure.

Your DS also could take a gap year and apply to Cambridge with his actual results (hopefully the A*!) instead of predicted grades.

Original poster
SaltyMyDear · 18/06/2018 12:27

He wants to apply to Cambridge so there is absolutely no point in applying without the predicted grades.

Just spoken to his teacher. He says he thinks there’s a 30% chance of him getting an A* therefore he can’t predict it.

But I also know SLT have told him he can’t predict more than 14% A*s and that is the real reason he won’t predict it.

So now I have to take it up with SLT who won’t budge.

What options do I have? Happy to move school but not sure what happens to predicted grades then.

The reason he only got an A in his mocks was because it was the same day as his AS maths exam. He spent all his study time focusing on Maths - because it was an external exam.

But he’s dropped Maths now and there’s every reason to expect he will do significantly better next year.

OP posts:
PandaG · 18/06/2018 12:25

Penguin, our experience is Oxbridge not considering - but I reckon one aspirational choice is a good idea, as long as you go for some more realistic ones too. I wouldn't want to put anyone off aiming high, just know from friend's experience what happened in a highly competitive course.

NotARegularPenguin · 18/06/2018 12:15

Ah I didn’t know that Panda.

I see stuff on here about going for an aspirational offer, couple of safeish offers and a lower offer. So I assumed the aspirational one would be above predicted grades.

Dd was thinking of going to Nottingham for an open day next week but the course is above predicted grades. Should I tell her not to bother applying/going to the open day?

PandaG · 18/06/2018 12:03

Salty - will your DS need to apply in October, or will the deadline be January? If the latter he has plenty of time to pull his finger out? Perhaps if the former can he do extra work over the holidays to prove his intent?

PandaG · 18/06/2018 12:01

Penguin - it depends on the university and course- some will not consider interviewing let alone making an offer if the predicted grades do not match the course requirement.

noblegiraffe · 18/06/2018 11:59

How long a period of time was there between saying A/A and saying A? Teachers opinions can be firmed up by looking at the student’s work properly and it could be that your DS’s work isn’t justifying an A.

Teachers can drop students in it by overpredicting then leaving them without a university place when they don’t make the grade, so obviously there will be a reluctance to do this. You might have success if your DS goes in with an acknowledgment that his work isn’t up to scratch, but here is a detailed action plan of how he intends to improve, and that he promises to also apply to universities with lower offers as an insurance.

NotARegularPenguin · 18/06/2018 11:58

Can’t he apply for the course anyway?

Dd has got predicted grades of AAB and is thinking of applying for an AAA course. I kind of assumed if she got an offer it would be an AAA offer which she would either achieve or not?