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Original poster

The DfE needs to stop the farce of compulsory Maths and English GCSE resits

645 replies

noblegiraffe · 24/08/2018 11:37

Another year, another 124,560 students failing their GCSE maths resit and 99672 students failing their GCSE English resit.

Colleges have been saying for years that this government policy is a failure, that students are entered into cycle of resits and failures that does nothing to boost their confidence or enhance their qualifications.

If you get a 3 in maths or English GCSE you have to resit GCSE. If you get a 2 or below, you can take other qualifications like functional maths instead.

The government argues that GCSE is the key to opening doors and as many students as possible should be resitting to get that opportunity. But wouldn’t a qualification that they are actually likely to pass be better?

The resit pass rate for English dropped from 35.5% to 33.1% this year and for maths dropped from 37% to 22.7%. This is not an improving picture!

www.tes.com/news/gcse-results-english-and-maths-pass-rates-drops

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cantkeepawayforever · 30/08/2018 18:58

Just as a matter of interest, Cakes, and genuinely just for information: as a primary teacher I am usually quite good at guessing what a child means by what they have written, even if it's not conventionally spelled or used in an unusual way.

However, 'facifying' has me completely stumped. Do you mean 'falsifying' (as in 'altering so as to mislead')? Or do you mean something else / different?

cakesandtea · 30/08/2018 18:50

Maisy, Piggy and others

You really must stop attributing your own outbursts and projections to me, stop distorting and facifying what I actually said. Your tone and aggression only reflects on you.

As a matter of fact it speaks for itself.

cantkeepawayforever · 30/08/2018 15:46

Dermymc, That was the opinion I was rapidly forming...

Dermymc · 30/08/2018 15:41

The ICCE is a crock of bollocks. Plenty on the Internet about ACE (Christian education) and its curriculum and learning methods.

cantkeepawayforever · 30/08/2018 15:21

No, Oliver, I think it is telling colleges which box to tick:

' the ICCE is deemed equivalent to the GCSE; the box you tick to show this is the one you already have on the form [because there was already provision for ticking a box to show that a student was from abroad and had equivalent qualifications to GCSE] which says 'Overseas Equivalent Qualification'"

cantkeepawayforever · 30/08/2018 15:18

I think - willing to be corrected - that they have been recognised as equivalent by UK-NARIC but they don't appear on Ofqual's list of accredited qualifications.

There is - sensibly - a recognised 'equivalence' for those who move between countries www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/compare-different-qualification-levels and UK-NARIC's role seems to be a consultancy one to deal with non-European qualifications for this purpose.

This is the news article which indicated that NARIC benchmarked the ICCE qualifications. How the ICCE qualifications compare with new GCSEs I have no idea, but it looks as if, although doubts have been expressed since, the responsible agency has examined these qualifications and found them to be equivalent to GCSEs.

Oliversmumsarmy · 30/08/2018 15:16

Which appears to cover both English and Maths.

Oliversmumsarmy · 30/08/2018 15:15

I read it as having equivalent of the ICCE.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 30/08/2018 15:12

Overseas students are exempt from resits if they have recognised qualifications equivalent to GCSE.

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Oliversmumsarmy · 30/08/2018 15:11

It was the exemption for holding an overseas qualification which sounds like if you passed the equivalent ICCE you might not even speak English or can add up but you would be welcome onto a course that might be out of someone else's reach

Oliversmumsarmy · 30/08/2018 15:04

I wonder what would happen if you waved an ICCE in the face of colleges demanding grade 4 and above Maths and English

cantkeepawayforever · 30/08/2018 15:02

Oliver, I think the 'International' part of its name is misleading in this context.

It's studied in some private Christian schools in the UK, and by some home educated students, so the students affected by the exemption may well be British but taking an international qualification (like pupils from private schools who do iGCSEs, designed for international use, not GCSEs)

cantkeepawayforever · 30/08/2018 15:00

This one too...

Looks like a course sometimes taken by home ed students, which might be why it is being taken as an equivalent.

Oliversmumsarmy · 30/08/2018 14:59

It sounds like overseas students are exempt from the Maths and English debacle was which if true further puts British born students on the back foot
If I am reading this correctly it does have a hint of racism against British students.

Correct me if I am wrong

cantkeepawayforever · 30/08/2018 14:58

Oh bleep.That really didn't work:
Own website
Guardian article

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 30/08/2018 14:48

“holding the International Certificate in Christian Education (ICCE) exempts a student from further study in maths and English; when students have achieved an ICCE, institutions can record an exemption for holding an overseas equivalent qualification”

Never heard of this qualification, is it dodgy?

OP posts:
Oliversmumsarmy · 30/08/2018 14:46

A pass in maths?

A pass in English as well?

Am I reading it right?

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 30/08/2018 14:40

It says that the International Certificate in Christian Education is an equivalent qualification to a GCSE pass, Oliver

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Original poster
noblegiraffe · 30/08/2018 14:39

Maisy here’s the full document www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding

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Oliversmumsarmy · 30/08/2018 14:36

What is the bit about the International Christian Certificate exemping you from doing Maths and English.

MaisyPops · 30/08/2018 14:35

noblegiraffe
It's bloody outrageous!
Especially when you consider that when they've asked repeatedly for support with challenging resit cohorts (in light of this pressure) they've just been told to make it happen.
No behaviour system, no removing students from resit lessons so others can learn, no mobile phone policy that is supported.

I shall pass your post on.

AlexanderHamilton
It depends on what the studebt struggles with. It's not a great qualification. I like parts of it but the exam is a lot.

Oliversmumsarmy · 30/08/2018 14:33

Which makes a mockery of saying you have to keep doing English or Maths till you pass.

AlexanderHamilton · 30/08/2018 14:31

I wish I knew how to help improve English Lang.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 30/08/2018 14:28

WTF! That’s outrageous. They don’t even need to complete the course, they just have to study it for a qualifying period.

The DfE needs to stop the farce of compulsory Maths and English GCSE resits
The DfE needs to stop the farce of compulsory Maths and English GCSE resits
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