Starting Year 11-GCSE2021 (title edited by MNHQ)

I think remote exams or alternative arrangements are easier for the 15/16 years olds, compared to the younger 10/11 year olds. DD was confident engaging with the technology and the fact she couldn’t move out of view, scanning up her own work etc but for I don’t think it would have been so easy aged 11.

All private schools should make the effort to interview all students who applied this year ..

When anyone hears from their schools with what will happen with the assessment for the GCSE's now, let us know!

My DS has asked me to let him use the keyworker provision like his sister and go to school this week. My husband and I are both out all day and he just doesn’t want to be home alone all week. His sister goes as she really struggles with home learning and like her brother has been through two lots of quarantines and found them very hard.
I think they’re both just craving routine and having a bit of control over their school lives.

@indy69 I think we’re going to need a new thread for the New Year!

It’s horrible. My dc is usually very ambitious and wants to achieve so much but has had terrible health problems over recent years. This whole situation is too much for them to take.

It's a nightmare isn't it?
Mine is wishing they would cancel them one minute, wishing they would go ahead the next and is stressed about it. As if they are not stressed enough they have just told me that they want to aim for Oxbridge, that was not on my radar at all - they've got too much stress without adding that into the mix and it's really not something I think worth considering this year of all years.

DC is in tears at the stress of everything. It’s so sad. They’re worrying about the virus as they have underlying health problems and also facing the uncertainty of GCSEs. 😭

It’s so unfair on our youngsters to have all this uncertainty about their education. Our kids deserve better. Being a teenager is hard enough without a pandemic to worry about.

I agree, it is not fair if they use the mock results and some schools have completed this online.

These are not the same conditions as other schools.

Honestly, as much as I would like the exams to go ahead ( since my ds is not ready for his mocks) - I really think there will be yet another U turn....something they are very familiar with!

Whereas Scotland and Wales made that decision early on, England will make that decision last
minute!!

I read on here that some schools are going to do their mocks online. This seems completely unfair if they are going to form part of a CAG. My DD had Mocks in December under proper exam conditions etc. The differences between schools is concerning and why I really hope they sit actual GCSES this year.

DDs mocks were meant to start on 6th Jan and now moved to 11th. With lateral testing next week. School is behaving as if exams will still go ahead. Given that’s the current government directive that’s all English schools can do really.

DD’s stage two mocks are being put back a bit to reflect the ‘real’ exams (if they go ahead!) are being put back a bit. The stage two mocks are for FM, some exams that have three papers etc (their stage one mocks were mostly paper 1s).

My dc exams are being postponed for one week.

finisterreforever Do you think that email means it’s more or less likely that exams will go ahead this year? I’m trying to get my head around it all before I decide the best way to support my DCs.

We've had an email to say that the next set of mocks have been moved to the end of February.

Dogatetheleftovers said “We must follow Wales and Scotland in cancelling this year’s exams, there’s too much disruption and uncertainty for our kids”

I hope not. After the CAGs fiasco for the 220 cohort, and iffy mock results, I’m banking on exams in 2021

When you look at the huge rise in cases, almost 56000 today and nearly 1000 deaths, plus a more infectious variant; I cannot understand how schools/colleges can safely return at this time. The government are messing with people’s lives, literally. If we don’t act now to minimise further damage, then the medics, scientists, educators all say that we risk catastrophic problems in terms of infections, collapsing NHS. Our children deserve better. We must follow Wales and Scotland in cancelling this year’s exams, there’s too much disruption and uncertainty for our kids. I don’t think for a second that Gavin Williamson will make this important decision as he seems incapable of organising anything other than more chaos but we can live in hope. I can’t bear to see my DC so anxious about this virus as they’re clinically vulnerable and to then have to cope with constant uncertainty of whether exams will go ahead in such a chaotic, farcical situation.

@PettsWoodParadise I agree! With all the U turns and changes, I will be very surprised if exams go ahead...since Wales and Scotland have already made that call and said no.

I really feel for schools ( staff) they don't seem to be getting any rest- having to deal with the new changes. My dc school have both been very good and kindly sent an email yesterday informing me they will email all parents today informing the plans for next week.

My ds has mocks as soon as he goes back, so not sure how they will deal with that .

I really feel for our kids as well as all the staff in schools having to deal with the latest news

So much change for all our DCs. I feel for the Headteachers too. DD’s grammar school have been exemplary at every opportunity but it is situations like this where there hands are tied.

I am increasingly wondering how the exams can go ahead. Does this latest change increase the chance they will not go ahead? At the very least if they do go ahead it can only widen the gap between those who had support and those who have not.

DD is due to write her music exam on the 7 Jan. There are quite a few exams for year 10 -13 writing external exams in the first couple of weeks back this term. What will happen to them? So hoping at least some can go in for revision and exams. Arrrgggghhhhh

My friend has shared on FB today that TES have asked for all Secondary School pupils to not start back until 11th Jan including Exam Years. DS’s school was just having y11 and y13 in for the first week as Y11 have their mocks the first week back. Honestly this entire thing is getting ridiculous now. They need to decide what they are doing rather than this constant messing about.

I hope the government are up front in that having given the exam years an extra 3 weeks before the start of exams (what a joke) these will be wiped out by the multiple isolations and delayed start to going back in January (currently rumoured). Of course they won't though will they.