GCSE’s summer 2020 thread 5 - And then there were none..

ASCL

All that pretty much fits in with teacher think on MN. Have to say, though, AXL, are a particular subset of the profession. rank ordering students is easier said than done in subjects like English in schools with large year groups. ASCL also do not mention coursework .

But it does strongly suggest evidence will only be asked for where things look inflated and that extra work will not be required. Both good things!

Thanks @HPFA - interesting to see the table on SATs and GCSE results. I'm guessing that DD's state primary shared her results with her independent secondary school. Would that be that standard practice?

For A Level students I'm guessing the GCSE results are key? DS1 didn't do SATs.

This just out from ASCL - guidance for teachers about assigning grades. Lots to think about.

www.ascl.org.uk/ASCL/media/ASCL/Help%20and%20advice/Leadership%20and%20governance/CV-Emerging-principles-and-guidance-regarding-teacher-assessed-frades,-summer-2020-30-March-2020.pdf

I think it will start in Sept and then we will have another lockdown over the worst winter months - Dec-feb depending on when cases rise.

Sorry for all those who are missing out on sport/competitions/the whole season in some cases. It must be very disappointing. I've always wished dd was more sporty but now I'm rather glad she isn't! She's happy as larry with no exams to revise for, able to chill out all day and chat to friends online.

Ds has been more stressful as he needs to burn energy off. He has his weights in his room and the football goal in the garden, but on Saturday his last ball went over the fence! Somehow dh and ds managed to retrieve one yesterday using double sided velcro and a broom?!

I think we're all feeling okay about the GCSEs now. Hopefully dd will be given the grades she needs to get into the grammar sixth form. Given her offer was based on predicted grades provided by the school in Feb, I can't see they will suddenly drop these? It must be more worrying for those heading to university. But do we even think term will start as usual in September? Based on the recent 'six months' guidance, it could be Oct/Nov?

I find myself getting really irritated that they are taking so long to issue guidance...then I realise it’s only been a week....

It must be a mammoth job to sort this out.

Thanks @Northumberlandlass - I know nothing of rowing but it sounds like a huge amount of early training. I think the disappointment will sink in later in the summer after this all starts to sink in. Right now everyone is still in shock

@KingscoteStaff yup, we have cricketing DS's here too, the older one plays club and school and plays seniors too. He was just getting back into nets training and loving it and it all stopped. I also miss it as it's the one sport I actually enjoy watching them play - usually sunny and usually there's a bar serving a nice G&T!

Sorry for your DD @Wheresthebeach it is tough, knowing they’ve managed training & revision this far.

I’ll have a chat with DS about trying to get some structure this week. I’m WFH & struggling feeling claustrophobic, DP is key worker so working extra hours & losing days off.

In fairness to him he went on a long bike ride every afternoon last week, but even a couple of hours school work each day & bike ride, leaves lots of time for xbox / mates....

Do we know when additional information will be available?

Yup here too. DD hoped to make euros and World's this year. No word yet as they are August but doubt qualifying comps will happen now. Hoping they postpone worlds to next year. Its hard on top of everything else

And the cricketers! DD has determinedly fitted in all her training sessions around mocks and revision - now looks as though the entire school, club and county season won’t happen. She is obviously gutted, and then feels guilty for caring when so many others have much greater problems to deal with.

@Wheresthebeach - the exam boards will be watching very carefully for grade inflation. It's probably less of an issue for GCSEs than A Levels though.

As I have DS1 doing A Levels and DD doing GCSEs I'm more bothered by the A Level grades. Schools will know what students need to meet their university offers so could be influenced to be more generous than they ought to.

DS1 needs really good grades to meet his Oxford offer. I'm pretty sure the school will 'award' them to him based on his performance to date but whether the exam boards will accept what the school's assessment is another matter.

It will be interesting to see what this week brings in terms of guidance from Ofqual and the DfE.

I really feel for all the mums of rowers here. Especially gutwrenching is that the loss of the season makes the chance of rowing in the Coupe de Jeunesse (a race which his school rowers have been quite prominent in the past) impossible. Fingers crossed for Head of the Charles in October!

@Mominatrix my DS rows too & is gutted everything is cancelled. He’d been selected for an 8 in JIRR too - extra heartbreak!

I suppose that’s the risk @sandybayley...personally I’d still like to know. Can’t imagine they would be dropped by much, and I wonder how common it will be? After all they must have lots of evidence to hand to justify the mark if asked.

Keep dropping out of these threads!

DS did some mocks in Nov last year and some in early Feb. Did ok both times & I’m feeling quite chilled as long as he can do the A-Levels he wants (PE, Biology & Chemistry)
The school are providing work & ‘strongly recommend’ they don’t stop learning. However trying to motivate him isn’t going well. He’s agreed to do Maths work, Chem, Bio & PE ....

DS's school is not formally setting any work for Y11.

A couple of the teachers have started to share materials (on Google classroom) for those Y11s who would like to finish off the last bits of the GCSE courses, and DS has been using this along with a bit of Seneca learning and a maths textbook he can access online. I would estimate he is doing maybe an hour a day.

@KingscoteStaff - I don't think schools will tell us anything. It will raise false hopes if they send marks in and they get downgraded. I can't imagine any school will send marks in and get them upgraded...

I hope they do beach, even if it's bad news.

If DD is going to want to take some exams in September, I'd like her to know which ones she should keep working on and which she can park.

Wondering if schools will tell us what they are sending in...

Anyone have any links for my dd to look at psychology A level. She is planning on taking this when she hopefully gets to 6th form in September.

Thanks, noble and piggy.

Thank you