GCSE summer 2020 thread 6 - Carry on Corona Cohort, Further adventures aboard the Corona Charabanc.

45 days till results day. Still no news on how DD is getting them yet but the last communication from the school was that information will be shared in due course and if they are permitted face to face collection protective measures will be put in place. So I think that sounds hopeful.
I don’t think DDs school/Sixth form could stagger start times as lots travel by bus, some public and some dedicated school bus.

@RedskyAtnight Glad all sorted with subject choice. DD decided early on what she wanted to do but then has been dithering about whether to change a choice so reviewed all the info and syllabuses and decided she’s going to stick with original choices (results permitting).

The reference to staggering the school day is based on the bubble idea! I'm not sure whether it's going to be mandatory for schools to do that to keep bubbles away from each other?

We've just had confirmation that dd's school are having them in for a fairly normalish 'results day' experience, although parents can't go in with them and they're split into two groups by alphabet, on from 9-10 and the other 10-11. Fortunately all dd's friends are in the second half of the alphabet with her! I guess there will be some social distancing but the letter talks about getting to celebrate with the school community, which is nice, especially as she's leaving.

As for public transport, in our big city there are loads of school kids on the buses and trains in the morning. Both my children will have to travel by public transport come September. I would absolutely love it if both schools decided to stagger start times. I worked out if they did it at 15 minute staggers starting with year 7 at 8.30, ds would be starting at 9.15 and dd at 9.45. That would make mornings a little easier!

@RedskyAtnight glad your ds has finally made a decision on subjects, that must be a relief! Dd is very sure about hers now after starting the transition work, so that's good.

How can they know about the entry criteria when you are allowed to resit though?
On our side we had a positive virtual induction at the alternative school with an actual in person chat lined up for next week. DS found the work there a lot easier and more interesting so he may be mellowing towards it.

No word from his Saturday job though.

Sounds like a good plan re avoiding rush hour!

Most of the students at DC's school live within a 2-3 mile radius (big town) so virtually no one travels on public transport so bizarrely (as I used to get a bus to school myself!) I always forget that that's not the same everywhere.

DC got confirmation that he is able to do his A Level choices that he applied for (he's staying at his current school sixth form). In another positive step, he has been through various options and now is confident that the subjects he applied for are actually the ones he wants to do (he's been dithering for months).

I did wonder ... normally this letter would just be confirmation that the school could timetable his choices and they have sufficient numbers to run the classes, but on the basis that this year the school pretty much know what the results will be for their own students, presumably they would have had "quiet words" with anyone that was likely to not meet entry criteria? Feeling positive anyway!

They've also said that enrollment for sixth form courses (normally at the same time as picking up GCSE results) will still be on results day, but by appointment only. Still no word on how we get results!

Fell off! Climbing back on!

DD applied for her DBS for tennis coaching today. She sat down and did an enormous sum of all the money that she could make if she is asked to work every available slot. She'll be subbing me at this rate!

Results of OFQUAL consultation out

www.gov.uk/government/news/ofqual-publishes-more-details-on-appeals-and-confirms-autumn-exam-arrangements

New video from Mr Salles about "that" 33% downgrade scaremongering petition.

DD's school is really hard with mocks - but they say that quite clearly. Their view is to assume grade boundaries will be higher than the previous year. I suspect it ensures kids continue to work hard, and don't get over confident. Also its best to assume the worst, rather than the best IYKWIM.

This video is good. He says students generally go up a grade from mocks, bit of course will depend on school.

@StrumpersPlunkett - impossible to say as it totally depends on your school's approach to mocks.

DS1's school likes to put the wind up pupils by setting really hard mocks so I'm certain his A Level results will exceed his mocks. DD's school seemed quite generous with her GCSE mocks so I'm expecting about the same.

thank goodness, do you think it is possible that they would end up with less than mock results?

@StrumpersPlunkett - read down the thread. We've agreed that petition is scaremongering bs.

Hi folks,
I came seeking clarification on the 30% downgrade that I keep reading in the paper. It sounds like a video explaining it has been posted but I can't find it.
Is it really likely to be 30%? they won't take them down passed mock grades though will they?
DS1 will get 4-8's if we go on his mocks but if they down grade by 30% he wont pass English!
eeek

Good to hear @Rhubarbandcustard and @crazycrofter. Anything which helps them out of this limbo is good

@Monkey2001 it’s a state 6th form college. She doesn’t want to stay on at her current state school 6th form as she has picked a couple of courses that her current school don’t do.

She was very impressed with how it was done, not the same as her actually going for the taster day they had planned for last week, bit it was better than nothing.

She joined in a few taster lessons of other subjects she was looking into as well, but it made up her mind that the ones she had originally chosen were the right ones for her.

Dd has a virtual induction day the week after next - state grammar school. I really hope it’s a positive experience so that it allays her anxiety. The head of sixth form mentioned that they would be put into groups of five to get to know each other.

@Rhubardandcustard that sounds great. Is it a state or private school? Would be good to hear state schools managing to do so some of this, but the only person I know who had something like that was private.

My dd feeling much happier after a virtual enrolment couple of days with her intended 6th form college this week.

Got to join in a few taster lessons on line, meet her potential teachers for the subjects she wants.

She’s very excited about clubs and enrichment activities. She’s got some bridging tasks to complete over the summer.

Just the long wait for results day now. 54 days and counting.

I obviously don't mean that really! Just that it would be fantastic to have adult maturity when you have the opportunity to learn, even most of the bright ones find it difficult to feel positive about all subjects.

....... education is wasted on the young, they don't appreciate it!

I did a maths degree, but managed to avoid stats throughout my education. I now find them fascinating, I might look into doing a MOOC or two.

@Monkey2001 - I love stats and find it painful when I see misreported ones.

I actually did a secondment at DfE working on comms for another policy area and the statisticians were bemused by my interest. I did my best to change some of the lines-to-take used by the DfE. My favourite one was 'we have more teachers than ever before'. Yes but there are more pupils than ever before! I think they still use it though 🙄

Love this thread, you are all too savvy to been taken in by distorted statistics!

Yes, the expectation is that as the HEPI report showed that grades were on average half a grade up on the normal grades, around a third will go down 1 grade, but the schools which have already mapped the grades onto results for the last 2 years should be OK, the ones where grades are up without good evidence of prior attainment for the cohort are likely to be adjusted.