Starting Year 11 GCSE 2021 Thread 2

Just seen more in the news about return to school on 8th.
Not sure why it can't be a staggered start? Seems all or nothing.

I agree toobuktim
Mine haven’t had mocks but have had reports and on track. I don’t think they need 1:1’s either tbh. I’m sure there’s plenty of borderline kids that do though. Unless they’ve had honest informative feedback all along. Geez I’d hate to be a teacher.

@NotDonna I suppose you’re right, I just assumed a 5 min chat about all subjects. We’ve had two parents’ evenings and DS one 5 min chat with head master, plus two written term reports - from our perspective I don’t think DS needs further input from his teachers as he’s on track with target grades and did well in mocks.
Maybe the best way would be another term report, if kids on track then no need for more interventions, just let the teachers speak to those that may need it.

I'm also hoping for some kind of announcement as to when this year group will finish school.

I don't understand how it will all work. Have they addressed the fact that surely every student is disadvantaged and underachieving by the sheer fact of not being taught in a classroom setting as the kids have been used to their whole lives?
Are we just going to have a year of low grades for most of the year group? Are they going to address this problem?

Our school does 1:1’s every year with every year group (150 pupils) and they share them out during the week between the head, 3 deputies and the head of year.
So a 5 min chat per pupil, 30 pupils per teacher and it seems to work ok.
They’ve done it for my my children this year online with Microsoft Teams, so think it would go ok really.
Maybe they’d up it to a ten min conversation and add in Form tutors as well if required.

Morning all. Happy half term.
The piece in the papers about the 1:1 sessions with all yr11’s and yr13s to discuss their ‘target’ grades seems slightly odd. Maybe it’s to enforce schools to give some amount of feedback where that’s been lacking. Feedback at DD’s school is good but reading other threads that certainly isn’t the norm. I don’t think too much can be read into these ‘target’ grades though. What on Earth do ‘target’ grades even mean? All targets are going to be aspirational surely? Then isn’t that setting the teachers up for when they can’t evidence those aspiring grades? Don’t really see the point. I wonder how larger schools will manage this 1:1 too. Sounds very time consuming. I do like the idea of honesty and transparency but not sure how well this will work. What do the rest of you think?

@LynetteScavo I know.

If you look at dd's grades on end of topic assessments she is consistently achieving the same sorts of grades.

When it is amalgamated into a big exam where she doesn't know what the content will be she panics. She struggles to retain all the information and how to use it to answer the question which she sometimes misunderstands.

However, she passed all of her mocks including English language which is the big issue.

She is going to college in September to do a vocational course. She can't wait.

My DD is the same @treeeeemendous

I'd like to take DDs mock results and run, but I suspect her school will
Insist she sits more exams.

No way my daughter will take the exams if she doesn't have to. She's dyslexic and hates exam pressure. Has already done her mocks so will be hoping for similar grades to those.

What happens if they do badly though and their grades go down? That’s my biggest concern.

I initially assumed it was optional for the school rather than each individual pupil.

Even if the school decides, I don't think it is fair...if my ds school does the exams but his friends in other schools don't.

Stop making layers of confusion...just make it one decision for all schools.

I’m wondering if it’s optional for the school or optional for the individual pupils.

I agree Blubell - all or nothing (no one)

Plus it’s another thing for the students to be anxious and self-critical about - what to do for the best? Did they make the wrong choice when they see their peers who made another choice do better? Were they cowardly or lazy in letting their general fear of exams dictate their choice not to opt in? (Not how I’d think now of students, but I could imagine the 16 year old me worrying & thinking harshly about myself in such a situation)

If the system isn’t optional, at least a layer of anxiety and self-blame is removed.

I personally don't like the idea of optionally exam...either we don't have it at all or everyone has it. I just feel it wouldn't be fair.

Either one has it pros and cons but this in between doesn't sit well in my head. Hey ho, that is my opinion.

I was coming on to say the news is reporting more positively about going back to school on the 8th too. I'm happy for my freedoms to be limited to facilitate this. Especially for year 11s!
I think the ideal scenario would be own teacher assessments and optional mini exams - a whole range of different types and the children get the highest grade they achieve in any of it. So for example if they get a 7 in one type but 6s in others then the 7 is their final grade!

Oh I would love them back in school before Easter. The online learning dd's school is providing is really good although not the same as being in. But I think they need to be in school with their peers, that social interaction is so important.

DS wanted to sit the proper exams but I think at the moment he’d rather not do them if they were voluntary. His grades at the moment are decent enough and I think he’d worry that they’d be pulled down by an exam especially as this first real exam he would ever take.

Possibly tomorrow, the leaks usually happen 24/48 hours before the proper announcement, but I’m so happy they’ll all (apparently!) get back to school in 3 weeks.
My DS will be a def yes for the mini exams, he won’t opt out, he just wants any chance to sit an exam, he prefers them to continuous assessment.
Not like his mum

Ah that looks promising. I wonder when we will find out about the “mini exams” then?

And this little snippet too

It’s looking promising!