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Original poster

Lost GCSE Art folder Support Thread

92 replies

LostArt123 · 01/09/2023 22:08

Is my son the only one going into Yr11 having to redo his art work due to his Art folder going missing in school?

Does anyone have any words of advice, wisdom or solace? I’m feeling so sad for him because not only does he have to redo it but this will also eat into his time revising other subjects. It also means he’s not doing the new art work as school have advised him to focus on the redone work.

OP posts:
alwaysplanning · 02/09/2023 13:52

HollyGolightly4 · 02/09/2023 08:46

You can't submit photos of artwork as part of the portfolio 😞 (photography component different)

Good luck to him and as for trying to find it, I suggest he goes in every single room methodically, to the caretakers and the office and double checks with any senior staff too.

The same has happened to my DC, but on the journey home from school rather than at school. We have photos of most of the work and school have suggested we stick these into a new sketchbook, which we have done. Is not accepted by exam boards? Argh

TeenDivided · 02/09/2023 13:38

I tend to think that once term starts, redoing all the art should not take precedence over other subjects. Later in the year they can review and see how his portfolio would be likely to score at that point.

This is how I feel. Also if the folder was lost/stolen/moved in school, the school should be accommodating as to a sensible way forward. I'd at least give the school more chance to find the folder before redoing it all.

(Memories of DD's annotated poems booklet getting lost under school control. So she had zero notes on the poems to revise from....)

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 02/09/2023 13:34

My experience is schools refuse to let kids drop subjects. It’s a government thing. It was Ok until about 2012.

lanthanum · 02/09/2023 13:26

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 02/09/2023 12:06

I’d be amazed if school will let him drop it.

They're very unlikely to allow him to stop being part of the GCSE art group, because of the practical issue that he needs to be supervised. But he could continue to attend and work on his art, and just not enter the GCSE. As Needmorelego says, there may be a choice to be made between not entering and getting a disappointing grade.

I tend to think that once term starts, redoing all the art should not take precedence over other subjects. Later in the year they can review and see how his portfolio would be likely to score at that point.

Needmorelego · 02/09/2023 12:13

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow some schools would prefer a subject to be dropped than a student getting a low grade (cos that will make them look bad).

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 02/09/2023 12:06

I’d be amazed if school will let him drop it.

Original poster
LostArt123 · 02/09/2023 11:32

Needmorelego · 02/09/2023 11:27

Me and @TeenDivided seem to be having the same thought.
Still sucks for him big time as it's his work 😕

Thank you - yes, it’s really stressing him (and me) out so appreciate the kindness. X

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Original poster
LostArt123 · 02/09/2023 11:31

It’s certainly something to have up our sleeve if things just get too much with exam pressure plus this.

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Original poster
LostArt123 · 02/09/2023 11:30

@Needmorelego and @TeenDivided - I don’t think either of us had considered that option actually. Interesting. At the moment, he’s still motivated to do the redo (he’s doing it now whilst still on holiday) so it could be ok.

It’s hard for us to have the wider view you have because we’re new to this whole process. I feel the number of GCSEs people have these days is relevant, irrespective of what they are? In my day, we all did the same number (some people did 1 more) so it wasn’t really relevant.

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Needmorelego · 02/09/2023 11:27

Me and @TeenDivided seem to be having the same thought.
Still sucks for him big time as it's his work 😕

Needmorelego · 02/09/2023 11:26

@LostArt123 this might not be what you want as an outcome but when I did my GCSEs I didn't do enough work in the first year of my art subject (mix of being a lazy arse and not really sure of what I was doing). I was told I would never catch up and they wouldn't enter me for the exam. So I basically dropped a GCSE.
If the art GCSE really isn't something he actually needs for his next stage in life and this is putting to much pressure on him then could he drop it? Schools always insist on students doing more subjects than is actually needed - ie the usual for moving on to 6th Form/College is 5 GCSEs at grade whatever but schools make them take 7 or 8 subjects.

TeenDivided · 02/09/2023 11:23

Is Art GCSE important to him? Is it really worth the time to redo it?

Original poster
LostArt123 · 02/09/2023 11:20

Oh, it must be Form 15 - the one about lost work! Ignore the above.

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Original poster
LostArt123 · 02/09/2023 11:19

HereSheComesInTheFall · 02/09/2023 10:57

Speak to the exams officer as soon as term starts - if the work was lost by the school after it had been completed & marked, it does not need to be redone.

https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/non-examination-assessments

Thanks for this - which document is it? There are a few on there.

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Original poster
LostArt123 · 02/09/2023 11:17

Thank you for all the support everyone.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow - the art technician has looked and has twice emailed the whole school. The art teacher is advising him on what to redo and what to not even start at this late stage. I do feel the school has this well in hand and from the emails we’ve exchanged over the holidays, he seems well supported by them but it’s good to hear what you would do as it sounds as though they really are doing everything they can do. Love the fact that your portfolio turned up after a radio plea!

I know what you mean about it turning up at home - he was up at 1am the other night, couldn’t sleep, and searching his room for it. Bless him. I’ve called both bus companies of the two buses he gets. I know it may be the case that he didn’t leave it in class as he thinks he did, so I’m still trying all these other angles.

Just remembered a PP said maybe someone was trying to pass his work off as their own, but their names and class are written in massive type on the front so no chance of that.

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ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 02/09/2023 11:02

Ex art teacher of 25 years here.

Ime experience lost work usually turns up at home 9/10.

But it can get lost in school, especially as all years use the art rooms and they do move stuff and fiddle with stuff.

The school can apply for lost work consideration. But not until nearer the time. And often the exam boards don’t support this and expect it to be redone this early in the course. Sorry l know this isn’t what you want to hear.

He needs to go through every art room. The school need to send a whole school email. DD’s lost sketchbook turned up in her physics class🤷🏻‍♀️

And l lost my entire portfolio 3 days before my degree show. But an appeal on Piccadilly radio found it.

HereSheComesInTheFall · 02/09/2023 10:57

Speak to the exams officer as soon as term starts - if the work was lost by the school after it had been completed & marked, it does not need to be redone.

https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/non-examination-assessments

Non-Examination Assessments - JCQ Joint Council for Qualifications

https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/non-examination-assessments

Original poster
LostArt123 · 02/09/2023 10:54

All you suggesting malicious intent may be onto something. He was the brunt of a massive spin against him in the last few months at school and the school were very involved in supporting his mental health in dealing with it all. His dad feels it could’ve been done deliberately too (we’re not together but we’re very amicable so we chat easily about the kids’ ins and outs). I can’t think too much about that to be honest - I feel it is what it is. If it’s been done maliciously, that person will have to come to their own peace with that during their life, not my son, who has done nothing wrong.

However it’s gone missing, the fact still remains that it needs to be rectified so I find it easier to focus on solutions than to dwell on possible reasons for the situation.

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fedupallthisrubbish · 02/09/2023 10:47

It does sound a bit fishy if he’s “lost” it twice - is there a horrible boy hiding it? Top of lockers / behind them I’d be checking ….. (unless your boy has adhd and lots of things get naturally lost - I’ve got one child like that)

I hope he finds it - so sad for him. I’d search the school high and low before making him do anymore repeating work ….

fingers crossed it will turn up - I really hope so!

Original poster
LostArt123 · 02/09/2023 10:46

@Iop - yes, SO much work. Once he’d started it, he regretted choosing Art because of the sheer volume of work. He’s not massively into art but enjoyed it enough to choose it, but once he started he was like ‘oh god 😞’.

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jallopeno · 02/09/2023 10:46

Has someone pinched it and pretended it's theirs?

Staticgirl · 02/09/2023 10:45

That Hello Kitty story is very relevant. I have found that if I lose a ton of artwork or I scrap something that is not working and start again that my second go at it is a lot better. It's partly because I have already done a lot of hard mental work planning, observing and deciding what marks to make. So your son may find that his work improves.

This is not to take away from the absolute heart-sickness and cold sweats that break out when the loss is discovered though. I really hope that it is found as it will involve a lot of work putting it all back together.

I would also hope that the teachers will be on their guard in case another child suddenly seems to have some extra work. I imagine this would be fairly easy to spot as everyone's art is different.

Original poster
LostArt123 · 02/09/2023 10:44

Righto, thanks @Maddy70 . Yes I believe some things have been marked. One of the things he redid yesterday, he said he got a merit for last year. So I was confused as to why he had redone it, and nervous that what he had redone may not now be worth whatever a ‘merit’ means. I’m sure once term starts again, he’ll be supported by the art teacher, who will be able to advise him on this sort of thing.

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Iop · 02/09/2023 10:44

Oh no OP, your poor DS! I did art at GCSE and ALevel and the amount of time that goes into it is like all the other subjects combined - as I'm sure you already know 😓
I think the idea of offering a no questions asked reward to anyone who finds it is a good one (though I think it needs to be more than £20!) It could be that another student picked it up, either innocently or with ill intent, and is now too scared to give it back.
I really hope it turns up 🤞🏼

Original poster
LostArt123 · 02/09/2023 10:42

@BramblyHedge oh wow 🤩 what a great success story, you and DS must’ve been SO relieved. Ok, thanks for the tip-off. I’m going in after school on Friday so I’ll make sure I check EVERYWHERE.

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