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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aaargh! Chemistry fuck up - what to do?

163 replies

UsedtobeFeckless · 06/05/2017 23:50

Right - long story short ... DS has his GCSEs in a couple of weeks and apparently 25% of the Chemistry marks ride on three practical assessments which they are supposed to have done already. DS missed one of his due to being part of the band in the school musical extravaganza thing - he told his teacher he couldn't be there and she said no problem, she'd reschedule it ...

He found out on Friday the tests have already been sent of for marking. He's panicking and I'm well pissed off with the school.

Is there anything we can do at this stage or is it just a case of resigning himself to a worse mark. I want to take it up with the school - she told him she'd let him know when he could do it then posted the fucking things off without giving him a chance. It's really unfair!

OP posts:
Bishybarnybee · 07/05/2017 09:31

Really surprised how many people are blaming your son.

Have they ever met a 15 year old?

He sounds just fine and perfectly responsible for his age.

Hope you get it sorted tomorrow.

SnapJack68 · 07/05/2017 09:32

I am almost certain that the school would have let him miss one.

They do multiple cau papers for each gcse exam of science they do and the best ones get sent off.

If he is doing separate chemistry he would have probably already done another cau for this subject for the unit 2 part so the score from this will have been submitted.

I am a science teacher and most schools want to ensure the highest possible marks are got in coursework grades so wpuldnt have submitted them with his missoing... my school would have come and dragged him out of other lessons to complete it if need be on the submission day

Try not to worry and when you call try not to be on the offensive... just calmly ask !!

MumW · 07/05/2017 09:33

I wouldnt wait until tomorrow. If you have the email addresses then I would email the chemistry teacher and head of year today with a subject 'Very Urgent - exam deadline'. Cc anyone else you think relevant - head of science/chemistry, exams officer etc.

Explain what has happened and say you will be at the school first thing Monday to find out exactly what is going on.
Keep to the facts, don't make accusations and stay calm - save your anger until you have heard what the school have to say.

Good Luck.

SnapJack68 · 07/05/2017 09:33

Wpuld have not let him.miss one

AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered · 07/05/2017 09:34

Your poor DS, I'd be raging! What an irresponsible teacher - even if she's sent his practice test result she should have told him she was doing this and not left him to worry all weekend. I'd be putting in a formal complaint about her regardless of what happened with his mark.

TheGentleMoose · 07/05/2017 09:36

"Have they ever met a 15 year old? "

Yes several.

Most realise the difference between assessed piece of coursework and non-essential event to curriculum (unless of course the performance was graded in some way). School musical performances are not part of the music curriculum - you do not have to participate in them.

I do really hope it's OK as GSCEs are important - regardless of what he wants to do in the future - but it does shock me that people think it's OK to miss an assessed practical for a performance, regardless of whether the teacher said they would reschedule it.

Original poster
UsedtobeFeckless · 07/05/2017 09:38

Just been quizzing DS and he says he has a D for one CPA and that the Chemistry department has"lost" the other ( Seems a bit unlikely but there you go ) So without the 3rd he'll have to go with the D which will pull down his projected A grade.

The show he was taking part in wasn't extra curricular - the cast had been excused lessons all week for rehearsals and performances.

Lesson learn't, though - double, double check next time!

OP posts:
Jaimx86 · 07/05/2017 09:39

Could be a case of malpractice? Marks sent to the exam board that are higher than the grades actually gained across your DPs school group? On TES, you'll see quite a few examples of teachers being asked to do this by SLT.

Sophia1984 · 07/05/2017 09:39

Totally not your son's fault or a case of him needing to get priorities straight. If he's part of the school band and they had a performance then he could hardly not turn up as he had made a commitment and performance couldn't go ahead without him. Bet the chemistry department are fuming with the music teachers! Hope it all gets sorted x

Jaimx86 · 07/05/2017 09:40

^What I mean is, your son has been put down at his targe mark regardless of the fact he hasn't done the work. Was he told what mark/rough grade had been sent for him?

Sophia1984 · 07/05/2017 09:41

And people saying 'he doesn't have to participate in them' - if a teacher tells him to, then yes he does!

TheFifthKey · 07/05/2017 09:42

A school sending off D grade results for a projected A student sounds very very odd - you'd be hung out to dry as a teacher in very many schools for letting that go through.

TheGentleMoose · 07/05/2017 09:43

@UsedtobeFeckless

So, he has one D grade, the Chemistry department has lost another one, and the third one he was excused from [being told he could make it up]?

Is that correct?

Extra curricular - not an essential component of the music or drama curriculum. School performances aren't forced by the government as far as I am aware.

DoctorDonnaNoble · 07/05/2017 09:45

Excused lessons all week in year 11? At this stage? There are some big problems at this school that really isn't appropriate. I'm not currently in a position to do shows but at most we had one day off timetable. And asked teachers if it was ok for those specific students to miss lessons. A production should not be allowed to clash with controlled assessment. There are enough pressures on our students without throwing clashing demands into the mix! You MUST contact the school so you know exactly what happened and they need to ensure a situation like this doesn't happen again by scheduling more appropriately (we also have our 'big' musical in the autumn).

TheGentleMoose · 07/05/2017 09:45

Also when did your son know about the D and the "lost one"? And is this the first you've heard of it?

Original poster
UsedtobeFeckless · 07/05/2017 09:47

JaimeX - yes, they seem to have sent off a D which is a long way below his projected grade ... I'll find out more tomorrow. I don't want to assume the worst until I talk to the school.

OP posts:
ifeelcraptonight · 07/05/2017 09:49

Oh he's so spinning you a line. Grin bless his wee socks. Massive teen fudge happening there somewhere.

Go talk to the teacher and put a rocket up his arse to study.

Iamastonished · 07/05/2017 09:51

"the cast had been excused lessons all week for rehearsals and performances."

At this time of year in year 11? Hmm

At DD's school they are putting on extra revision sessions after school, not pulling kids out of class for musical rehearsals. I would be informing the chair of governors and ofsted about this. This absolutely appalling. What is the ofsted rating of this school? Requires improvement?

Original poster
UsedtobeFeckless · 07/05/2017 09:53

Yes. This all kicked off on Friday - I got a garbled version from DP over the phone and more last night when I got home (Been in London for a couple of days) DS was in bed when I got in but I've just been talking to him now. He seems to have calmed down. Peeved but resigned. He says he'll just have to pull out all the stops in the main exams.

OP posts:
DoctorDonnaNoble · 07/05/2017 09:55

Our year 11s start study leave on Monday. They had their first exam, Chemistry IGCSE on Thursday. There is no way they'd be taken out for something which is an extra curricular activity in this way.
Although, I did have a student miss my lesson two weeks ago for a sporting event, I wasn't thrilled as he left it until the day before to tell me!

TheGentleMoose · 07/05/2017 09:56

@UsedtobeFeckless Ah, OK. That makes sense with regards to why the explanation is happening now.

Was it just his assessed work that got lost or the whole batch?

muckypup73 · 07/05/2017 09:56

Surely school should have sorted this, and why have a performance running at the same time as triple science? I would have said it was more important to sit the science paper asopposedto the music, however it depends what your child wants to do when they leave school.

cantkeepawayforever · 07/05/2017 09:59

So they've had a school production in the last couple of weeks????

That's appalling. It should either be much earlier in the year - I was worried enough about DS being involved in his way back before Christmas -- or once all exams are finished. Or no exam year students should have been allowed to take part. Very poor by the school.

I had assumed that all this happened quite some time ago, but that the missing controlled assessment had just never been caught up over the following months (DS's absolutely last catch up one was a couple of weeks before Easter)

AnUtterIdiot · 07/05/2017 10:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DoctorDonnaNoble · 07/05/2017 10:02

It is indeed an odd time in the academic year to be doing a musical or a controlled assessment. Our science ones were done a while ago. English speaking was done in March. I would assume a science one this late was a last minute chance to improve. But if the Lost work is true, maybe it was to cover that up?