To want to know what will happen with my year 10s GCSEs next year

[bigbananafeet12]

It’s now looking like schools aren’t going back in June. If teachers unions are not happy to return then, I can’t see what will be so different in September so who knows when they’ll be in. They’ve already had 5 weeks of ‘home learning’ with another 9 to go until they break up for summer. My ds has not been required to submit one piece of work since he left school on March 23rd. He has to do the work in his book and mark it as completed on Frog. Subsequently he’s had no feedback on anything he’s done. I’ve asked him to ask teachers if they can look at his work but he’s 15 and doesn’t like making a fuss. I try my best to look at what he’s up to but frankly have no confidence in my knowledge of physics etc! I also know that if I try to get too involved he will not be happy and at least now he is attempting to do the work. I don’t want it to be a battle.
I had a glimmer of hope that if he was back even part time in June we could ensure he was still on track and it would help restore his enthusiasm but obviously this looks unlikely.
So how on earth will schools have time to teach the GCSE syllabus plus revise as all previous years have been able to do. I know we’re having a global pandemic but to be honest I’m so worried about DS.
This is not a dig at teachers.

The longer this goes on, and DDs school is planning on Oct/Nov return to teaching (not just childminding the students in June) I don't think there will be exams again next year and teachers will be asked to give grades, as they have been this year.

I have a DD in year 12 so I feel for you. As many other posters have said huge difference in what schools are doing, and I don't mean state versus private. My DD is very lucky as academic lessons are being taught live online and homework is being marked. Our school are really doing everything they can.

I think the exam board will have to look at grade boundaries for year 10 and 12. I suggest that your DS does put more effort into mocks than perhaps previous years have done in case they use these as a base. Also if your DS is not happy with his grades next Summer he could always re-sit say Maths and English x 2 in the Autumn.

If the situation goes on too much longer and you feel that school are not supporting your DS, as in feedback, have you thought about a tutor for a couple of key subjects? Obviously this depends if you can afford it, and not that you should have too, but it might give your DS a boost confidence wise.

Hopefully the government will consider sending year 10 &12 back to school first perhaps along with year 6?

Do you think universities will bear this in mind when this cohort apply? If he can get into sixth form and get decent grades in the subjects he does will they be understanding if he doesn’t get the high grades he was previously heading for.

Heading for in his GCSEs that should be.

DD in Y12 also, and there is such an obvious disparity between the amount of work and guidance that difference schools are making available. It's an uncertain time but hopefully they'll be able to manage grade boundaries etc somehow.

I completely agree that the gap is going to grow.

Is there a curriculum map online of what he will be studying - e.g. the texts for English? And he can get a head start on them?

Grades are allocated as a bell curve so grade boundaries are likely to be lower as so many students will have missed learning time.

HOWEVER, at the top end, students who aren’t getting support from school will need to be self motivated in this situation.

I completely agree that it’s rubbish. My year 10s aren’t logging on or completing lessons, and I’m so frustrated because they can’t see the long term impact of this “holiday” they’ve given themselves.

I don’t think adjusting grade boundaries will cover the disparity of work being provided by different schools and the differences in the home life of the students. It is so much more marked this year.

Y10 mum here too and with a DS who is being set lots of work. They're obviously marking it too as we had an email from one teacher expressing surprise that he hadn't submitted a piece of work and that it was unusual for him. He had done it but had to redo it to make sure the file was submitted sucessfully on Firefly.

The only tricky subject for DS is PE as two of his three sports were athletics & tennis which would have been assessed in the summer term.

We're not sure whether DS will stay at his current school for A Levels so good GCSE results will be needed.

@bigbananafeet12 I think universities will bear this in mind for the current year 10 and 12. Hopefully your DS will get the grades he needs for his A level subjects he then has two full years to cover the course.

If my child was in Year 10 and getting zero feedback from school I would be organising online tutoring asap.

My DS1 is Yr12,in an independent school 6th form, so first year of A levels and has had live lessons in each subject each week and I know that Yr10 pupils in his school are also being treated as the utmost priority too, since exams are cancelled for yr11/13.

My year 10 DSD has been getting regular work set through google classrooms and Show My Homework, lessons come in on certain days to be completed by the same day the following week ready for the next lot of work. Teachers have been great with feedback, but only issue she has raised is that it seems to be going over old work, rather than learning new (understandably). She's stressing that there will be a huge chunk that she won't know for exams next year. Art is the only exception, that's working as normal, but obviously is more student-led.

I THINK they are working on the revision plan now, which would have been built in to the latter half of next year, and will play catch up on the lost syllabus in that time, with some of the exams tailored to reflect the lost time. Not entirely sure, but looking in, that's how it appears. She's had a week off this week after a complete meltdown, and form tutor gave the absolute go ahead, so am confident that there's no new material being set that they're worried that she'll miss.

Am really impressed with how the teachers and support staff have handled it, and the kids - she has managed the transition to home working far better than some of my colleagues!

Why on earth are some teachers not marking work? Surely that is their job! Even my reception and year 3 (state school) children are uploading working for teachers to feedback on

I think there are going to have to be concessions made by exam boards for current Y10 & 12 students next year and possibly even current Y11's in two years time. Current Y11's having not sat GCSE's will find A levels incredibly difficult.

At the moment I suspect exam boards are focused on Y11 & 13. It's difficult for them to think about what measures they may take next year when they don't yet know the extend of the negative impact on students, they won't know that until normal school resumes. Maybe schools will be able to update exam boards on what their provision has been like during this period in order to balance things up. At the end of the day it's not just in the pupils best interests to do well in exams, it's in the school's too so i'm sure they will do everything in their power to ensure their students are not penalised compared to other schools by the pandemic.

Oh god! I’d stupidly assumed it was the norm. DS assure me he’s fine, doing the work and understanding it all but feedback would make me feel 100% happier.

Name change fail sorry.

Why on earth are some teachers not marking work? Surely that is their job!

I don't know! I would never teacher-bash - dh and I are both teachers. But the disparity in the quality and quantity of distance learning seems crazy! Dh is Head if our dc's school and in charge of setting up and overseeing the virtual school. It was up and running on day 1 of lockdown with a full timetable. I get that wfh is going to be very hard for some teachers, especially those with young children, but that doesn't mean that whole schools shouldn't have a proper system of distance learning in place, even if there might be some inevitable gaps or inconsistencies due to staff illness, tech difficulties etc.

It's crazy how much variation there is in school provision. You'd have thought the good schools with Google classroom, work schedules etc should be used as case studies for the schools which have been slower to adapt.

We don’t have any interaction with teachers but I’ve written a timetable for my DS year 10 of 3 hours lessons per day, but the longer this goes in the more I’m worried. I see the current situation as basically online homeschooling, which is very different than bring class room based.
I’m planning on ringing the head of year to ask what their plans are going forward as we don’t know his good his answers are for the written narrative subjects in English / history etc.

Teacher here - we’re setting work through Google Classrooms and I think I am giving more feedback than when we’re in school as it’s so easy to do it on there. Students with no internet at home are being sent printed work and that is starting to come back in for feedback.
Ask the school for feedback on his work, even if you have to photograph it and send it in.

The problem is if you are in an area of social deprivation, it doesn't matter how good the provision of work from the school is, if the pupils don't have the means of accessing it.

Yes the Government are prioritising the provision of laptops to disadvantaged Y10 pupils, but the criteria is quite stringent. And if there are various other issues in their family life, it might not help that much anyway.

Absolutely not teaching bashing but what is the rationale for not marking work? My Y3 and Y7 are having all their work commented on.

If my child was in Year 10 and getting zero feedback from school I would be organising online tutoring asap

Because every family can afford that. Particularly in the current situation with job losses....

I have a year 10 Dsis who's really struggling at the moment. She's incredibly bright but has always struggled with self-motivation and getting things done. We've always found it difficult to chivvy her along at home- she's a chronic dawdler, if left to her own devices she'd sit staring at a wall for several hours rather than complete the task shes been given, and if she feels she's being nagged she shuts down and becomes non-compliant, and upset. (To be honest, while it's not my place to armchair diagnose she shows a lot of traits symptomatic of ADHD and ASD).
I've always worried about her future beyond GCSE level once the structure of school lessens and more individual work and study are needed, but something like this was never on my radar.
We've tried timetables, letting her plan her own day, and helping (where we can, though we're all still working too). She's falling more and more behind each day, while also getting no down-time as she's spending most of the day (technically) working. Not to mention even getting her out of bed is a chore (more so as she knows what to expect from the day), which whittles down time available even further. Complete with a fraught home-life, I can see her becoming more and more strained and I don't know what I can do. I'm worried about her academic future, but just as concerned for her MH.

I'm sure it's going to be difficult for teachers when everyone returns too. Even within the same schools and classes there will be a huge gap between students, as some will have done everything set and more, others basically nothing, and various stages in between!

Unions have said no marking. In secondary, we do a certain amount of marking as we go along and some peer marking. I tend to mark end of topic essays or bigger pieces of work and assessments , not the stuff we do as we go along. I am therefore uploading answers to the day to day stuff we would usually mark in class for students to self mark and marking the bigger stuff like I usually would. I am, however, doing much more marking than usual because I am checking work has been completed. I am at a school with live teaching and I can tell you, it is all adding up to more than usual. And that’s without considering the needs of my own children and wider family.

Unions have said no marking
please can someone explain why? This decision cannot be anything but detrimental to the students?