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.

I'm really torn on this issue. DD is in year 10. She is doing really well with her work at home and I'm happy with the level of support that she is getting from her state comprehensive school. She is bright and self-motivated, and I don't think an extended absence from school will have a huge impact on her progress. She would be devastated if she didn't get to do her exams next year as planned, and I would feel really disappointed for her. I really want her to have that opportunity to demonstrate what she can do, as she has worked so hard for it.

On the other hand, I'm aware that there are lots of kids who will be massively disadvantaged by the school closures, and I simply cannot see any way in which next year's exams can go ahead with fair outcomes for all. There is a huge disparity between the support on offer from different schools, and this will only exacerbate the massive disparity that already exists in the support that kids can get at home. Lowering the grade boundaries won't help those who are most disadvantaged by the current situation, it will simply boost the grades of the kids who are already doing ok.

I don't know what the best way forward is. I hope that a good solution can be found.

I don’t see any reason why teachers shouldn’t be giving feedback. If I wasn’t doing that then I wouldn’t be doing my job.

The rationale of not opening schools in the summer is that we are currently working - planning, setting work, marking. We are on a rota to go into school, and I won’t mark on the days I’m in school supervising, but what are people doing otherwise?

@AlexaShutUp I couldn’t agree more. Although DS has had no teacher feedback he has a family who supports him and are ensuring he does the work (even though we’re not sure how well)🤷‍♀️. He also has his own computer, a quiet place to work, good food and no particular stress. I’m positive there are thousands of year 10s who’ve done nothing since schools shut and they can’t be blamed or penalised for that.

Email the school. I'm setting the normal work I would do for my Y10s, albeit with clear spoon feeding instructions as I'm not there to teach it. I'm expecting it to be uploaded if possible or emailed to me. I'm marking it.

Some are engaging, some not. Those who are not I've emailed to ask if there is a problem and I've copied parents in.

Also, getting a bit tired of people asking why aren't teachers working/marking/setting decent work. As far as I'm aware most of us are. If you've got a school that isn't, then contact them - but don't assume you are in the majority and that this is going on across the country.

@wheresmyliveship I’m not sure. Same work is set for the entire year and sent from the head of that subject even if it’s not his actual teacher. I’ve seen the odd comment at the top saying do work in your book we’ll be checking when school is back.
He’s at a secondary school with hardly any deprived dc so I doubt there are many dcs in at the moment.

It’s so hard. I’ve always had the utmost respect and admiration for his school. I really don’t want to start criticising them now.

@Suzie6789

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

There is very little evidence that written marking is very useful in helping students to learn and make progress. Verbal feedback during lessons has been shown to have the most impact. Therefore lots of schools are moving to a model where whole class feedback is given after a teacher has marked a test/quiz/homework.

Obviously under lockdown teaching is very different and that quick verbal feedback cannot be given. I would expect to get answers and students could mark their own work. There should also be some feedback provided for some pieces of work. Remember schools have only been off about 19 days now, so many schools wouldn't have provided written feedback in a normal timetable in this time.

The distance learning disparity is a red herring really. While some schools may be setting more busy work it remains nigh on impossible to teach new content satisfactorily, especially in very specialised subjects. Despite a teacher's assertion upthread, I do know exam boards are discussing ways to trim actual content from exams and trimming of NEA requirements, too. Our government is obsessed with 'standards' so if this type of sensible discussion is blocked please look towards the DfE, not exam boards.

As a teacher I am hugely worried about my Year 10s. I have set work, most are engaging but it is not the same. I feel like everything will need to be 'taught' properly when we return anyway. My subject has a massive amount of content and there is no way we can cover everything by next Easter, especially on two hours a week teaching once we return. I'm really hoping the exam board will
reduce the amount of units we will need to cover.

He’s at a secondary school with hardly any deprived dc so I doubt there are many dcs in at the moment.

Please don't assume just because you live in a nice area that there is no deprivation or vulnerable students. I work in a secondary school in a nice middle-class area, average house price £300k etc. We regularly buy uniform for students & provide breakfasts for students, we have one student who has lived in a car for 6 months after a council swap fell through, we have a family with 2 adults and 6 kids living in a 1-bed flat, I could go on and on. Then there are the vulnerable students that you won't know about - those that are on child protection plans, those that are at risk of neglect or abuse. Then there are those whose panrets are keyworkers. Then there are those who have an EHCP. All of whom are entitled to be in school right now.

Before I did this job I too thought we lived in a nice area. Sometimes I wish I still had that blissfully ignorant view. Not having a pop at previos poster, but deprivation and vulnerabile children are all around us.

The problem at the moment for the DfE and exam boards is we don’t know how this is going to pan out. There are three/four ways it could pan out, I think:

• we go back in June, half a term missed, small adjustment, students are up to speed. No further interruptions to education.

• We go back in September, one term missed. Bigger adjustments made. No further interruptions to education.

• we go back in June or September, further lockdown may be required. Any adjustments made now become obsolete. Readjust.

• we go back in June or September, localised lockdowns required to avoid second wave and full lock down. And adjustments made are now obsolete for some, not others. Readjust.

I suspect they will leave it till the last possible moment like this year and ask teachers to assess again with the data we have.

Plans will be put in place ultimately for all students.

All learning culminates in GCSE and A level. It is built block by block from reception. I don’t k ow what will happen, but l am 100% sure that the COVID generation (as l am beginning to think k of them) will have some measures in place. Ofqual and Ofsted will make sure, as will teachers and headteacher. A whole generation will not be disadvantaged because of this.

In terms of feedback: I set work and give kids a quiz to test themselves as one method. This means they can see where there are gaps. Despite setting a fair amount of work not much is being sent back. I give feedback on all the stuff l receive. Only received 6last week....

There is some mention that year 10 might go back before the other year groups, also year 5/6 perhaps. Any thoughts on this?

One thing I'm personally very thankful for is that my dc's school is one of those that changed to doing the GCSE course over 3 years rsther than 2 (although Ofsted have apparently decided they don't like this, so I expect the school will be changing back to 2 years for the next cohort). So yr10 dd is actually in her 2nd year of GCSE. But this is yet another thing which will cause inequality in next summer's GCSEs.

My yr 10 DS is being set work every week via the school website. He emails it to the teacher and usually receives a response with constructive comments. Some teachers are using the time to review what they've previously learned, some are ploughing on with new stuff. He is very able and mostly managing well on his own, apart from English which I am trying to help with. I have bought revision books, he uses bbc bitesize a lot. If he was less able and less engaged I would be very concerned.

The variation in what kind of distance learning schools are providing is a HUGE issue. Able /motivated children will probably be ok, privately educated children will likely be ok. Children living in difficult circumstances, without the social capital that (for example) my child has (his other parent is a teacher, we have computer equipment, time/ability to help him etc) are going to be hugely disadvantaged

It's fine to want to know, but it's totally unreasonable to expect anyone to be able to tell you. No one knows.

@Hercwasonaroll that’s reassuring thank you. I agree his work isn’t normally marked every day in normal times either. I’m just praying he’s understanding what he’s doing. The had to submit a survey to school last week on how much feedback he’s getting in each subject. Obviously he had to answer ‘rarely’(there wasn’t a ‘never’ option). Hopefully this will be considered moving forward.

The chat about year 10s going back first is obviously tied in with the desire to catch up which, educationally, means rushing things, panicking and forcing lots of extra sessions on kids. Better to actually not rush them back and think of more humane and educationally sound ways of getting them through year 11.

My son is a teacher and he's been taking to me about his concerns. They aren't teaching live lessons but are issuing work to all students, plus requiring work to be uploaded or emailed back so that it can be marked. He is available all day to answer queries immediately and has been phoning parents to explain work in more detail if requested.

He reports however that engagement is really varied. Some students are doing the work in full, completing homework.to their usual standard and sending it to him but beyond that there is a massive variation from doing most but not all to.doing nothing.

His worry is how they will catch up.the students who have fallen behind once school returns, particularly in year 10. As he says, if they don't go back until September he won't have time.to teach the content missed this year plus new content and as schools all teach the syllabus in different orders how can exams be adjusted to account for this?

Until widespread and accurate testing is brought in then there will he a lot of absences even once pupils are allowed to return to school. As a family we have had 2 14 day periods of self isolation, still not tested so if one of us gets symptoms again, we have to isolate again. It won't be as simple as schools are open, they've only missed a term, they'll catch up. My DS is year 10 and, although I have tried not to stress so far, I'm worried for him.

Lots of ways hear. Optional questions. Reducing topics with two texts as comparison to one text of choice. Reducing NEA units. Varies from subject to subject but it cannot be impossible. If the DfE drags its heels for too long, it does become harder, though.

My ds, Year 9 was already predicted low grades at GCSE with supported learning in school. He will never catch up now .....

I'm sure it's easier for some subjects than others - history or sciences for example surely will be more difficult to set questions for if you don't know what areas students haven't covered?

State schools that have been forced into a 2 year GCSE by OFSTED will feel this particularly hard. The sciences, for instance. With a 2 year GCSE there is barely enough time to teach the new content to sufficient depth, and that's before you lose a term to shutdown.
Schools that have taken the leap on the 3 year spread will be much better placed to catch up.
I teach at an indie, and although we are still reaching and marking to a normal timetable (probably more marking than usual), we have ample time to reteach this in Y11.

You do have to wonder how places like Australia set work - in really remote places, there are never classroom settings and all kids learn remotely. Could we not take some advice from them?
Also, could this whole scenario give rise to qualifications through piece work rather than exams at the end of a set period? Many children have suffered over the years as a result of being ‘good students’ but fail in exam situations?