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.

My Y10 daughter is at a non selective private school. She wants to go to a highly selective sixth form in London - I'm hoping she will get an art scholarship as fees are 25% higher.
She has almost full day online learning, they have exams and homework is marked. I think the school has done a great job getting online learning up and running.
However, my daughter is still very worried they will fall behind. She says they can't do science experiments, the math teacher can't see your workings to see where you've gone wrong, and the DT, music, drama, art and other hands on subjects are struggling.
My daughter is motivated and I wouldn't be so concerned as I know she could catch up (school is gearing up for physical return June 1 if allowed - they currently have about 40 key worker kids), but she needs top marks to get into sixth form. She is stressing about it and really wants to get back in the classroom.
One idea I think the exam boards should look at is doing the exams a month late: so mid june to mid July, rather than mid May to mid June. It is a shorter marking schedule but it would give the school a few weeks to complete the syllabus.

I don't think that would be difficult... we already have it now.

In RS, the themes paper students study 4 topics, but 6 are available. So normally students choose 4 topics from 6. This could easily be reduced for one year by one or two topics for next year.

I'm head of humanities and this would be the case for all four subjects within my faculty - Geography, History, RS and Sociology.

However, I think exam boards need to make this decision now.,. So teachers can plan what topics they teach.

All I can assume is they will possibly do exams with the full syllabus, but then rather than marking and grading as they do normally they will do what they are doing this year and make sure the grades achieved in various schools fit reasonably well with their historic data.

Even that won't be fair, as some children, through no fault of their own, do not have access to teaching that their schools are providing, while other schools are providing very little.

It is a bit shit for them. I have a current year 10 and a current year 11 - I don't think the 11 will get the grades she would have got in her exams, but I do feel confident that she will get grades that are fair and reasonable. My son is getting very little from his school (and I haven't heard a thing from them) and despite him doing everything that is set I am concerned that he is going to have huge gaps going in to the exams - and that other children may not have those gaps as their schools have offered a more comprehensive timetable.

It is very difficult.

Yes I agree the exams should start later.

If they get Y10s and 12s back in after May half term I will stop worrying. But if the unions get in the way and its not until September that's half a year's teaching gone and something will have to be done.

The last I heard was that Y6s were going to be prioritised. Not sure why it has to be an either/or as they're not in the same schools except in a very few cases where you have through 3-18 schools.

My youngest is year 9 and his school are setting a full complement of work for each subject every week (at least 20 hours worth pw), marking it and feeding back if it's not up to snuff. They began this on the first day of lockdown.

I'm shocked that all schools aren't! My eldest is year 11 though so is missing out on EVERYTHING.

I have a dd in yr10 (state). She is completing the set work and receiving positive feedback from the school. But she’s not doing the extra stuff like preparing revision cards that they’ve been asked to do. I feel like I’m nagging all the time. Plus she’s doing gcse music and is not motivated to practice at all since her music lessons stopped in March.

As Oakmaden says.

With the marking curve being a percentage within the peer group of the year it may sort itself out.

I would be very careful what you wish for, with regard to the furlough of teachers. The money coming from the same pot aside, if teachers were offered 80% pay to the end of June, there would be a scramble for it.

Even before this lockdown, and the negative attitude to teachers it has laid bare, there was great dissatisfaction in the profession. Before I left my (ofsted outstanding in a naice area) state school, it was common for the staff room to be dominated by "exit plan" chatter. Taking a pay cut and cutting back on expenses usually featured in this.

There IS a crisis in the profession. This HAS been downplayed by successive governments. If you care for the education of your children (and can't afford private) then you really need to be part of a new national narrative. One that values teachers.

cologne4711

But if the unions get in the way and its not until September

But the unions are not saying this.

but then rather than marking and grading as they do normally they will do what they are doing this year and make sure the grades achieved in various schools fit reasonably well with their historic data

They already do moderate grades with prior attainment and last years data as part of the process of standardising grades. This happens every year once about 60% of the papers have been marked. This is why grade boundaries change yearly.

I dont have a year 10 ( reception,3,7 and 11) but I do worry that rational for not opening will be any different come Sept. No cure and no vaccine.

My middle too have ehcps and one is a child in need with a socail worker. Socail worker has said he is extremely lucky he is in school because most of her kids arent. Three sen schools I know of at least are having kids with ehcps in.

For my year 11 hes missed some of year 11 so didnt cover all of his ciricumlum in some subjects. Sat no exams and I cant see him starting a levels.

I totally agree that there will be widening of gaps between the vulnerable and kids with less supportive parents.

I know that no one knows but it is worrong that this might carry on indefinitely, into Sept or another lock down in the next academic year compounding this issue.

Those with money and interest can get private tutors. Some will miss out. I guess the gap will widen.

My DD is currently year 10, other DD year 11.
Neither will be returning to school until at least September. My reasoning being we will know more then and my children are not going to be used as guinea pigs.

My DC in year 10 is getting no feedback or marking on anything although they are pretty conscientious and at least doing the work set on show my homework - typically one piece per week (eg maths) or a set of worksheets issued in march to do by July (humanities). Really struggling with the maths and science although we support them as much as possible and elder siblings try to talk the topics through. No new topics being taught and no online lectures/PowerPoints etc. Headmaster's rationale when emailed is that teachers have their own children to look after therefore not asked to do more in terms of feedback. Am very worried about them slipping further and further behind other students at similar schools who seem to be getting full timetabled lessons. I've looked into a tutor but they are £40 ph and really more useful to going over exam Qs than teaching online from scratch.

Secondaries should be prioritising Y10 & Y12 students. If you feel your son isn't getting enough work of course you should raise it with the school! Who cares if your son doesn't like to make a fuss

I guess for MFL you can drop topics but not so sure about the actual language? Perhaps if you drop some of the cultural stuff you have time to complete the language work

There is no 'cultural stuff' at GCSE in MFL. None at all.

It will be possible to, broadly, drop topics but the exam paper would need some serious re-thinking.

DS is dyslexic
The work provided isn’t differentiated to take this into account, other than the English teacher. He hasn’t had a maths teacher all year anyway and someone’s taken over to set work and the teacher has no idea of DSs strengths or weaknesses. Making it more difficult.

He can’t do the practical subjects like woodwork engineering cookery PE which he loves. We don’t have the tools or resources.

Even the powers that be aren’t discussing this and I’m hopeful they will once the current Y11 and 14 have been sorted.

There’s no talk of university/deferring/grade etc that we really need to start discussing .

Yes, the topics is what I meant...

My daughter is in y10 and uses google class room- work is submitted and teachers send feedback. Y10 at my daughter's school are getting GCSE results on August 20th based on predicted grades.

As a PP pointed out those who have said no work is being set have you checked yourselves? I had a yr10 parent email who was very open that his DD was claiming no work, for him to find lots on the school website and a promise that she will now be working!

The issue re marking and teaching new content; again as a PP pointed out this issue is widening the gap even further between those who can access/supportive environment/parents etc and those missing one of these key elements.

The lack of engagement with my students (of all years from 7-12) is astonishing with more contact being made from yrs 11 and 13 (a yr11 student emailed saying that although he wasn't continuing my subject post 16 he was really missing lessons and could I send him some work through)

In terms of yr10 and 12 there are already moves being made - BTEC units due to be completed between March and July this year are having centre assessed grades for these units

I have a year 11 and a year 12. Year 11 wants to switch schools. SO far all the secondaries in the frame have been pretty decent about offers and I imagine that that will be the case again next year (current school has said all of year 11 can continue to 6th form regardless of grades and the 2 other offers she has have both said that they will admit those with offers if their grades fall slightly short but might need to review subject choices. I would expect a degree of pragmatism again).

I am pretty concerned about the year 12 though as A levels are such a short course. TBH I think that years 10 and 12 should be the overriding priority to get back to school - I don't understand why the current year 6 are seen as a higher priority as much of the final half term is just fun and games anyway. If only 10 and 12 and the children of key workers went back it ought to make social distancing in secondaries fairly straightforward.

I thoughtforliberty. I teach one of those areas, I’ve been uploading work every week. But they can’t do practical. It’s breaking my heart, l can see no way that these areas which rely on lots of fiddly shared equipment are going to do. No sharing tools😥

No paints
Clay
Brushes
Pins
Thread
Needles
Fabric
Irons
Sewing machines
Mannequins
Laptops
Nails
Hammers
Saws
Chisels
Soldering irons
Tin snips
Wire
Pliers

I could go on and on

If only 10 and 12 and the children of key workers went back it ought to make social distancing in secondaries fairly straightforward

But in order to have social distancing then the majority will not be receiving subject specialist teaching as we don't have enough teachers to enable double (at least, more likely triple) number of classes - we have 30 students per class so my yr 10 would have to be broken up into 3 classes (this is pushing it given the size of the rooms), this would be the same for my colleague who has 2 year 10 groups as well so from 2 classes we now have 9 - there are only 3 teachers in my department with 6 of these being in the same option block. Some departments are even smaller staff wise

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince whilst I know the core subjects are really important I do feel that no one seems to have thought about the practical subjects. They have missed stuff that I can't see how they can catch up. Surely it will have to be half classes in the classroom so not sure how they will be able to timetable this as lots of these subjects only have the one classroom at dd's school. My dd is dyslexic. She thrives on the practical subjects

I agree with you.

If they taught to timetable then they’d only be in for one lesson in 2 or one lesson in 3

DS has Engineering one afternoon a week, so he’d only get 1/3 of his work done as the teacher rotates lessons - if he falls ill he’ll have 1/6 lesson that time round

English and maths are important but as a core subject these teachers are thin on the ground

Y10 at my daughter's school are getting GCSE results on August 20th based on predicted grades

You’re talking about the May 2020 exams

We’re discussing the May 2021 exams due to them missing work

I couldn’t even have 1/2 class in my room, for social distancing they would need to be split into 3