AIBU to be furious about the GCSE

[SmileEachDay]

..consultation. Government are proposing no alterations to the English (and others) GCSE exams next year. Potential moving exams back a little, but no reduction of content at all. Nothing that will gain any real time for students to study.

Consultation here is deliberately very strangely worded so be careful when answering.

I have responded to the consultation. Basically said shorter exams, less content, more choice of questions and reduce speaking to 10% of result for MFL given the loss of a term's teaching time.

If you respond emphasise the loss of a term's teaching time. Some schools have taught a full timetable but most have not.

DT.. Pupils get to watch the teachers demonstrate the machines but not use them themselves! Card models instead of workshop made projects. Can't wait to teach that next year 😱

My Dd is yr10 doing textiles, wants to go on to do costume design, I can’t see how they can do this without some form of practical work being show. Most of her class took this as an ‘easy’ subject & don’t care too much about it but for her it’s a vital gcse.
With subjects like english I agree - why not put questions about all the texts & tell them to answer 3 (or whatever) they have covered?
My GCSE’s were in the dim & distant past but I’m sure that’s how the exams were done - answer either question a or b

My GCSE’s were in the dim & distant past but I’m sure that’s how the exams were done - answer either question a or b

Yes mine were definitely like that. It would surely be easy to say answer this question on 1984 or this question on Of Mice or Men

I'm not sure why, for English, they can't make one of the genres optional. So you have to do two out of poetry, prose and drama rather than answer on all three.

Thanks for posting this OP.

I've had a quick look and for the only A Level (that affects us) which is potentially changed is Physics. MFLs and Maths remain unchanged - how do they think they're going to fit in all the lost teaching/ learning for subjects like these?!

Can someone tell me what the drama changes are?
It is the one dd is most worried about, (due to lack of teaching) and her favourite

and MFL German - will she no longer have to do an aural? That's pants, she has been talking German every day with my Mum and she has come on in leaps and bounds.

I think for GCSE MFL there is no oral (but your dd will benefit for the aural if she's been speaking and listening every day) but I couldn't see any changes for A level. Personally I think they should scrap the oral or make it much less eg 10% of the overall mark. (sorry I realise it's good for your dd but it's rubbish for most students without access to native speakers and with no face to face teaching for a term).

I have dtds in yr10, we are currently in discussions about what’s the minimum they could get away with passing and still get into college/6th form. One will probably be fine, but may not now get the 8/9s she was predicted, the other will be happy to scrape a pass - it’s very disheartening for them.
The level of teaching/support that has been offered from various local school varies dramatically, some of these children may not have done anything for months, whereas others have had more access to learning - we’re just widening that gap even further

For MFL, I read it that you will still do a speaking exam. but it won't count; it will be recorded as a separate mark on the certificate.

It's a bit rubbish really as that's the element the teacher has the most influence over, in the sense that the students will should have a good idea of what questions they will be asked.

Yes, @clary, but it is also huge prep time, particularly if you have a big class. If the outcome is less significant to overall grade, we will have time to work on the other skills. I am happy about it - I know plenty aren’t so things may change. We’ll see.

I think the consultation does a good job of explaining the logic behind proposals. Believe me I have replied to a lot of consultations as a home educator.
The proposals seem to be focused on doing as little to change the papers as possible which makes sense. I know my son and others I teach would really struggle with papers that didn't look like the samples/past papers they had practised on.
Then there is the issue of different schools studying things in different orders (even different classes in the same school might) making it difficult to change content.
The changes seem to be aimed at reducing all the extra tasks teachers have to do so their time is focused on covering content. That alongside a slight delay and the usual changing grade boundaries seems by far the least disruptive solution.
As for history, I have taken my kids through about 10 different subjects between them, nothing comes close to workload of history.

I agree. Kids have had a totally different lockdown educational experience. My school hasn't done online lessons. The work they have set has been minimal. I've been working full time and full on so I haven't been able to home school. My son has done the bare minimum. Other schools have been running a full timetable of online classes. Some kids have had two parents at home to support them. Some recognition of the differing experiences needs to be accounted for.

I teach Science GCSE and A-level Physics and there is basically no change.

Pupils may observe GCSE practicals rather than carry them out but essentially they still need the knowledge.

For the A-level Physics, there is talk of reducing the number of required practicals but still covering all apparatus and techniques so again, not really a reduction.

I have been planning the A-level this week and it's so, so tight timewise

I have a Year 10 who was being predicted very high GCSEs across the board ... I'm worried and angry on his behalf that the coming year is going to be horrendous pressure-wise. Clearly at a disadvantage going forward as he's in a state school.

back2good

It’s rubbish. Really crap.

We have remapped our curriculum - if it gives you any comfort, students who are predicted high grades and who are academically able will cope better. The pace of curriculum will increase - that may actually suit some. In English, students who are able to do more of the essay writing/question technique practice on their own will be less disadvantaged- there won’t be as much time in class to do that.
I suspect the same will be true in other core subjects, and there are some adjustments in options subjects.

Can anyone explain the drama changes please?
Dd is really disappointed that there won't be an oral in German. So am I, but I get that they have to go with what is best for the majority, and dd is in a good position overall, she has had good teaching and support and has worked hard all through lockdown

steppe I couldn't quite grasp the drama changes beyond:

• not having to see the live performance 'live'
• one thing can be a monologue rather than a team effort (easier with social distancing)
• overall length of performances can be reduced (so needing less rehearsal)

Thank you!

It sounds like it will be great for children with dyslexia, not.

DD’s school set homework using something called classcharts. But some teachers haven’t managed to use this from home so they have been sending out one, two or three emails with attachments for each piece of work?!?
The kids are supposed to mark the work as completed on classcharts once they have finished it.
Now over the summer the x teachers are going to upload everything onto classcharts and the kids have to go through everything and mark everything they have done as completed in classcharts.

@SmileEachDay

I worry about the children in the middle such as my DD. Her school has done hardly any virtual online lessons, DD has been bombarded with emails, powerpoints and work from school and she is going into school for her 4 half days even though I am shielding, she has dyslexia, two parents who love her and live together, we are reasonably ok money wise and bought her a second hand decent laptop on ebay during lockdown (as we are both working from home and DS yr 11 is using DH’s laptop). We are both educated to degree level
and capable, happy and keen to help her. But DD is quiet, stubborn and wants to do things on her own without any help, support or interference from us, her grandad died during lockdown, i think she is overwhelmed with schoolwork, she has only seen one friend twice since lock down and rarely goes outside, i think she is probably depressed (but won’t talk to us about it or anyone else) to make it even harder for her to concentrate next door have started noisy building work below her bedroom.

She probably won’t cope well if she is bombarded with extra work in September and she probably won’t qualify for any better extra support which will go to those from badly off families, where the children will have all been getting together having a ball not attending for the 4 half days, mocking the kids who do attend, are doing some school work whereas they have been bragging about having sleepovers and meet up’s in the woods throughout lockdown over social media.

Splattherat

That sounds really tough - I’m sorry she’s struggling so much.

Is there a member of staff she has a good relationship with at school? If there is, I’d contact them. I’ve had a few children/ parents get in touch to let me know they are struggling simply because they like my lessons/we have a good relationship. It means we’ve been able to try and put a plan in place/I’ve been able to facilitate communication with the “right” member of staff.

Is that an option?

Unfortunately she doesn’t have a particularly favourite teacher she is tall very quiet and just likes to blend in without drawing attention to herself. She is bright enough so she has managed to work out some of her own strategies to get around her dyslexia. The only criticisms of her at parents evening was that she was too quiet in class. She isn’t not achieving but she could achieve so much more but because she is very quiet, not disruptive, isn’t receiving any support and wouldn’t dream of drawing any attention to herself (positive or negative), always does her homework and because she is at a very large comp (with three maths teachers and three english teachers etc) she manages to slip under the teachers radar. I emailed the head of year and spoke to her over the phone explaining that dd was overwhelmed with all the emails (from say her 3 usual maths teachers asking if she was ok and had any questions to contact them) and all the emails from the subject teacher who is actually setting the work.
But somehow things got lost in translation and her actual teachers made reference to my phoning up about her situation in whole class emails which annoyed and embarrassed her further.
Especially in English as unbeknown to me and due to her dyslexia she has been put in an all girls class (supposedly grades 2-6 and apart from her and one other girl the rest are very outspoken, very confident girls who are popular with the boys) and aren’t very nice to anyone who doesn’t have the same set of morals or lack of morals. My relationship with DD is now extremely strained.

made reference to my phoning up about her situation in whole class emails which annoyed and embarrassed her further

Specifically naming your daughter or more “some parents have phoned saying students are overwhelmed”?

I’d go back to the HoY - or maybe the SENCO? If she’s been placed in a specific class to support dyslexia the SEN dept may well have been involved.

I’m trying hard to ignore your snipe about children’s “lack of morals”.

I teach DT textiles. I’ve complained about the adjustments.

I’ve tried in my risk assessment to work out a way of quarantining machines on a rota for my 11 and 12’s. I e also complained about the fact that my class have missed an entire term of exam lessons and this needs to be adressed. And I’ve complained about the stupidity of drawings and card prototypes. They can’t make anything without a lot of help. How can they draw it or make it out of card? They don’t know how to make it.

I’m really annoyed by this. Art get to ditch the final exam.