To think there's another Boris U-turn fast approaching

[SackTheLotOfThem]

In view of Wales' latest decision to cancel GCSEs:

www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54888376

[quote Orangeblossom7777]It's being reported England will go ahead with the plan to hold the exams later, (which seems to make sense in a way as gives more time to prepare)

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/10/wales-government-no-gcse-a-levels-exams-next-summer[/quote]
No, holding the exams later is a terrible idea! Just what our kids need after disrupted schooling - prolonging the stress and giving them a shorter summer holiday. An extra 3 weeks won't make any difference to the weeks and months of schooling some children have missed.

@justchecking1

They're not truly cancelled though are they? It will be an externally set assessment marked (I assume) under exam conditions, but held in the classroom, and will take place earlier than normal GCSE's.

It's pretty much still an exam, no?

No, the assessment may be externally set and marked but they will be held in classrooms, not under exam conditions at all. As the Welsh government say they’ve sought the assurance of Universities that the cohort won’t be disadvantaged by doing so they’re happy that this is a fair way to proceed. Which, given that students from all of the countries of the UK are effectively competing for places in Universities in any given year, makes it unfair on any students from a country/countries in the UK who will have to sit the exams, as normal, under exam conditions and , potentially after having lost teaching time to periods of self isolation or actual COVID diagnoses. Yes, education is devolved, but there really should be more cohesion on this.

If they didn’t / don’t change their minds they’d be criticised for not being flexible. If they do it’s called a u-turn

I agree. These are unprecedented times and things are changing constantly. Very easy to blame the government. Who knows if Labour would have done a better job?

It wasn't my idea to hold them later it was the recommendation for England.

What do they expect the pupils to do from Spring till Autumn if they do these 'assessments' early?

An extra 3 weeks won't make any difference to the weeks and months of schooling some children have missed

There is a lot more than 3 weeks difference between these spring dates and the new ones proposed for England. Months...

@Orangeblossom7777

An extra 3 weeks won't make any difference to the weeks and months of schooling some children have missed

There is a lot more than 3 weeks difference between these spring dates and the new ones proposed for England. Months...

I heard the exams would be in July rather than the usual May/June. Have you heard different?

@bendmeoverbackwards

I guess the same as this year...unless registered with an exam centre that has tutors authorised to submit grades, they will get none and will have to wait until the next sitting. Unfortunately exam centres able to do this are few and far between, and expensive.
Really difficult for those wanting to enter FE.

If only he would U turn on the utter folly of Brexit ...

OrangeBlossom I think the plan from Spring until the end of the Summer term is to educate them, rather than stressing about assessing them.

Well if the English exams are in July and the Welsh ones in Spring term as proposed that is from Jan to March.

Meaning at least 3 months difference, maybe 5!

@RedskyAtnight

It won't be fast approaching. It will be long after all GCSE/A Level students and their teachers have descended into a state of complete panic, unsure whether they are having exams or not having exams, and after half a dozen protestations that there will be no U turn.

Then we might see a change of mind.

^^this.

Cancelling them now would make far too much sense!!

I think no matter what they do, some kids will stress more/hate it/feel angry. But I think 'in general' cancelling them is the best if a bunch of bad options.

@combatbarbie

I thought they had already been cancelled? Scotland made this decision ages ago.

Scotland cancelled external National grade exams. Highers and Advanced Highers are still planned to go ahead.

@cologne4711

Hopefully although I'm not sure if the pressure of continuous assessment is that much better.

Having a child with additional needs in a year group who have cancelled exams... our experience suggests not.

I still don't see how this will solve the problem of some pupils being disadvantaged from having to repeatedly self-isolate or from being ill.
Pupils who have missed schooling /education due to the pandemic will still be at a disadvantage with assessments during the school year, just as they would be with exams at the end.
And some pupils will still miss these assessments due to self-isolation or illness, just as they would miss an exam.
It just seems like moving the same problems to a different format.

@JustBidenMyTime

I guess they think the standard of online learning they are 'providing' is sufficient, and aren't even considering that those who are ill and not isolating-but-well.

I hope so too. My ds is a nervous wreck.
He’s doing 3 A levels and is struggling with the lack of routine that is a week in college and a week home learning.

He has Aspergers and anxiety which I appreciate makes him more prone to worrying but it’s a real problem for him and I can see why. Home learning was good during lockdown but 2 of his 3 A levels are practical heavy.

I wish we didn't have this culture where a politician announcing something is deemed to have U-turned because he didn't announce it earlier.

The default is for exams to go ahead. If anyone asks before the decision is made to cancel them, they will be told they're going ahead. If they decide to cancel them, at that point the answer would change. There is no u-turn, just a decision, which can be made at any time, to override the status quo.

If they announced now they were going to cancel exams, and later changed their mind in the other direction, that would be a U-turn. Though that wouldn't necessarily be a reason to complain, they could just be changing their mind as circumstances change.

It won’t be a u turn it will be trying to adapt to changing circumstances.

If only a pandemic had a predictable plan we would all be in a better place.

@reallyjustreally

This sort of commentary really annoys me - talks of u-turns.

I’m in no way a Boris fan. But if a decision is made to not run the exams surely that is reacting to an ever changing landscape and feedback.

If they didn’t / don’t change their minds they’d be criticised for not being flexible. If they do it’s called a u-turn.

As I said, I’m not a Boris fan but I really don’t think phrases like u-turn and criticising changes does his opponents any favours with the neutrals.

Erm, this entire year has been the scene of U turn after U turn by this complete waste of space 'government'.

The latest being free school meals (again) after bowing to huge pressure (again).

After the absolute shitshow of the exam results scandal in August, the only fair thing to do this school year is to go on teacher assessed grades. Loads of kids are in and out of school and are missing out on vital parts of their education.

For the peace of mind and the mental health of these children and young people the govt should have the balls to make a decision to cancel the exams and stick with it. Scotland and Wales have already done so, some time ago.

As for criticising changes Johnson himself accused the opposition of wanting to 'turn the lights out' on the country by introducing another (science based) lockdown. 11 days after that blustering load of shite he announced this current lockdown.

That's a U turn in anyones book, and extremely poor leadership. They need holding to account by the public and the opposition.

"But the chief inspector of the English schools watchdog, Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, cautioned against scrapping exams in England next summer, warning it could do “real harm” and might not be in young people’s interests.

Giving evidence to MPs on the Commons education committee, Spielman said schools were worried that a large proportion of older
pupils might not return to lessons for the rest of the academic year if next year’s exams were cancelled."

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/10/wales-government-no-gcse-a-levels-exams-next-summer

She said: “One of the messages that came across really strongly from young people themselves last summer in the face of the calculated grades model was how much they resented not having the chance to show what they could do for themselves.”

Em, the 'shitshow' was due to having 'teacher assessed grades' was it not?

Cancelling the exams seems like an easier option for some, certainly not the best of a bunch of bad options. Exams are always fairer than teacher assessment ( there is lots of data to support this). The constant speculation doesn’t help children either. There seems to be a lot of pressure from certain sectors ( some academy heads have been vocal in the media)who seem very keen to cancel.

To add- lockdown made my ds’s already fragile MH and he is now on a low dose of anti-depressants. Not what I want for my 17yr old child.
He is the lowest he has ever been and I’m worried sick about him.

MH is so important. The amount of young people I’ve seen on Twitter who have taken their lives this year is truly shocking.

@RedskyAtnight

It won't be fast approaching. It will be long after all GCSE/A Level students and their teachers have descended into a state of complete panic, unsure whether they are having exams or not having exams, and after half a dozen protestations that there will be no U turn.

Then we might see a change of mind.

This. Sadly.