Do you think GCSES will go ahead as normal in 2021? (England)

[Randomlola]

I'm assuming the vaccine will have been rolled out by then so disruption at school should be over. Really hoping that DS can sit his GCSEs like normal.

I think they'll go ahead

Wales are, in all but name. They've "cancelled gcses" but will have an externally set and marked assessment that all students will sit. So an exam then? They've said what parents want to hear, paid lip service, but are still assessing.

With a year 11 who has had to isolate three times and awaiting a result for a potential fourth I absolutely do not feel this is a level playing field for children having to do exams.
Almost half her year group are off and they are mid mocks. In local schools they are either doing mocks at home or when they return to school. This is a joke in itself.
Given the mess schools will be in come January after the Christmas mixing I can foresee lots more isolation for children and teachers so lots of cover staff.
How anyone can think this is going to be ok with a couple of extra weeks for exams in some topics and a slightly altered syllabus is beyond me.
And how Gavin W still has a job is even more of a joke.

The ones who were always on for good grades would be fine. It's the ones that need proper support to scrape a 4 in Maths and English who will be truly disadvantaged and that's life changing, for children often with few life chances already.

It's not all about MNetters' children.

My son is on his third round of isolation starting from tomorrow and is now having to do his mock exams at home over teams. Utter nightmare

I think there is a determination by Gavin Williamson that they should go ahead, and they will.

CAGs do not take any account of those who revise last minute, or in reverse, those who suffer from exam nerves. Exams that have been sat will be viewed more positively by prospective employers.

Go ahead I think with some adaptations

@cactusisblooming

Very short sighted to think that they should just be getting on with it at 15/16. Not all children had nice quiet, warm homes with peace and space to study. For many children school is a place of refuge and the home is a place of chaos with DV, substance abuse, overcrowded conditions and hunger. Just because they have a smart phone does not mean they have internet access either. The posters who say their dc have not been disadvantaged due to isolation are very fortunate.

Vulnerable kids were in school all through lockdown.

What would you do instead?

@SmileEachDay

By year 11 they should be able to self study. I do feel sorry for those with no tech at home, but realistically, according to my kids, practically all of them have smartphones

You have NO idea, clearly, about the lives some families lead. Why do you think foodbanks are a thing? Or prisons? Youth offending centres? Drug and alcohol services for adults? Or for children?

You are making assumptions about what I do and don’t know.

So we cancel everything for the kids in this situation. How would that help them?

Or give everyone an A, how will that help them?

Vulnerable kids were in school all through lockdown.

Were they? Really? It's true schools offered them a place and some attended but school weren't delivering the curriculum at that stage, even to those who were able to turn up.

For our most vulnerable teens it was judged that actually their vulnerability was in the community (gangs) and those who were staying at home were better off there. Some of the most troubled families felt they got their children back and were able to do things they wouldn't usually, cooking a meal together, but the children weren't getting formal teaching.

Vulnerable children were in our school but no teaching was taking place. At our school they were doing the same work as the kids at home.

Our teachers were st home too, teaching.

This is not fair for most kids, the only exception may be those kids who had zoom lessons and other support throughout.

An awful experience for all kids tbh

@dingledongle

Vulnerable children were in our school but no teaching was taking place. At our school they were doing the same work as the kids at home.

Our teachers were st home too, teaching.

This is not fair for most kids, the only exception may be those kids who had zoom lessons and other support throughout.

An awful experience for all kids tbh

Same here. Agree it’s not fair on anyone, but what would you do instead?

So at least they had access to computers and WiFi to do the work, which puts them on a similar footing to those kids working alone at home.

@starrynight19 DSs experience self isolating hasn't been that bad. In fact he probably gets more work done than if he was actually at school, work is set and teachers are available to answer questions. I don't really understand what the issue is for the majority of fairly motivated year 11 DC.

There has been nothing 'normal' about the experiences of the current GCSE's cohort!

A mix of assessment would seem to be fairer but as with all assessments there will
be winners and losers.

It is a case of trying to be making it fair for the many, not the few

Didn’t only about 10% of vulnerable children go into school during lockdown

Dd is year 11. Last year the teachers set work but it was up to the dc to self teach and ensure that they understood what was being asked. Dd sometimes spent more time looking for resources to help her understand than completing the work when she had taught herself the information. Others in her year didn't have the resources to do this.
This year she has had to self isolate and a number of her teachers have also been off. Currently she has supply teachers for English, maths and computing and last week had the head teaching another subject.
There is little consistency, in English they were taught something from last year despite telling the teacher they were currently reading a different topic.
It's been a mess. I hope that they do cancel the exams.

littledrummergirl this is my DD experience

She taught herself from March-end July.

On Itv news now discussing it. More to be announced in next two days.

There will be changes. Notice of exam topics, extra texts and supports in the exams.

I think they will sit exams, but teachers will be also asked for some form of cags, or attendance.

They were proposing national "mocks" but not sure how well they'd work and they haven't been mentioned again tonight

Addressing various points:

• by year 11 many kids can self organise, motivate and learn. But many can't.
• many have smartphones etc. But some still don't, and older smartphones with smaller screens are still rubbish for learning on
• vulnerable children were offered places in school, not all 'disadvantaged' ones, and schools weren't teaching anyway
• it isn't just about the kids who can get a host of grade 7+. It's about the kids for whom getting a grade 3/4 will have a massive impact going forward
• kids with SEN especially need contact with teachers and face to face

At least doing exams gives pupils who struggled over lockdown maximum time to get going and up to speed again. (Plus homeschool pupils...)

I think they will ,my ds is due to sit one of his btech exams in feb and its a typical btech if you fail , can't pass the whole course , he is year 11.
Currently looking at how he is doing it looks like he has slipped a whole grade down in most subjects from what he has missed , thats not incl anytime he may have off of we have cases etc as he is the kind of child who really struggles with doing at home

Also all this they are 15/16 should be able to get on with work , not all children find it easy to do on their own whilst no teacher around to help, why do you think they go to school and have teachers ? Would be cheaper to not have large school buildings and home learning long term if it was so easy.
My son did all his work that was set bit bare in mind the first lockdown not all schools provided lots of work.
Some kids need face to face learning , if your lucky enough that your child can do on their own then lucky you, my son still hasn't covered all content yet for gcse's due to time missed

I really think that sitting exams may be the 'least bad' of all options.
With the vaccine roll out starting hopefully in December, and exams pushed back to June it gives a clear 8+ weeks from Easter for everyone to focus.
CAGs will be a nightmare for schools because of the differing levels of disruption, and the fiasco of A level results. (Nothing much to stop all schools just bumping everyone's grades up this year.)

What should happen is there should be good flexibility from 6th forms / colleges over who can do which courses. Use references from schools as well as results to decide who is suitable for what.
(Got a 6 in maths but school knows how much you were impacted and thinks you are more than capable of A level? Then be allowed on the course, with extra catch-up classes etc)

At least pupils right now know what they are aiming for, it is the one 'certainty' they have.

@Randomlola you don't understand because you only have experience of your dc and your dc school
Many were not great first lockdown with providing work
Lots of kids don't have a home life that works well with home learning or lack tech
My son has tech available and supportive parents but he still struggles with home learning and finds it much better in the classroom , just the way he learns.
He does all his work set at home and tries very hard but he is better with face to face learning and its not easy teaching yourself things you have never been taught for many , going over work he has done isn't so bad.
He knows he will have to sit exams , like I said he has a btech one in feb which if he were to fail means all coursework he has done is also pointless so he is working hard but if home learning doesn't come easy then thats the way it is .

Boris has just said more information is going to be given tomorrow