Page 6 | to want a little celebration for the lower achievers at GCSE?

FunnysInLaJardin · 2022-08-25T20:05:35+00:00

DS1 got three 6's and three 4's at GCSE. He failed history and biology. He could have done better, but amidst the nine 9's I feel like saying a small well done to the other kids who did well - even if they didn't blow the roof off! GCSE's are a stepping stone and as long as your DC are happy, any grades are cause for celebration. DS1 can now move on to college and start the next stage in his life, and for that I am very thankful.

QueenofLouisiana · 25/08/2022 23:40

DH works in a special school. As it has very low numbers of pupils, I pick up information about them over the years. I know one lad in particular worked so hard, but really found learning tough.
Today DH was able to tell me that he’d got 3 3’s, 3 2’s and a 1 plus his entry levels. I was so pleased for him that I cried. I’ve never met him, but I knew he’d be truly chuffed.

Wineaddict · 25/08/2022 23:43

ImJustMadAboutSaffron · 25/08/2022 23:29

You can't be 'old' if you did GCSEs. The oldest you can be is 52.

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First GCSE exams were in 1988, so the oldest they can be is 50.
I was also the first year group to take GCSEs.

PyongyangKipperbang · 25/08/2022 23:51

51 actually.....trust me on this!

WeAreAllLionesses · 25/08/2022 23:53

51 actually.....trust me on this!

Me too 😂

Mythreefavouritethings · 26/08/2022 00:02

SammySueTwo · 25/08/2022 21:57

Actually I think that’s spot on. Not ready to learn. It’s tough as a parent when you tried all sorts of tactics, offered tutors, tried bribery (haha) and tried to make your child understand.
I think a lot of children have a lot to celebrate - some worked hard for their 4s and 5s. It’s wonderful for them.
Mine worked hard for a fortnight and only attended 2-3 months in years 10 and 11 combined. But would have passed based on mocks.

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I was chaotic and disorganised at school, and struggled a lot. I loved to read but hated having to view characters through the lens of education, I found history fascinating, but less so when it was presented in a certain way. I always loved the George Bernard Shaw quote, ‘School got in the way of my education’. I saved up and travelled round the world, with no common sense to speak of but I learned so much in that time about what I was capable of and now I see somewhere that the good things were there all along, I was just used to feeling stupid and lazy (I was neither). It was a few years before it all made sense but when I found what I wanted to do, years of study suddenly became enjoyable. Today some will shine. But this isn’t the only day. I hope your DS gets his day, whatever it looks like. From a one time low achiever who remains chaotic and disorganised x

OriginalUsername2 · 26/08/2022 00:06

FunnyNC · 25/08/2022 21:28

The issue I find with this OP is that the ones with 8s and 9s did put more time and effort over the years than the 4s and 5s. My dd got 8s and 9s. She worked so hard to get those results, when her friends were down the park or pretending to work online during covid my dd was actually doing her school work. Yes it's great for everyone who passed but lets not do participation awards/celebrations and take away the hard work over the years of the high achievers. I say that as a parent of a yr 11 this year and a parent of another going into yr 11 in September who's predicted 4s and 5s - his dedication to school work is not the same as my eldests so no his achievement won't be so great. That's life, you put in what you get out!

That’s very judgmental! Everybody’s brains work differently. Some people have adhd, ASD, dyslexia, bad home lives..

Lessofallthisunpleasantness · 26/08/2022 00:13

It is all relative. Our kids all perform differently but if they have made a big effort and done well then BOOM! Congratulations.

Lessofallthisunpleasantness · 26/08/2022 00:19

GCSEs are pretty easy though. I mean I did the first year (I am 50, just turned 50 recently) and they were definitely easier than O'levels then. We all did better than the previous O'levels the year before. Even then it wasn't too hard to get As if you were reasonably academic. I didn't apply myself that much and got mostly As. Some kids just find academic work more do-able than others do.

A'levels were much harder. University was easier than A'levels and GCSEs ... unless you wanted to get a first which were as rare as hens teeth.

Itsbritneybitch22 · 26/08/2022 00:19

It looks like so many of the commenters children did amazingly, well done to you all and your children. 🎉

My son didn’t do well at all he got 2’s a U and 1 Q’s … which nobody seemed to know what they are.

It wasn’t down to not trying or not revising, I think a lot to do with the home learning which he tried but just want able to do it, his mental health suffered during the lockdowns and still not recovered, only goes out to school.

He was confident he would pass which makes me feel awful for him but I’m not bothered what results he gets, he’s got through the pandemic and will still go to college, re do the GCSEs and even if he fails on every retake I will still be proud, they’re all different, the system isn’t for anyone and people can’t all be taught the same way.

My older 2 got amazing results, 1 is in 2nd year of University the other starting University next month too, I’m just as proud as them that I am of him regardless of exam results, they all get there in the end and as long as they are happy that’s all that matters to me.

OP I think that your child has done much better than how you’ve worded your post, I would say them grades are quite high.

badhappening · 26/08/2022 00:21

One of the best and most heartening threads I’ve read on MN.

Well done to our little stars who did their very best - a lot under very difficult circumstances and against all odds.

@FarFarFarAndAway very interesting posts. Thank you.

badhappening · 26/08/2022 00:23

…and thank you to some wonderful teachers, who didn’t give up on my DS. You deserve a medal.

Pieceofpurplesky · 26/08/2022 00:26

I am so proud of my class.
Only one got a 4, the rest a collection of 2 and 3. They worked their socks off to get these grades and achieved despite their additional needs. I teach English and feel so sad for these kids as their reading and writing is so much slower than average and the extra time allowance does not help.

OldFan · 26/08/2022 00:27

YANBU @FunnysInLaJardin , well done to your DS and love to all 15 and 16 year olds whatever their level of academic achievement.

Iceballoons · 26/08/2022 00:29

Tbh unless my child had a really bad learning disability I would be having words about why they’d failed two subjects. Definitely not a cause for celebration. 🤷‍♀️

I suspect in this case the words should have been had a lot sooner.

OldFan · 26/08/2022 00:30

@Itsbritneybitch22 Praying for all the best for your boy❤

Pieceofpurplesky · 26/08/2022 00:32

FunnyNC · 25/08/2022 21:47

It's no different to a degree. You start uni and the lecturers tell you that you get what you put in. I remember being advised not to have a boyfriend and not to have a job as distractions take away your grades.

So yes my dd who has always worked hard, never had a detention, never been sent to isolation, read books in the library at lunchtime and went above and beyond all of the time did work harder then those who didn't.

My ds does bare minimum. He will get bare minimum results. It's not a judgement it's a fact.

I don't actually agree with the education system we have and think dcs have way too much work to do in a time in their life where they don't know what they want. Their brains are growing like toddlers and rism taking and independent behaviour is coming out. However, my dds hard work shouldn't be diminished by saying others worked as hard when they didn't. We can celebrate academic achievement without diminishing it for them by saying what about the 4s.

You clearly have no clue what you are talking about. Someone can work equally hard and get a 1 or 2 as your DD worked to get her 8 and 9 grades.
You don't understand that higher grades are about ability, helped along with effort. People like you make me so angry

PyongyangKipperbang · 26/08/2022 00:34

Iceballoons · 26/08/2022 00:29

Tbh unless my child had a really bad learning disability I would be having words about why they’d failed two subjects. Definitely not a cause for celebration. 🤷‍♀️

I suspect in this case the words should have been had a lot sooner.

Please define "really bad"

And then define a dysfunctional parent/child relationship.

sashh · 26/08/2022 00:36

FunnyNC · 25/08/2022 21:28

The issue I find with this OP is that the ones with 8s and 9s did put more time and effort over the years than the 4s and 5s. My dd got 8s and 9s. She worked so hard to get those results, when her friends were down the park or pretending to work online during covid my dd was actually doing her school work. Yes it's great for everyone who passed but lets not do participation awards/celebrations and take away the hard work over the years of the high achievers. I say that as a parent of a yr 11 this year and a parent of another going into yr 11 in September who's predicted 4s and 5s - his dedication to school work is not the same as my eldests so no his achievement won't be so great. That's life, you put in what you get out!

That's not true for all children though. Some children are naturally more academic than others.

I've taught students who have studied in their second or third language.

I've taught students who are asylum seekers.

I've taught students who have medical issues or whose parents have medical issues.

Well done to your DD but as you said she was doing her school work in lockdown, other children were cleaning a parent's bum and preparing food for a family.

And some children are not as intelligent as their peers, they have to put in much more to get any grade.

TakeABowSheila · 26/08/2022 00:38

My son got all 5s.

He had a massive, invasive upheaval during his actual exams and I'm really proud of him.

Peach27 · 26/08/2022 00:51

My niece got straight A*s my nephew got BBCCCD. (NI still uses letters) Both have worked really hard to get to their next step. Both will be getting a card and £20. Equally proud of both.

PyongyangKipperbang · 26/08/2022 00:52

This thread (or rather, certain posters on this thread) have really upset me.

Its like the political rhetocric "The poor are only poor because they wont WORK HARDER!!!"

OldFan · 26/08/2022 00:53

@FunnyNC We don't all start on a level playing field, and aren't all experiencing the same life circumstances while doing these exams etc.
----
I dropped some subjects at GCSE as I didn't have motivation then and hated school and also had a lot of untreated issues.

But I went on to get a 1st at a good uni eventually.

BungleandGeorge · 26/08/2022 00:54

There shouldn’t be an assumption that those with lower grades didn’t work hard. There also shouldn’t be an assumption that those with higher grades are naturally gifted, don’t have Sen or other difficult circumstances. I’m sure the parents and teachers are very aware of who has underperformed through lack of application and who worked hard/ just had a bad day. The wider community probably aren’t that interested in what your child got for GCSEs!

Iceballoons · 26/08/2022 00:55

@PyongyangKipperbang there’s absolutely nothing dysfunctional about expecting your child to live up to their individual potential, factoring in any SEN or other issues.

If you can pass the majority of GCSEs you should be able to pass them all.

Scepticalwotsits · 26/08/2022 00:56

FunnyNC · 25/08/2022 21:28

The issue I find with this OP is that the ones with 8s and 9s did put more time and effort over the years than the 4s and 5s. My dd got 8s and 9s. She worked so hard to get those results, when her friends were down the park or pretending to work online during covid my dd was actually doing her school work. Yes it's great for everyone who passed but lets not do participation awards/celebrations and take away the hard work over the years of the high achievers. I say that as a parent of a yr 11 this year and a parent of another going into yr 11 in September who's predicted 4s and 5s - his dedication to school work is not the same as my eldests so no his achievement won't be so great. That's life, you put in what you get out!

Thing is that’s not always true. I was too set for all subjects but I absolutely stuffed up some of my GCSEs and got a b because I scraped in over the scoring. Friends of mine were in lower sets and the best they could get was a C by getting a really high score.

top grades do not mean more effort at all