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

[FunnysInLaJardin]

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.

You couldnt be more wrong.
My cousin is a well known academic in her field (you would know her name) and she failed Eng Lit at A level due to, well basically bottling it during the exam. It took her years longer than it would have done if she had passed, to get where she is now. Expectations from parents can be more damaging than any amount of SEN, and I speak for myself on that one.

Its your use of the word "expecting" that concerns me.

@PyongyangKipperbang
It’s better to ignore ignorant posters or trolls.

Unfortunately this type of positive thread is a huge magnet for them to stick the boot in.

They crave attention, so ignore and they usually go away 😁

Exactly this. Add on neurological challenges, trauma, life experiences, covid and that’s to list just a few! Some students learn in different ways, some thrive in exams others go to pieces. So proud of all year 11’s not result should be made not worthy or judged. X

*No results

You'd think after all these years I would have learned that! Thanks for the reminder!

@PyongyangKipperbang it sounds like you / your cousin have experienced some kind of draconian parenting.

My kids know they aren’t going to be disowned if they don’t live up to my expectations. However they are aware that expectations exist including putting in a good effort at school and acting like decent human beings.

Most people don’t ‘bottle it’ in exams when they have done enough preparation including practice papers.

Children need active parenting and that imo includes making them aware that expectations do exist. Don’t know what kind of parent, extenuating circumstances aside, wouldn’t expect their children to leave school with a pass in all subjects as a minimum.

@badhappening you actually think I’m ‘ignorant’ or a troll because I have a different opinion to the majority? Good god.

Anyway don’t worry that’s it from me, I’m calling it a night.

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

@Iceballoons Not really, it's such a range of subjects. I'm quite academic but I can't make things look smart (maybe some dyspraxia- it would probably be easier nowadays with computers.) So I was not good at art or CDT. Geography involved graphs and included marks for presentation. So those were the 3 I dropped. Maths I did work hard in towards the end and got a C, B's in science. Hardly anyone is equally good in every subject. I also found it hard to study such a range of subjects; focussing on just one or two things is better for me.

Most people don’t ‘bottle it’ in exams when they have done enough preparation including practice papers.

I'm lucky, I can do ok in exams, but some people don't perform their best in that format. I found coursework harder.

Can I say how proud I am of my daughter. She took her GCSES last year (assessed grades) and I think got a worse deal than if she had sat her exams. She got a 3 in maths and had to re-take it this year at college. We found out today that she has passed and got a 4!! She has worked so hard for that GCSE!! Am so proud of her.

This is absolute nonsense. Of course hard work makes a difference to your grades, given no other variables - but the reality is that there are other variables. Some kids might be capable of A-stars, but can't be arsed to put the effort in. Other kids will not be getting A-stars, no matter how much they try or how many hours they put in.

You can calm down, @FunnyNC , nobody is taking your DD's achievements away. Just other kids have achievements that may look rather different.

I did absolutely nothing and achieved A*s at GCSE. Coasted it, back of a cereal box scribble revision (if that) the morning of the exam.

I did not work hard. I had natural aptitude.

It's the hardworking kids whose natural abilities lie in areas other than academia that face the biggest struggle, and they should be so proud of their achievements, especially when improving on predicted grades.

Well done to all

I mean good for your daughter, but my son will never acheive 8,s and 9,s he could work every hour from now untill he sits his exams next year ,but he just isn't academic ,so if he gets 4,s and 5,s I will be immensely proud of him.

Not for everyone they are not ,I was the third year to do GCSE,s ,my sister was the first we both got a handful of C,s ,you academic ability is variable don't you?

I was in the paper as that year I achieved 100% in maths GCSE. I also achieved an A at A-level with no revision and many many missed lessons. I’m
not priviliged either, I was homeless for most of my AS year.

DS1 got two 5s and I’m delighted for him! He’s only year 10, has ASD and significant associated issues with school (though no learning issues as such). He lost it in one of his exams through nerves and was devastated that he’d failed the entire thing because of that one element. But he still knuckled down and did the rest to the best of his ability and it paid off.

DS2, meanwhile, ‘only’ got a 4. He’s only year 9, did the entire course this year and was (strangely, we all thought) put in for foundation tier so a 4 was the second highest grade he could get. He’s got a whole, pass-grade GCSE already going into year 9.

Neither of them are particularly interested in the uni route, they just need their 5 passes to include English and Maths. I’m more proud of them than my DM should have been of my As and Bs because I did bugger all work for most of my grades, just a natural aptitude for school work. Furthermore, unless you do go to uni, even if you do, once you’ve graduated I don’t find the world gives a flying fuck about what your grades were at GCSE, as long as they were a pass so… why metaphorically flog those who try their hardest and manage that?

The thing which annoys me at the school where I work and at my kids’ school, is that it is only the high achieving students who were asked to be in photos with SLT - photos that will go on the website and on social media.

Where I work lots of teachers were praising all the students regardless of their results, and I know my daughter’s A Level teacher praised her for her C in History (huge improvement on where she was in January), but overall what seems to matter most to schools is the fact that there are students who raise their attainment scores etc… I guess this trap is not of the schools’ making.

Education seems to be about this quite narrow hierarchical
outcome that doesn’t treat the person holistically and doesn’t recognise the other strengths they might have outside of the quite narrow focus of heavily examined academic subjects which force teachers to teach to the test.

Why can’t all the students be photographed for the website??

(Disclaimer - this is based on two schools - maybe others did photograph everyone!)

8s and 9s do not necessarily mean more effort. DS is not the studious type but put in a lot of effort in his last year to get a 6,4 in English and had extra help in a small group in class. He got an 8 in maths with no study at all.

@DisneyDisneyDisney and @PollyEsther congratulations to your children.

Yes!

My DD has severe dyslexia, Tourette’s, ASD and FND.

She had to re-take her maths and English GCSEs this year at college alongside her level 2 diploma.

She got 4 for English and I’m so ridiculously chuffed for her. Unfortunately she didn’t get her maths this time, but 1 down, 1 to go.

She worked so bloody hard to get that 4

Her brain works differently - she passed all the BTechs she took in year 11 with merits and distinctions and she passed the 1st year of her diploma course with merits and distinctions. GCSEs don’t work for her, no matter how hard she worked or how much revision she did.

I’m over the moon for all those kids who got their 8s and 9s yesterday, but celebrating those lower grades doesn’t take anything away from those with higher grades, how ridiculous

I haven't rtft but am a teacher and wanted to say that, despite it often being the high achievers celebrated in the media, we in school celebrate every single success and are so proud of our hard-working students regardless of grade. So many lovely stories at school yesterday, my favourite being a very challenging student who was predicted 1s and 2s but achieved 4s and rang her mum, crying, to say she passed them all. I heard her mum scream. Well done to all of your dc, on to the next stage, whatever that might be.

If your child has got all A stars, why not just be super happy with that, and not need to make sure you're 'reminding' other parents that your kid must've worked harder than their children. That's an awful attitude!! Competitive , vicariously living through your child, and other ugly stuff. It's amazing how well your child will have done, and everyone will see that, and that's enough.

Back to the original point of this thread, OP I love that your intention is to celebrate all kids as some will have to have worked so hard for 4's, etc. Well done them, they're amazing.

Didn't Steven Spielberg get kicked out of school and fail everything in his early teens? Without him we'd have no Marty McFly and Back to the Future but he was an academic failure. He'd have been savaged on this thread. Every kid can excel whether academic, or in many other ways. We should big them all up.

Study will improve grades but every child is starting from a different point, or different levels in different subjects.

DS was average at writing and ahead of all his classmates in maths at the age of 4. His GCSEs have followed the same English/humanities, maths/science split 12 years later. I'm happy about the 7 to 9 grades he got, but just as proud (and much more relieved) about his 6,4 in English.

My children aren't at GCSE age yet, but my first ever 1:1 child got a 4 and a 6, alongside a pass in Functional Skills of English and Maths, and I cried with joy and pride. She's faced and come through so much adversity, and even though it was 12 years ago when I supported her, I'll never stop being proud of her!

This. It's a shame because this could have been a really positive thread to celebrate those students who don't get the recognition despite having had to put in so much more effort. I'd much rather hear about the ones who've got one low grade and nothing else but had the struggle of their life to get there than someone who's got all 8s and 9s and breezed through private school being spoon-fed. Why can't they give media coverage to the real success stories for a change? I ended up refreshing the other GCSE thread multiple times yesterday because I wanted to find out how the Mumsnetter with the autistic daughter got on and I was so delighted when she posted again and said the daughter had succeeded. All the other GCSE headlines in the news I ignore because they're just 'little Charles just got 100 grade 15s at private school and the examiner said his script was the best he'd ever seen in every subject'.