AIBU to expect the current GCSE / Y11 cohort to get concessions too?

[andyetanotherschoolyear]

Due to the (negative) impact of the pandemic on learning, each cohort so far have been given concessions to try to make up for this (e.g. not sitting exams - 2 years; being provided with advance info - last year) and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the current Y11s should be provided with some sort of adjustment too. They did, after all, lose out on class room learning for a significant part of their GCSE courses too.

Thoughts?

My son goes into year 11 tomorrow,,his GCSE,s started last year ,so he hasent missed any of his GCSE course ,s everyone has been affected by the pandemic but how long do we keep making concessions for?

Well, it would make sense, I think, to apply concessions to all those years that had started their GCSE courses during the lockdowns/pandemic (many children start their GCSE courses in Y9). So, if I'm right, this Y11 would be the last year to receive any 'special treatment'

Nah, how long do you carry it on for? My 6 year old missed some of nursery and reception- should they get concessions?

My year 11s will be prepared for their exams, as the last major disruption they had was still KS3- year 9.

I think YABU. The concession this year of advance info seemed to cause quite a bit of confusion due to misinterpretation (and that's before you get to positively wrong information.)
How much learning did pupils miss out on last year? (Genuine question - DDs college wasn't closed at all).

As pp - my y11 wasnt disrupted last year at all.

No, I don't think so. Some schools try to give the kids an advantage by starting GCSE courses in Year 9, but the vast majority start in Year 10. Arguably, the ones who started a year early already have an advantage over the ones who started in Year 10, so they don't certainly don't need any special consideration.

Ultimately, we have to draw the line somewhere. Do you want GCSE and A-level concessions for those who started reception during the pandemic because there was an impact on their education? We would be giving concessions for years in that case.

It was right to make adjustments for those who were officially in their exam years, but no more. The exams will become a farce otherwise.

My DDs school start maths, English and science GCSE learning in year 9 so she has missed out on some learning compared to previous years. However, I know a lot of schools don't start GCSEs until year 10 so I think they'll be fine

Maths is a 12 year curriculum really...

GCSEs are 2 year courses, so no concessions required.

Yes, some schools choose to extend the course over 3 years, but the majority don't. They're designed to be taught over 2 years, so this current Yr11 cohort have had the full, uninterrupted teaching time that is required to complete the course.

My son is a year older and is at a school that does 3 year GCSEs. They simply rejigged the teaching so that the work was spread over 2 years like the majority of schools across the country and I suspect your school will have done that with your child's year group too.
Last year's year 9 at our school are doing 3 year GCSEs but last year's year 10 are doing 2 year GCSEs like last year's year 11.

Arguably, they should stop schools from teaching the course across 3 years, as it isn't really fair on those who do it in two. Or they should make it 3 years for everyone.

Regardless, no concessions are needed for those who have already got a head start on their peers.

this current Yr11 cohort have had the full, uninterrupted teaching time

Not strictly true when they still had to isolate from covid and lessons weren't online because they were back in school! My DD missed 15 days due to covid so missed an entire topic of maths. I still don't think concessions are needed this time though

True, but that could happen with any illness, I guess. If your dd was off for 15 days,I presume it's because she was quite poorly with it? Or did she get it twice and have to isolate twice?

My dd also missed a chunk of her A-level course due to covid, and then she missed an even longer period due to chicken pox. Bad luck, but there you go.

I agree that they don't need concessions for it.

That's the thing. It doesn't affect those who started their GCSE courses in Y10 but many do a three-year course. My DC was disrupted in Y9 (2020/21) when they started their GCSE course in all the sciences.

Because they started in Year 9, they will have time to completely go through anything they missed again though.

(Advanced info caused more problems that it solved IMO. Particularly as schools had often covered the material before it got dropped. Very soul destroying to find your favourite text/module that you'd really got into now won't be examined).

But if others can do GCSEs in 2 years, OP, then pupils at your dc's school can do likewise?

But GCSEs are 2 year courses. The fact that your child didn't have 3 uninterrupted years to study a 2 year course means nothing. They still had more than the 2 uninterrupted years required to study the course in full. It's up to your child's school to ensure they teach the entire 2 year course in the more than 2 years of uninterrupted time available to them. They've had plenty of time, and no concessions are required. The majority of children only have 2 years to complete the course. You're basically saying that your child should get a concession because they didn't have a full 50% extra time to study 2 year courses in.

My ds is year 11 and no i don't think so either.

I think they did start some gcse work in year 9 but it was year 8 most of the learning..

Like ithers have said there seems to be an issue with 2 year syllabus been taught over 3. If it is such a disadvantage this in itself needs looking at why some do and some don't.

GCSE's are a two year course, schools doing them over three should be capable of delivering the content in two. I don't think they can keep giving concessions.

As it's a percentage from those exams getting each grade they're competing for the grades against only their year ie other pupils who were effected by covid.

So actually it's giving them an advantage... Or maybe a disadvantage as it will be assumed that they didn't really earn those grades against a non-covid group.

Lets us give concession for the next 15 years then

I agree a line needs to be drawn somewhere. It's a bit crap that my DC's school offered very minimal provision during lockdowns compared to some, but she has some advantages that other kids don't have, I'm sure.

Yanbu. Anyone who calls last academic year “uninterrupted” is mistaken. My ds was in Y11 and took his GCSEs so thank God that is over. My DD was Y9. But Y10 of course faced disruption. Our experience of the last academic year:

Teacher 1: Covid, hospitalised in Sept. Came back part time in Oct. No cover in that subject available. GCSE course in that subject unfinished. Ok so no interruption?

Teacher 2: 3 kids (her own) who kept getting covid. Loads and loads of lessons missed. No interruption?

My family: 2 bouts of covid, one last Oct. Back then you had to take something like 10 days off for a positive PCR. So 10 days off. But ok no interruption?

Of course the new Y11 should have a bit of concession. Not as much as the cohort just gone, but some.

I dont know how I feel about this. Some GCSEs are very stand alone 2 year courses, but maths and english really do build on what came before.

I also wouldnt describe last year as uninterrupted. Schools were not closed, but i know from working within one, that covid still had a huge impact on operations. People forget how quickly guidance changes. Big covid waves passed through schools meaning children were off large numbers making teaching continuity difficult and teachers were off too in simikar waves. My son had so many cover lessons. The school i worked in found the early december wave and the late Jan wave the most challenging time during the whole pandemic.

Thats extremely unfortunate, for your son ,but where do you draw the line,?
Maybe individual schools should apply for some sort of concession ,if covid has disrupted pupils learning through teacher absence, as many schools won't have been disrupted at all.