to tell you reviewing your GCSE paper isn't "free"

[BorrowedThyme]

I've never begrudged putting aside a few hours for genuine disappointing shock grades, or when a student has so nearly made the grade they need for their next stage.

But this year it has gone totally over the top.

And recalling GCSE papers for the school to review is NOT "free" - it just doesn't cost the parent anything, that is all. It relies either on teachers volunteering their spare time, or the school employing an additional, qualified person to do it.

I spent 25-30 hours in the last week of the holiday doing this, and now have a whole new list to somehow try and cram in to a single weekend

My head of department has already contacted some parents to say no, we are not doing it for such and such a student, and honestly, you would think we were chopping their kids hands off, or something, the abuse, and threats and accusations we get!

Some of the students we have said no to have already got their sixth form places, and don't need to check their grades, some are so far from the next grade up that they are many times more likely to go down than up, and some have got exactly what was predicted, anyway.

Occasionally a grade goes up, but it is very rare, and in genuine cases, I am happy to spend the time checking. Most of the cases we are getting requested now though, are not genuine! None of the papers I have checked this year are going up, although several might actual go down if the parents take it further.

So please, before expecting this service for the school, keep in mind

a) Is it necessary? Not if your child has got their sixth form place or apprenticeship, or whatever they wanted.

b) Is it likely? Parents often over estimate their children's likely GCSE grades, particularly if they have helped them revise, and marked a few mock papers, etc- children perform best in a one to one situation with a lot of encouragement, such as they might get at home with a parent, but this is not how they are assessed.

c) Somebody has to be just below the next grade boundary! That is how grade boundaries work!

d) Some grade bands are very narrow - being 3 marks off a 6 could actually be 2 marks from a 4.

e) It isn't a case of " just finding one more mark" - the marking has to be withing a tolerance. 2 examiners might mark the same paper differently, but that does not mean one is right and one is wrong. Yes, I find marks in the papers that I would have given that the examiner has not, but I also find marks the examiner has given that I would not, and overall, the mark comes out the same, or virtually the same. The grade is not going to be changed over a disagreement about fractions of marks. It needs to be a substantial difference for the grade to be changed, and not a case of strict or lenient marking.

Yes, it is sometimes worth having a look at the papers, no it is not worth this wholesale demand that has developed this year.

If this school review system continues to be abused, I expect it will be withdrawn very soon!

I read it a few times and you still sound entitled and expect teachers to work every hour God sends because no one can tell parents no these days. Suck it up and pay up if you want them checking.

I think there is a real lack of clarity in the thread about what is happening here.

Previous years: parent / student looks at marks slip, goes ‘that’s odd / very close’. Might say to subject teacher at results day or at the start of term ‘do you think it’s worth having this reviewed?’. Teacher might look at the marks slip or the marks on their computer and might go ‘yeah, worth a try’. Parent / student pays exam board for review.

This year: after seeing the marks, parent / student asks to have the full papers sent to them. Then they ask the teacher to review the whole paper against the mark scheme before deciding whether to pay the exam board.

The amounts of work for the teacher in the two scenarios are worlds apart, and this is NEW. Examples from the past just aren’t relevant.

It is really distasteful teachers calling parents and kids ‘entitled’ for using a service they have been advised they can use.

Why are so many teachers here effectively blaming stressed and upset kids and parents for their shit pay and conditions?

Why are they not blaming whoever is actually at fault for this unreasonable extra demand on the teaching profession?

People like you give teachers a bad name. Who set up this stupid system where kids can get their papers looked at by teachers? Was it the Y11s? Their parents?

Don’t take out the government’s mistreatment of teachers on the students. It’s not a good look.

That's different from being 1 mark off an 8 or 9 though, in the majority of cases a 7 or 8 is sufficient for any course at college or uni. If you genuinely believe there's an error or course you should get it remarked, this isn't what the OP is about. If my DS was predicted a 9 and got an 8 I certainly wouldn't be asking for a remark. If he was predicted a 4 but was 1 mark off then I would or whatever grade was required.

My DS got one low mark 2-3 grades lower than predicted, there had clearly been an error by the school in marking the practical element (he plays at a county sports level in the sport he was marked for but they didn't even mark it as a 4) he got high marks in the written papers. We left it as it wasn't a subject he needed, he wasn't worried (I was more upset than him) but he was happy he'd achieved well on the actual exams and said it wasn't his fault they messed up the rest, so left it at that. Obviously if it mattered for the future of course we would ask for remark for a paper.

Our (private) school encourages students to request papers and review them before deciding whether to pay for a review. Plenty are 8s that are a mark or two away from 9s.

They provided one or two teachers from each department on results day to approve requests. I think they had a list of pupils near the boundary that they felt should/could have been higher. The teachers offered to look at the papers when they came back. At no point did we ask them to do this in their holidays but they have done so. We're very grateful to them for giving up their time.

I think we had something like 75% of reviews resulting in higher A level grades last year. According to school, that hardly ever happens but it was a big deal for those kids (my son included).

Let's not also forget that many DCs ability cannot be reflected in 1 or 2 exams at the end of the year, my DS2 who has additional needs produces high level work in class but will never achieve highly in exams. No point in remarking to reflect his ability, it won't make any difference.

No one is taking it out on the kids but the parents who are demanding it and being rude. If teachers could say no without someone effing and jeffing then there wouldn't be a problem. How about we tell parents to dig into their pockets if their kids are upset.

What do you think teachers have been doing for the past 10 years? Have you had your head up your arse and not seen the issues with pay and conditions?

I do not care 'how it looks'. Teachers can and will say no and if parents give teachers abuse then they will be reported to the police. This abuse of teachers needs to stop.

I see you made no comment about parents abusing and threatening teachers in relation to this, I guess that is ok?

If we have a system where only private schools offer teacher reviews, then we further exacerbate the unfairness of a system where parents who can afford reviews by the exam boards are able to overturn lower grades while lower income parents cannot. That’s not on.

I literally stated……. “ I absolutely agree that teachers shouldn’t have to pick up the slack here for free.”

Really hope you are not one of the ones checking papers!!

‘I see you made no comment about parents abusing and threatening teachers in relation to this, I guess that is ok?’

Shame you can’t read as on the previous page I said this. (I am not excusing being rude or abusive to the staff which is never ok). Do you want to apologise?

‘Head out of my arse’ etc. You are very rude. I am well aware of the pressures on teachers. And in every post nearly I have said that teachers should not be exploited like this. Have a read.

You are so angry that you are not reading clearly.

I have worked in the nhs for thirty years and can relate to many issues in the teaching profession. But I don’t take it out on patients or their relatives. It’s not their fault. It’s the Tories.

I think you need to look at your posts and how unreasonable you are being. I rarely say this but you need to get a grip and calm down. Is this how you communicate at work?

Good point. Reading comprehension is an issue here.

Yeah and the rest contradicts what you said, you made it very clear what you meant!

So teachers shouldn't do it for free but they should pick up the slack or they are shit teachers who do not care?! And they shouldn't whinge about it either. And parents and kids are entitled to ask and if teachers say no then they are shit!

Basically you said that one line to try and justify your blackmail of teachers. What about parents? Are they entitled to abuse and threaten? Does that make them shit parents?

Read the rest that contradicts it and says if teachers don't though they are shit! It was because they were called on out blackmailing teachers that they said that to pretend they cared when all the rest said, they should get paid but really they are shit teachers if they don't do it for free.

Gosh.

You’re really giving teachers a bad name, here.

Both in attitude and comprehension.

I do not think teachers should be doing anything for free.

No you never said that in your post that I commented on! So no there is no apology as there was not one line in that post that mentioned that.

I am not so angry, I do not have to read all your posts at all I read your post perfectly well but you expect me to read all your posts about teachers?

No I am not being unreasonable to expect teachers to be paid for their work and to be treated with respect. Yes it is their fault, they are entirely responsible for their actions and if they threaten and abuse that is their fault.

Oh here we go with the 'this is how you communicate at work' crap! No we have to be polite and smile at people and take the punches and say nothing in return.

What because we stand up and say no and that makes us shit!

So be it! Pay up and suck it up! Good I'm glad you are saying that instead of blackmailing them, that to me paints parents in a bad light.

making out the students are the problem for requesting something they are more than entitled to?

In what way are students entitled to make their teachers work, unpaid, in their holidays?

They are absolutely not entitled to make their teachers work, unpaid during their holidays.

I said on the previous page that teachers should never be abused.
You on the next page accused me of not caring that teachers are abused.
Am I meant to repeat that like a mantra in every post?

Weird.

I reckon in a career in hospitals for thirty years I have experienced at least as much abuse as you have, if not more. I am still able to discuss the role and challenges without being rude to others. I believe that rudeness is not acceptable. Not from parents. Not online really either, but hey.

Plenty of teachers have discussed the unacceptable workload without being as unreasonable as you and one or two others. This new system has not been introduced by parents or students. It if didn’t exist then they would pay as previously happened

But do carry on calling people entitled just for using a system they have been advised exists.

Point proven! Thank you!

The students have been told they can ask for teachers to look at their exam scripts. Are you blaming them for asking?

I don’t think teachers should do it unpaid, but I don’t think you can blame students for asking. Calling them entitled is silly. All this ‘making the teachers work unpaid’ is just emotive language blaming kids, when the system should never have been introduced in the first place.

If you ask for a service that you have been told is provided, is that ‘entitled’?

My daughter is having her English GCSE remarked at the recommendation of her teacher. She was 2 marks off of a 7. She doesn’t need a 7 but worked hard and wants it. There is a fee if the mark doesn’t change, it is free if her mark changes

Genuine question - did the system, when introduced, of being able to request scripts, intend for those scripts to be reviewed for parents by teachers?

Or did it intend that parents / students could request the scripts so that they could review them themselves?

So is it the system, or the way parents are choosing / being encouraged to use the system, the problem? I agree with @noblegiraffe back in 2018 and posted above that this was wholly foreseeable- but was it intentional or to an extent thoughtless?

It’s not the student’s fault that teachers aren’t laid to do it though. Blame the school/government