To think asking a teacher how many passed GCSEs isn’t rude?

[Indoorvoicesbluey]

Dd15 is currently sitting mock GCSEs and is anxious about her future as everyone is atm.

she asked her English teacher how many of her students passed their GCSEs and she was told to stay behind class and was told off for asking it as the teacher found it rude and disrespectful. She said she didn’t mean it to be rude she was genuinely wondering.

I wonder what not being qualified to teach GCSE level means. As previous posters have said, that’s not a specific training route.

I trained to teach middle school (8-13) but have never taught in one. I have taught throughout secondary schools and in further and higher education. At that stage I only had a BA, not an MA.

A lovely colleague, very popular with staff and students, trained for and taught in primary schools until she stopped to have children. She started again by teaching y7 and - because she has been asked - has gradually added years so now she’s teaching A level.

Perhaps the teacher meant she hasn’t taught GCSE before? Or doesn’t have an A level or higher in that subject? I have read that people can teach up to one level lower than the highest exam they passed, but it’s not a rule.

For parents maybe, but not many children actively seek out the pass rates of their school.

Context really matters here. If she said it in a seemingly sneery way as though to question the teacher’s teaching ability then of course it’s rude. It totally depends how and why your DD asked.

It really all does depend on tone, but I don't think this an usual or unreasonable question to ask. My first thought would be that the child asking is anxious and wondering what her chances of passing are.

A perfectly normal question to ask. Sometimes its just about reassurance and it gives hope that they too will be able to pass if they put the effort in.

I'm not sure why people are thinking its strange or odd to ask that.

I do agree it depends on the tone used to ask the question.

I think the teacher who was there is in more of a position to know whether your dd was rude or not than we are.

Really? Where I grew up most schools didn’t have (at the time) a sixth form and there were a number of sixth form colleges. We’d all go on all the open days and the main questions were all “what % get A/ A*?”, “what % go to university?” Etc.

The secondary school nearest us is in the “requires improvement” or whatever they call it category and has a terrible reputation. They usually have huge plastic signs pinned to the gates with their results on (their results actually being very good when compared locally and nationally) - presumably to challenge assumptions about the school. A child would be hard pressed not to walk past that every day and know the English and Maths pass rates at GCSE and A-level…

“what % get A/ A?” is a different question to "What % of your pupils get passes?"

The first is what I'd expect to ask (and is probably available to see on the website nowadays), the second is far more directed at a personal level.

The difference being the results of the school as a whole cohort, not specific to the one teacher teaching that class only. If the student had asked what % of each grade does our school usually get that is entirely different from how many people that you teach pass?

What has it got to do with her? Worry about her own GCSE’s….

Really? So there is no way on earth that might have been said snarkily? Really?

Gosh you're naive. Also, protesting way, way too much.

I don't think it's strange at all. I certainly remember knowing how many most of my teachers had passed. Lots of reasons someone might want to know - perhaps trying to gauge how many you might need to pass to be a teacher?

Depends entirely on the tone of voice.

My students ask. I tell them if they ask nicely. Year 9 I find are really interested to know what their teachers have studied in the run up to options.

The DD didn't ask how many GCSEs the teacher has personally passed! The DD asked how many of the teacher's previous class passed their English GCSE under her teaching...

How many you might need to pass to be a teacher? Do you think you think that’s how teachers get their qualification??

She asked how many students had passed not how many gcses the teacher has

There’s absolutely no harm in asking this question at all, she was probably feeling anxious about it and wanted some reassurance of how well others have done, people on here saying it’s rude! Seriously 😂😂😂

so for places that publicise results, what happens with identifying teachers/students - there aren't always lots of classes, some niche subjects might have half a dozen children taking them and obviously only one teacher. Latin or something.

I think its perfectly normal. She might be looking for reassurance that say 90% of the class passed last year. Some people on here make a mountain out of a molehill, just like this teacher has done. I would take the teachers response to be most failed and she is a shit teacher who is touchy about the shit grades she is getting. Believe it or not, there are plenty of crappy teacher out there who fail to get the best out of kids

My first thought would be that the child asking is anxious and wondering what her chances of passing are

Her chances of passing would be greatly improved by not interrupting teaching, listening, getting her head down and focusing on whatever it is thar the teacher suggests she focuses on.

It isn't a teacher's job to pass exams for students. It is the student who needs to work hard, listen, take advice on board, seek additional support when struggling.

You have teenagers who don't lie... I'm jealous! I've got very well behaved teens but I still wouldn't totally take them at their word, maybe I'm just naturally suspicious because I was a cocky sod as a teen!

This is just another classic AIBU

OP : Am I being unreasonable?

Everyone: yes

OP: No I'm not

🙄

But why would a teacher state their qualifications without being asked or provoked? Not saying your daughter did. As an English teacher, I don’t feel I’ve got time to waste by discussing my qualifications and school data with a pupil. I’d be reminding my daughter to stop wasting her time, her peers’ and her teacher’s too and save this for if she wishes to stay behind at the end of the day to interview her teacher. Usually when you give this an option, they suddenly no longer have so many pressing questions…

She didn’t though? She didn’t question her qualifications. Surely children passing or failing are down to the child not the teacher

There are absolutely parents who blame the teacher rather than the child when a child fails. Teachers performance related pay is dependent on how their students perform and they absolutely can be put on performance improvement plans if students aren't meeting their target grades.