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 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?

What? That wasn't remotely the question, and it's a pretty pointless one. Your intelligence or ability as a teacher isn't based on how many O'Levels or GCSEs you passed. I have an Oxbridge degree in the subjects I teach, but that doesn't mean I was good at all the subjects I did at GCSE. Why would a student to whom I teach German be any the wiser for knowing how well I did in biology and maths?

Definitely rude! If she was only interested in how many in the year passed etc then there’s no way this information wouldn’t have already been shared with her.

So it is very bizarre. The other posters here seem to think it’s okay to push a very logical and smart question. Your daughter is asking what person with half a brain cell would ask about the capabilities of the service provider. She wants To know her odds. Fair question and valid. And we ask this of good A-level colleges. Why wouldn’t you query it for GCSE? Mind boggles.

It’s blown my mind how many people think it’s rude lol. I think it’s a genuine question, nothing to do with the teachers qualifications. She also asked her science teacher and they were more than happy to tell her.

I can see how this question could be perceived as rude, depending on tone. But it also made me titter a bit. 😳

Maybe her science teacher had top set last year, maybe her English teacher had a set with significant EAL where they don’t understand English, maybe they all had low reading ages, you are aware that you need a reading age of 15 to be able to access the GCSE exam papers, maybe she had a number of school refusers. That is why it can be seen as rude because she would not understand the context.

imagine her teacher had told her. How would you have reacted if she said it was 20% In a class of 25, that works out to 6.25 students. Would you be the type of parent who would run to the school and demand a set change? Personally I think you would be the type to do that.

the fact you (and others who have posted and are saying the teacher is insecure, needs to teach better etc) can’t see why it could be seen as rude says everything. There’s so much that can impact students grades, more than parents (who aren’t teachers) realise.

Not rude in the slightest! Bizarre that people think it is. It's just a request for factual information.

So was I lol

But dc is neurodiverse. Everything is literal, black n white. She can't lie. Silver linings!

What weight are you? How old are you?
Just requests for factual information.

What weight are you? How old are you?
Just requests for factual information

But as a PP said, teachers dont get kids through exams, its not a question about the teacher and their credentials. Its about, how many students previously have passed.

She wants To know her odds.

Her odds are mostly dependent on her.

I think it’s a genuine question,

A genuine question can still be rude.

I am also baffled at how many people think it's rude.

She's a teenager, they aren't adept at asking well thought through questions etc.

My issue is I think the approach the teacher took, she could have chose to answer, or not, or just say to her at the time, that feels like a bit of a personal/rude question, it doesn't have a straightforward answer or something I don't know the answer, but I hope you don't think I won't be doing my best to ensure you pass. And left it at that. I think asking her to stay behind etc is what the issue is. Seems very 'formal' a response for something I don't think is that serious.

If a student asked me this question, I wouldn't actually regard it as rude unless they asked in a way which made it clear they were questioning my competence. Some students like to test out the credentials of teachers in this way, especially new ones, and think they are being frightfully subtle and sneaky about it . It's not difficult to answer in a way that ensures they won't do that again!

But if it was a genuine question, I'd tell them what I said upthread - that the grades on their own wouldn't be any use, because they would have no idea what ability level those students had. If an A Level class whose baseline data indicated they should be in line for Ds and Es got mostly Cs, that would be a great result! But an A-grade ability student who asked the teacher about the previous cohort and was told they got Cs with a couple Ds, with no context, would no doubt be wrongly unimpressed with the teacher's record.

Was the tone sarcastic or rude? Teenagers can be without realising. I would find it rude even if asked politely as has an undertone of questioning their ability.

She maybe better asking how could she improve or are there areas she needs to work on.

"Apparently after today’s discussion in the car, the teacher told the class she isn’t actually qualified to teach gcse level and she normally teachers the younger classes?" If the teacher is qualified, she is qualified to teach GCSE - she might be less experienced but she will be qualified unless her qualification is for Primary teaching.
I'm a teacher and wouldn't be offended (depending on tone) if a learner asked how many passed. That information is usually available on the school's website - usually how many passed certain subjects - how many got 5 or more and how many got 4 or above.
That said, what last year's class got is largely irrelevant as every class is different..
The best thing to ask is what areas she needs to work on and improve.

I don’t think I’d find it rude if I was asked, but I suppose some years I have a class that is full of low ability SEND students who have targets or 1/2, and so I wouldn’t want to let another student know their grades - not for my own ego but to protect their confidentiality, as for some of them they’ve tried so hard to get a 1. I wouldn’t want other students seeing this as a bad thing when they’ve tried so hard.

This is a normal question! I can’t believe there’s teachers on this thread that say they’ve never been asked it! We’re going to college/6th form open days atm and my daughter is looking at chemistry A level. Lots of parents/kids have been asking how many pass - nothing to do with teaching particularly but how hard the A level is!
This definitely hit a nerve with that particular teacher who ‘isn’t qualified’. That’s her insecurities showing.

If she didn’t care about her exams she wouldn’t have asked, I think the teacher is wrong to not have reassured her, instead of making her feel bad. It might not be a common question for a young person to ask, but it’s an interesting one and I can’t see the problem here. She’s perfectly entitled to ask it. Hardly disrupting the class, is she? Sounds a like a smart young woman to me.

Yep.
She was clearly being rude now you admit she was “expressing concerns” in the middle of class.

It’s not though. Because as so many people have pointed out it would depend on which class set the individual teacher previously taught. You ask the question before you start not when it’s nearly over.

Passing GCSE at this stage ( year 11) will be down to previous teaching and the hard work of the student. They aren’t giving them lots of new information in the Spring term. Far better that her daughter worries about her own work now rather than looking fir excuses.

I can just imagine how this question was asked. Also the fact that she was asked to stay behind the lesson means she asked it during the actual lesson. I can imagine that it was asked in front of the whole class, and also at a time that the teacher had allocated to other things as part of the lesson plan.

Totally off topic and confrontational. Also - what is the teacher supposed to say that doesn't share previous students personal information. 'Oh 75% hit their target' and then all current students will be wondering which sixth formers did badly in their English exams last year.

It's an inappropriate question clearly asked at an inappropriate time.

It sounds like a ND ‘just a question’ but it can definitely be loaded and as you say it has hit a nerve. Also baffled that people think it’s not down to the teacher of a child passes, what’s the point of teachers then?

Reasonable to ask in front of the whole class DURING the planned lesson?

OP's daughter needs to learn that there are ways of asking things that get the information you want, and there are ways to piss people off....

It’s blown my mind how many people think it’s rude lol. I think it’s a genuine question, nothing to do with the teachers qualifications. She also asked her science teacher and they were more than happy to tell her

A teacher isn't more or less successful based on which set they teach. A teacher might get 45% Grade 4+ and it could be an amazing pass rate for the class based on prior attainment and need. Another teacher might have 100% 4+, which sounds great but most of the class should have achieved 6+ and didn't so that actually isn't a good set of results. Sharing either with a student is irrelevant to their current situation and their outcomes.

If a student is genuinely worried and wants to do well, the question they need to be asking is "what do I need to do to get the grade I'm hoping for?", not asking what previous classes got in the middle of lessons.

I was always happy to talk to students who were worried. In my experience the worried students weren't the ones asking about previous students' grades in the middle of class though.

Edit to add - more fool the science teacher for getting dragged into this.