Marking 180 mock papers….can’t cope

[Supermummy88]

Good everyone.

I’ve been teaching for over 10 years and had a career break for 2 years whilst my children were young and not in full time school. I was doing supply a few days a week. However, I’ve now gone back into work full time and taken the role as head of geography. I started in October. I have 3 year 11 classes, 2 year 10 classes, 2 year 9 classes, 1 year 8 and 1 year 7.

The year 11’s had their mocks in december and I marked both paper 1 and paper 2. Both papers were about 20 pages long each…120 papers in total! I really struggled to mark them all. I have 2 young children of my own and I felt they really struggled as I spent no time with them at all.

Year 11 now have mocks again in February and I will have to mark again, however this time I will also have to mark paper 3. I know deep down I won’t be able to cope…especially because of the work load I already have. I’m now thinking that I perhaps should have just stuck to supply teaching. It took me about 40 minutes to mark each paper as there are many extended questions.

What are your thoughts on this? In previous schools I’ve only ever had one year 11 class so the mock marking wasn’t as intense.

Thank you

I have been told by other members of staff that there is no point even going to the union because nothing will be done. They have all tried!

OK I've caught up.

This is abuse.

They are probably paying VP shed loads and think he has magic 'Business Skills'. He's just incompetent, knows fa about teaching and is a sadist. He probably believes that you put pressure on people till they break. I knew a Head who told his Heads of Dept. to do that.

You could leave. This might be wise given that your health is suffering.

You could fight. I think you have a lot on your side. I just can't believe the credentials of the other Geography 'Teacher'. What kind of school employs people who are so dire and inappropriate for the job? Desperation clearly. Which means you have the power. For a start you know your job. You know what will be best for your Pupils. You are gold dust. They had better look after you.

It's time the Staff got together and made it clear they were not going to be treated like this. Work to rule. Stick to your hours. What good does it do the standard of Teaching if Teachers are ill, depressed, unable to work, abused, and leaving in droves?

I am not all that sympathetic now with Teachers who do an increasingly shoddy job because they are forced to work in unreasonable circumstances, devise quick ways to do the job just to get it done such as marking on the bus, because they are barely surviving. You should be standing up and demanding decent standards in which to work and refusing to be treated with abuse by Managers who know nothing about Teaching. What good do you think your scraping along under these conditions is doing your Pupils? As for devising ways to mark so as to cope with the unreasonable load.... DON'T DO the unreasonable load! Tell the Managers - this is not how the children will get better grades!

As for the unqualified person taking the younger pupils because 'that's all they could get'. I cry. Don't our children deserve better?

I hope somehow the Education Minister sees this Forum. The state of British Education 2024.

Give them all an A star

If there is a shortage of Geography teachers then you should be able to find a job easily, perhaps in a place with more than just you?

Ouch! push back to to your line manager. You really are a Supermummy, but this is above and beyond.
What is the purpose of the mock? To decide if and at what level they will be entered for? If so there is presumably a short deadline. If you have the results of previous, then simply pass the higher achievers from that, and start from the lowest scorers and work upward.
Not sure if this years' exams will take account of spelling grammar and punctuation (It varies)? If so then any teacher or TA can skim them for major deficiencies, incomplete number of answers (not finished), and their English teachers may be able to tell you who they are not putting through, who are in your classes.
In 3 months, you may have picked out those who could do with a push? So mark those to see if grades are up since last?

Has your predecessor retired? If so would they be willing to help?
Certainly your other Geography teacher should be able to help, perhaps simply to confirm your A and B grades if they have to be marked.
Are there any other teachers who studied Geography, who may not be currently teaching the subject?

Some invigilators in my circle are former teachers, or paid exam markers - could your exams co-ordinator put the word out? School might have to pay basic rate for their time, though.

Not in all trusts

Op just quit

This man has unreasonable expectations and that’s not going to change.

You said you have other options so just go with those

I'm not saying that the practice isn't happening - I'm saying that practice is crap.

OH hell! I'm so sorry! They must be in the wrong Union!

Aside; I can't see very well please accept apologies for typos.

But I don't quite understand, when you say 'the union' because there are several Teachers' Unions. Are all the Staff in the same one?

You need to join a tough Union that will really support you. One that regards Teachers as Professionals and fights to have them treated respectfully. After seeing all the soppy stuff that most Teachers' Unions did, and watching a Headmistress slap a child and a Deputy Head say 'there's nothing we can do', I joined NASWUT. They won't have you if you say you've been in the NUT. Contrary to what I secretly feared, they were brilliant! The Rep was a gentleman. As it turned out I did not need any support because the Inspectorate were immensely pleased when I reported the Head Teacher.

Also you should welcome the Ofsted. Don't sound 'moany' just be frank. Be honest. Tell them your work load. Have written evidence. Don't hide a thing. Let them know how you have meetings all the time, have the timetable written out, for each week, let them see how you lose your PPAs, how the Vice Principal simply puts pressure on people, expects extra work like the 80 hours of marking above your normal work in December and the 120 hours expected in February. Tell them he expects three times forty-hour-weeks of work fitted in above the work load you are already doing!

When I had it revealed to me that I was greatly being taken advantage of, to the extent of abuse, I joined a Union with teeth. Even if you don't like everything about them, you need one that is really behind you. It was not the NUT.

Don't listen to Teachers who just moan and wimp. Many like being Martyrs. Too many just moan all the time but never actually try to put things right, To me that's not good enough. It's the children who suffer in fact.

Decide, are you going to get ill and be ground to a pulp in this system? Or are you going to stick up for yourself, point out the completely unworkable work load this Vice Principal is expecting, and try and make things work better for you and the Pupils? If no good comes of it, well, you are well qualified, you can go anywhere you like or do Tuition. But I think you will make a difference. I really do. I think the Staff are just worn out and thinking of leaving. Instead think of the children and try to make a healthier environment for them.

See this as a fight for better education for the children, you said ' the other geography teacher is an unqualified teacher from abroad. They couldn’t find anyone else so gave him a chance. However, they don’t want to train him up to gcse level. He is only teaching ks3.'.... Really?? This is the only other member of your department? Is this a real school? The poor children! I had such good Teachers and my Geographer Teachers were so brilliant. I'll never take my education for granted... I never did, but... the poor kids in your school! Ofsted have to help.

You are still new enough to stand up to this Vice Principal (pal btw) and let him see that his ideas are not going to scare you. Remember, without you he does not have a Geography department. See what colour he turns when you mention that you will be leaving now, if you are forced to do this February marking.

Your health comes first.

I'd agree naswut are good
Avoid neu

There's a new one loads have joined but I forget the name

And another free speech one for gc stuff

I could say so much.....

Thank you for saying this.

I think Teachers think they 'Do it for the children' and have a martyr complex. Btw I was one. But I saw this attitude was bad for the children.

Unless Teachers grow some balls and become a Profession demanding professional standards of work, for themselves and therefore their Pupils, the level of Education will continue to sink.

Good Teachers will leave, good people will not join. Teachers will be mediocre moaners doing a mediocre job.

Pay Teachers a lot. Set good standards of work conditions. Set the standard for entry high. Make the profession something we can be proud of again.

They are not supposed to give you cover in your frees (it's called "rarely cover") but they still do sometimes. It's such a pain bc you cannot do the marking or prep you had planned to do, you really cannot

They should never use ppa. They can use other frees rarely, this generally means once a half term or term. With begging.

surely all frees are PPA tho? It's a while since I taught in a school but my PPA was my frees (all 5-per-fortnight of them)

Former very experienced teacher here. Phone in ill- mark your papers.Don't tell anybody- don’t make a big deal of having marked them.

Be very strict on how long you spend per paper, you could spend 40 mins or 10. The students won’t care or notice, except levels 8 and 9 who will look closely to see where they lost marks.

I used to mark mine in piles of ten. Quick short mark answers first- mark 30. Next longer mark questions- mark all 30 same question next and on.

Identify the two best students, mark theirs and use it as a reference for others.

Can you stop thinking about as full papers?

I have no idea of the Geography curriculum but say it has a part A multiple choice, part B short answers and part C long answers.

So part A could be marked by anyone with the marking scheme, Part B you could hand over to the other teacher and part C you and the other teacher mark together, it will be useful for him to do some marking.

OP, there are private companies you can out source your marking to. I know this because I mark GCSE/A-level papers and often have year group mocks sent to me.

Of course, it is the school who decide if the service is appropriate to their circumstances, not the individual teachers and I would never suggest you out source without consent from SLT, but please know it's an option which a lot of schools use. It must be £££ for the schools, but plenty do it, I assume to free up teachers' time and reduce workload.

One compelling argument for outsourcing is additional data analysis. As well as accurate marking (we are all examiners), all marks are put on a spreadsheet which cross references, and patterns in answers specific to the cohort are detailed in a written commentary.

Pitch to SLT - it might not be implementable this year, but set yourself up for next. 🙂

This ^ good luck op!

As everyone is saying... the martyrdom of teaching just has to stop. No other job would expect this from you.

This task is impossible, this school is toxic and your only departmental colleague is an unqualified teacher.... Send an email as evidence tomorrow detailing the length of time this marking will take and suggest sending away marking or getting cover for you to do the marking. They will be sooo screwed if you leave surely they will have to find a solution..be really calm and professional. Stand up for yourself!!! You are a fantastic asset.

Contact union anyway.

Don't change union now - if you do, they won't be able to help you. Get on to your area rep and ask them for support.

Also - I'm a rep. I've just count of the number of perfectly legitimate issues that members have raised with me. And then, when I ask - as I have to - what they would like me to do, they say "nothing. Don't say anything." And so I can do nothing.

Usually one meeting a week, rotating between HoD meetings, department meetings, staff meetings and CPD. No more than 2 commitments a week (including open evenings, parents etc.)

You could contact your Union directly - they will be able to give you some advice. The local branch representatives are usually very good. Directed time is a maximum of 1265 hours per academic year, spread over 195 days.

If you want constructive answers from other teachers, have you thought about putting this in the teachers’ corner? I think it’s called The Staff Room.

English Teacher here of 16 years, so I know about ridiculous marking loads. A good school (which I would class my current school as) would allow you to have some time off timetable to get that marking done. Also, at my current school, they make sure a teacher never has more than two exam groups (usually one year 11 and one year 10 class) for precisely this reason. I know that in smaller departments like yours, that can be nigh on impossible. So they'll need to give you time off to complete it.

In another school I was in, they would outsource some of the marking during mocks. Could you speak to your line manager about this?

The situation you're in is not feasible. But no one will help you unless you speak up and demand that they do.

Good luck.

Are you still on your probation period OP?

It might be worth looking to see what your notice period is just in case you decide you have had enough.

Yes I am still on probation. I know I have to put myself first in this situation and not feel so guilty about leaving my gcse classes behind. I’ve asked about being off
table to mark and vice principle doesn’t think it’s good for students to have cover, so he won’t accept it! There are also no lessons or schemes of work on the system as the other teacher left on bad terms and deleted everything from the Google drive. I am planning everything from year 7-11. Im teaching a new exam board here (edexcel b) I have only ever taught AQA. So I’m making a lot of new content. They also won’t allow teachers to buy anything from TES as they can’t authorise those payments so I’m also buying a lot from my own money.

I’m now seriously considering going back to supply work whilst my kids are still so young. Not quite sure what to do.