So cancelled exams to be replaced with ... exams.

[motherrunner]

Just going to leave this here so we can all reflect on another “great” decision:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pupils-to-sit-mini-summer-exams-marked-by-their-own-teachers-vml307tqg?shareToken=0363c25400b3f5b8b1a4e924619b490e

[quote mumsneedwine]@motherrunner dry January lasted a week. Back on the wine to numb the madness. [/quote]
@mumsneedwine And you would’ve had to change your name - not worth the hassle. Need to do what we can do to get through this madness. I look forward to next week’s instalment of ‘Dfe fucks over schools’.

@Makingnumber2

How would we complain? As a parent of a Y11 who is stressed beyond belief I’d love an opportunity to make my thoughts known? I can’t believe how little thought has been put into this. It’s not achieving anything positive at all. The kids are going to have to learn the same amount of content no matter what their own schools provision has been as I’m assuming the same “exams” have been set nationwide. So why couldn’t they have just sat the exams if that’s the case? All it’s going to do is cause more and more stress.

Will the exams be set centrally, but not have to be taken on the same day??

@ihearttc The kids are being put in a horrendous position. I feel for all of them. You could contact the DFE directly- I've put details below. Also, when (I hope it's a when anyway) the teaching unions kick up a stink about this, support any petitions or social media posts they put out on it.

If your query is about anything else
DfE helpline
Telephone: 0370 000 2288
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Find out about call charges
You can also contact DfE online. You’ll usually get a reply within 15 working days although it could take longer. form.education.gov.uk/service/Contact_the_Department_for_Education

@FlowS yes that's how I've interpreted it. The exam boards set the assessment tasks and schools choose which day kids sit them and when they are marked. Although assume there must be some kind of eventual deadline on the tests and marking like end of the academic year?

Whilst I would prefer there to have been exams, they have been cancelled, and we should accept that belated decision and not replace them with exams of a different variety.

[quote Makingnumber2]**@ihearttc The kids are being put in a horrendous position. I feel for all of them. You could contact the DFE directly- I've put details below. Also, when (I hope it's a when anyway) the teaching unions kick up a stink about this, support any petitions or social media posts they put out on it.

If your query is about anything else
DfE helpline
Telephone: 0370 000 2288
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Find out about call charges
You can also contact DfE online. You’ll usually get a reply within 15 working days although it could take longer. form.education.gov.uk/service/Contact_the_Department_for_Education[/quote]
I encourage parents and teachers on mass to make their thoughts known.

@ihearttc Please try not to worry. As I told the parents of my Yr 11 last week at parents evening, despite schools being in an awful situation, first and foremost we want what is best for our pupils and that is at the heart of everything we do.

The DFE aren't making decisions. Decisions require thought. They're just reacting.
It'll be teachers who have to navigate the shitshow to protect the students.
But we're used to being treated with contempt by the dfe so there's nothing new there.

I’m pretty convinced now that the govt throws something out to the press about schools, exams and teachers to cause consternation, so that can divert attention from another aspect of the shit storm. Schools, heads and unions will illustrate the problems of the suggested exams and then it will be the teachers being intransigent and difficult again (read lazy) when they say, ok but it’s because they don’t have a can-do attitude. What a mess,

@Makingnumber2 ... and then nothing to stop your friend at another school telling you what’s on the paper once they’ve taken it surely that isn’t what’s going to happen...

If exams are not all sat at the same time then it will be a farce. The mark scheme will be on line about 5 minutes after exam is sat, free for everyone else to see. Happens every year but usually not a problem. Although one exam board has form for leaking maths papers early 🤪

My issue is those who have had to isolate a few times since Sept are still disadvantaged or not got facilities at home for constant daily home-schooling.

It's rubbish.

@FlowS and @mumsneedwine exactly!! I was under the impression that there are some ex teachers who work at/for the DFE. I just don't understand why they don't seem to consult these people. Or better yet- consult the ones still at the chalk face!

Just to pick up on the 'they could have taken them anyway witht he reduced content, formula sheets' and so on... that assumes they will be back in any shape or form. It is also not true that all subjects had reduced content, which was part of the problem.

I find all this extraordinarily stressful : we have no idea what we are meant to be teaching year 11, how long for and with what goal in mind yet!

Successive governments have been obsessed with terminal exams and now can think of no other way forward.

As well as IGCSEs going ahead, some A levels are too.
My dc is doing Cambridge board and they are not cancelling.

@Itsnotagazebo that's the big problem isn't it. Provision has been so different - I've only got 6 lessons left with my year 11s and we will have months to revise. Some students have missed masses and won't finish syllabus.
And asking teachers would be far too sensible, and make it seem that we actually know what we are doing.

The last thing this lot ever do is consult experts.

@Piggywaspushed

But surely they will need to be back to sit these “exams” anyway. I think that’s the point people (including me) are making. I understand that they can’t go into school at the moment but if they are planning on them being in school in summer term to sit the exams then they should at least be able to sit the actual exams they were supposed to sit.

@ihearttc because some will have completed syllabus and revised and some don't. So deemed too unfair.

I think they are envisaging shorter, less full exams heart. (ironically what most teachers called for in the first place!)

There are still huge numbers of children who have missed a great deal of in school taught content.

What’s happening in Scotland, can we learn anything from them? Other countries?

@mumsneedwine

I get that but what’s the difference between that and these exams? The content will all have to be there won’t it as all schools will be in different positions with regard to content etc? It’s not achieving anything. The kids are going to have to learn the same content.

Scotland already has teacher assessed work central to its awarding.

Very few other countries are so ideologically welded to terminal exams.

The kids are going to have to learn the same content.

I am assuming there will be higher levels of optionality.

Ah ok if they are going to be shorter etc but unless they know the content before hand then surely they’ll still need to revise it all anyway.

I’m just so fed up with the whole thing. It’s so unfair on the children and their teachers.