Year 12 #1 - GCSEs are sooo last year!

[bpisok]

New thread to see us through to Christmas?

Abitofastate’s DS I think, is doing the BM01. It sounds really challenging, rather them than me!

I like the idea of them bouncing through the kangaroo in style! Good luck to all tomorrow.

Yep. DS is doing BMO1 today. He is the only one at his school, with a few doing the kangaroo. He says he is hoping to do 4 or 5 of the problems. Although I did find out last night that he should have a compass and although we have about a hundred set squares no compass could be found!

Talking if the weird things that schools do for prize giving - DS is getting prizes for English and French, which is great, but odd. Not maths or physics where he really shines. Apparently this year the teachers picked rather than it going to the one with the highest marks. I'm guessing the maths teachers find him a bit difficult!

Also meant to say good luck to those doing the kangaroo today and we'll done to Ellen's DS for the tutoring job.

DS really needs to get a job to fund visiting his gf at university, but is saying he can't face a mind numbing cafe job ( which are the most available in our area). I'm not being overly sympathetic!

Kilash sounds like music went well and wow at the prizes. I hope you are also celebrating besides sniffing!!
Shalom glad you got such excellent news at the parents evening.

Good luck to everyone's DCs who are doing the Kangaroo or BMO1 today (answering "4 or 5" would be seriously impressive!).

Well done on the job, *EllenJane". I find myself nodding with deep approval at that one!

Well done on the Grade 8 too. I'm tone deaf so a single note would be impossible (not joking) so I am daunted by the ability of any one who can even do the mundane things like clap their hands in time to music but I am seriously in awe of those who are talented.

Stickerrocks i love your post! Did the parents say what they think the achievement award should be awarded for? Going to school each day (attendance award), trying hard (effort award) or maybe whatever makes their DC "special" is the criterion against which the achievement award should be given??

This is probably my last ever GCSE post about DS1 (there's nothing else to say, is there?) but are you finding that the DC amongst themselves total up the GCSE scores - so 9 nines = 90 points and use that as their measurement against each other?
I overheard DS1 doing this.
It probably has got some merit because the "average of the best 6" or the single 9 doesn't account for the extra level of difficulty that comes from doing many at once.

Attended Dd’s report evening on Wednesday and she is doing extremely well in quite challenging A level subjects
This was the same child who was bottom sets in primary school and had little confidence.
She didn’t blossom until year 6/7
I am very proud

I don't think dd is even aware there is points system whistl.

1 point for a 1,
2points for a 2,
.....
8 points for 8
9 points for a 9.

So if you got 9 nines, then its 81 points.
If you got 4x9 + 3x8 +3x7 = 81 points too

Good luck to the Kangeroos and BM01.

areyoubeingserviced really pleased to hear about your DD, I feel similar about mine she too is a very late blossomer!!

Whilst I like that way of expressing your results far better than having to reel them all off, a simple number is much better.

May be we should do that for DS. A combination of his dyslexia, the move to numbers and not being that bothered means he can't reel off a load of numbers. Its really confusing for him and he's just as likely to tell somebody he got 9 twos as he is two 9's. I wouldn't mind but he might reel that off in an interview. IB scores have a single number and it is really much simpler.

But no, in answer to your question I don't think they've been comparing at all and not in that way

Echo good luck and well done to mathematicians and music stars

and I missed out those with good feedback and reports. DS has some tests this week - apparently to be combined with ALIS and teacher view to inform end of year reports, so we may get our first meaningful info at the end of term.

Or they could do the official measure of attainment 8? Double up the maths, double the highest of the English and take the best 6 of the remaining (ignoring that 3 have to be EBACC subjects) and divide by 10. Too complicated...?

DS would have 6.8. Someone with all 9s would have 9. The school will have an average attainment 8 score for the whole year group.

Oops, they don't divide by 10! So 68 for DS, 90 for someone with all 9s.

The England average attainment 8 is 44.3.

DS would have 83 on attainment 8, if that's how it is actually calculated?

hmm ds would get 80 - not bad for someone who couldn't read until year 4, got 3s and 4s in SATs and in maths and English learning support at start of secondary. We're still wondering if his gcse results were muddled up with someone elses :)

That's incredible, Oratory. The school must love him for what he did for their progress 8 score!

What was the turning point?

I still think adding them up is fairer though. It is a lot harder to prepare for 11 GCSEs all at once than it is to do 8.

DS2 felt the Kangaroo went "OK".
There were 10 questions where he's confident about his solution, 5 where some guesswork was involved and 5 he didn't attempt.

That is how attainment 8 is worked out but 3 have to be either a science, computer science, MFL, history or geography. The last 3 are the best that’s left, and can include the other English or another EBACC or drama music RE DT etc. If you don’t do English lan and lit you can’t double it and if you don’t do 3 EBACC subjects you score zero for each you don’t do.

It’s intended to be the measure instead of the old % of 5A* to C including E and M. It ‘encourages’ schools to get all to do Eng lit and at least one extra EBACC over double science. It also discourages schools doing loads of GCSEs as standard.

DS3 just said it was difficult but everyone (5 of them) found it hard. It’s supposed to be hard, though.

Whistl there were also various prizes for "Against all odds" type categories, but they felt it was unfair to reward sheer talent and brain power. Given that this is a classic bog standard comp, I think 10 x grade 9s undoubtedly deserves a prize.

Trying to catch up but well done kilash for the grade 8 piano - that's massive! Well done to the prize winners and the mathematicians and I'm delighted to hear about all the late blossomers triumphing!
Drum roll please...for the first time in his school career, DS is actually ahead of schedule with coursework. Music composition is going very well - although I don't want to jinx things in case it turns out a major rewrite is needed!
Two psychology tests next week but not sure how the revision is going...