University 2020 :4: The wait for grades and better days ahead

[MillicentMartha]

New thread for us. Interesting times.

Old thread here

Well I think that sounds good Millicent. He should be on track to slot right in if his predicted graded get confirmed in the new Awarding system? Well done

College have sent an email saying students need to be working on college work for the next two weeks. DD has signed up for overtime at the supermarket so she will be busy doing both now.

DS has just had an offer from Bath which has asked for STEP or Merit in GCE AEA Mathematics. He hasn’t said he’s taking either of these because he isn’t. Is it normal for a uni to assume a DC is taking something?

Is it maths he has applied for FabTab? Is it perhaps their admissions criteria?

dd hasn't firmed as she is waiting on the Grades her 2nd choice are offering, after her interview.
Getting nervous now.

@aibutohavethisusername yes it’s Maths but under their entry requirements they could have offered something else rather than STEP or GCE. Anyway DS has decided that it’s not worth trying to contact Bath because he’d prefer to firm one of his other offers.

FabTab glad to hear that he has a plan.

Email to DDs cohort from her HT... The girls will be told by the end of this week how they will be assessed and some girls will be informed that they should take the summer exams that are likely to be offered..

So schools or certainly Dds school are not going to just go with predicted grades (or predict grades inline with offers). I guess the girls where they can back up predicted grades with appropriate teacher assessments/mocks will be fine but if they cannot back up the predicted grades based on teacher assessments/mocks they will recommend the summer exams.

Dd had email just now. UCAS decision deadline has moved by 2 weeks to May 19th. Not sure how it will help as unlikely offer holder days etc will resume short term but may ease pressure for some dc and uni admissions departments. However it seems Govt have asked that new unconditional offers be held back.

@LIZS DS had the same and an email from their Head of Year last night suggesting that everyone thought carefully before making any decisions (re amended offers) at this stressful and uncertain time.

Yes DD had the email from UCAS, government saying no unconditional offers to be sent, and extension by 2 weeks for firm choices.

DD and I received an email saying that any work set and down over the next two weeks will also count towards their predicted grades.

I feel guilty now for sending her off to work.

Although she is off tomorrow and Thursday as well as most of Friday and is up to date with her assignments at the moment.

DS has had email from one subject asking him to do timed work online at some point this week - 2 9 markers and an essay. I'm guessing this is an evidence gathering exercise.

I suspect that online unsupervised work at this point will be fairly thin evidence - it will presumably be an attempt to bolster pre-existing assessments if challenged by the moderators.

DDs teachers were asked to submit their grades yesterday.

They submitted to the HT Hugo and they issued projected grades very recently so it's unlikely the grades will change. There's not going to be anything in the guidance the school will be surprised by, I'm sure.

All further work (including a suggested assessment for one subject which was to be done today) has been cancelled. It looks as though a line has been effectively drawn which seems fair - schools might otherwise start to mark assessments more leniently etc.

No assessments being done this week at Dds schools... Most of the teachers just trying to keep moral up... The school has stated they will spend next term helping the girls get ready for Uni....

I think the DfE said work done so far. Apart from previously set coursework / NEAs where the planned deadline was already after 23 March, I would be surprised if this work being done online now is permissible as robust evidence.

Some schools have a full set of online resources and are still setting and marking work.

Other schools are setting no work at all and pupils have already been asked hand in their textbooks, so wouldn't have the necessary resources anyway.

Some pupils will have full access to the internet at home and will be encouraged (and possibly actively helped, especially at GCSE level) by parents who are able to support them.
Other pupils don't have access to a computer at home (or it is being used by a parent WFH) or may be caring for unwell relatives.

With learning at home, the playing field becomes more unequal and the conditions under which assessments are taken become less standardised.

It’s all massively stressful , ds school won’t predict A for arts subjects other than A/A for UCAS but it’s not only his half term li predictions because they say it’s all about showing the flair on the day .we’ve just had a general email which almost implies that although they will do their best moderators will look carefully and they should prepare to do exams in , well when ? If September that means a whole summer studying or making the decision only after grades in July which doesn’t give much time , also what about university offers for 2020 , will they be pushed back and what happens if you do worse in the exams than in the calculated grade , who woulda take that risk.

What a mess ....

Sorry about typos fat fingers and phone keyboard 🙁

Dd is still having online lessons each day at the moment.
I must admit to be impressed with her dedication to it, I think I'd have given up by now knowing there's no exams.

DD has been set two essays so far.

I can't see any evidence gathered after the end of last week being admissable.

• dd's school haven't set anything
• some people won't have access to the internet or to a laptop or to a quiet space to work
• some people will have academics at home to do any assignments support and advise them
• the variables are just FAR too great to allow anything to be submitted now.

I think part of the logic is to make sure they have the option to take the exams , but goodness knows when they will be . Also with the independent schools are doing university prep courses