Parents of current Year 12s - are you worried your child’s uni chances might be affected by current school closures and this is something nobody is addressing yet?

[clarification]

Hi, I was talking to a friend earlier who has a son in a large sixth form college. She was telling me there is a petition going around that Year 12s are demanding universities to show tolerance and maybe lower entry grades for the 2021 cohort due to the fact that -

• this year group are missing an important term in the run up to A-levels

• standards of online-teaching seem to vary massively between schools

• some pupils will obviously not have a home environment conducive to learning.

I have a DS in Year 12 and the online provision from his school will probably be very good to be honest, but even so, a term is a long time to keep motivated without peers to bounce off and the more disciplined, stimulating environment that school affords. I’m also aware that some schools are so busy teaching key workers children that they won’t have the extra time or resources for real-time online teaching, so work set is likely to be projects, etc which won’t suit the less motivated. My friend was saying her DS’ college haven’t even confirmed if or how they’ll be delivering the curriculum. How can this be right?

This got me thinking - a term is a long time. In effect, A-levels are taught over 5 terms, so these students are missing 20% of their “normal” education. In light of this, I’m wondering if there might be a justified call for unis to make more flexible offers for the Sept 2021 cohort. Interested to hear any views on here!

It's great if a lot of parents think like that, WorkingItOutAsIGo particularly if they are not parents of children already sat on Oxford offers and just deciding whether to go this year or take a year 12 child's place next year instead.

The ranking angst, is there some on the thread? I forgot that bit. For me it's only as angsty as the rest of the process. Subconscious bias by class, gender and ethnic origin is most definitely a thing in education as elsewhere.

Oxford hasn't made the same proposal DeathByBoredom. Also the suggestion was that the situation is 'shit' for Y13s as well as Y12s.
Love the idea of these Y12 parents regarding Cambridge offer holders as having snatched a place from their own darlings who haven't even been given an interview invite yet.

goodbye - With respect, I think your being quite disingenuous now. Nobody had said that at all. Personally, I do think it’s only right that the current Year 13s have a chance to sit exams if they need to. Don’t make it into a “them and us”situation because that is utter nonsense. As if anyone has any choice!

I will repeat. This is the education thread and if I, or anyone else, wants to chat, speculate, support, question, complain or whatever about what we may or may not be facing, then we’re entitled to do just that. How many Oxbridge threads have there been for 2020 - 9?

Did posters in that thread not have questions and concerns at the outset of the process? Rightly or wrongly?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you the poster who has had about seven DC go through various unis? Do you remember perhaps what it was like with your first? It’s like anything else with kids - the first one doing something is all unchartered territory; the second one you’re more laid back and by the third and so on, you’re practically horizontal.

Also there is absolutely nothing to be gained from trying to diminish teachers’ current concerns. They have a big responsibility afoot and I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.

This is a topical issue so I‘m discussing it on the appropriate board. The inequalities caused by the huge differences in online schooling are on the news. People will discuss it.

If a lot of unis offer deferred places this will also become an issue, I would think.

OP you are perfectly entitled to discuss the issue. However, you seem to prefer to ignore what you are being told by academics working at the universities of interest, sticking to your own belief that y12 will experience discrimination.

particularly if they are not parents of children already sat on Oxford offers and just deciding whether to go this year or take a year 12 child's place next year instead

That was DeathByBoredom's post clarification, not mine! No current offer holder will be 'taking' a Y12s place. It's quite funny, the righteousness of it though.

Yes to the inequalities though, Matt Hancock singularly failed to address the issue in yesterday's press conference though, just mumbled his way around it. The Guardian also reported a surge of middle class parents lobbying their DCs' teachers for favours.

Apologies for all those thoughs though :)

Who are “the academics?”

If there is anyone working at “universities if interest” who could reassure, then that would be great, obviously.

It’s not a “belief” that Year 12s will experience discrimination. It’s a concern I have in light of current information.

I don’t believe anyone knows how things will pan out yet.

Also can I just say that I know parents of three or more DC who are not in the least horizontal. I think you may be over simplifying.

Another speculation now circulating (and it is just speculation, but I thought it was quite interesting), is that the education boards might decide to drop an A-level module for the 2021 exams to make things fairer for those who are essentially missing a term’s teaching. In other words, the exam would be based on a 4-term curriculum, rather than a 5.

I guess this might work? If they extend the U6 year and push exams back to July, I’m not sure this would even the playing field much as independents etc and schools which haven’t had a “lost term” will just use the time to further consolidate.

A-levels aren’t taught in modules any more (cheers Gove).

Do you think they may cut out a “topic” though Noble? Maybe module was the wrong word. I just meant “some content.”

They need to do it quickly if they do so we can all miss out the same topic !

That's a great idea, especially as every school and college teach the same topics in the same order. Oh, wait...

Would have worked if Gove hadn't de-coupled the curriculum though. But academically it wouldn't necessarily work anyway (not that it's an option - see my pp) as it leaves big knowledge gaps that the universities then have to plug.

It’s not a “belief” that Year 12s will experience discrimination. It’s a concern I have in light of current information.

But when an academic tells you that you are simply misinterpreting data on acceptances and offers you dismiss this.

Who is this academic?

How would I know if they don’t identify themselves?

@clarification don't worry, we will sort this as teachers. Lots of chats going on as year 12 and 10 are our priorities now. There will be disruption for the next few years but we will all have to make the best of it. Had my first 2 on line lessons today and done pretty well - quick cuppa as it's break 😊. We are learning fast.

I can't see topics being dropped as schools teach them in different orders. I can perhaps see exam papers being modified so that where there was a compulsory question in an essay based subject there may be a choice given instead thus covering a situation where some topics may not have been covered in as much depth.

Also I can see a curve (being set in a similar way that standardisation of the calculated grades this year based on prior attainment) may be a method employed by exam boards to "adjust favourably" for the year 12s who will miss at least a term of face to face education with variable standards/amounts of home learning. Yes it will be need to be addressed but there is time to work this out.

Also I can see a curve (being set in a similar way that standardisation of the calculated grades this year based on prior attainment) may be a method employed by exam boards to "adjust favourably" for the year 12s who will miss at least a term of face to face education with variable standards/amounts of home learning.

You are aware the exam boards do this each and every year? And will do it next year and adjust grade boundaries accordingly. Again like they do every bloody year. The entire cohort of current year 12s will NOT achieve a grade profile any different to the one they would have achieved if CV19 hadn't happened.

@titchy but some students are going to be massively disadvantaged. I've just finished an on line year 12 lesson and I was missing 3. 2 don't have their own laptops and one has sick parents so looking after younger siblings. I'm sending the work by post but it's not the same. So some students will not really miss anything and some will miss far too much 😞

You sound quite angry titchy - not sure why?

Yes I’m sure everyone is aware of the situation re-contextualised grades and so on.

I think the poster was just suggesting that further adjustments MAY perhaps be made this year because inequalities will be more pronounced - ie some students receiving a full curriculum online between now and July while others basically sleep all day because they can.

You know, this is a discussion so people should be able to put forward ideas without being shouted down.

On the Oxbridge thread, it’s gone on for months and months and months with just about every permutation of every possible detail and eventuality dissected at great length. Is this not what MN is for? Some people here are at the start of a process, that’s all. DH and I aren’t British and it can be a steep-learning curve to get your head round it all.

I think we can all agree it's a bit 💩 for everyone. Sorry, spending too much time on line with kids. I miss them !!!

2 don't have their own laptops and one has sick parents so looking after younger siblings.

Presumably you'd be mentioning that in their UCAS reference then? As with any student from a particularly difficult background.

Look there are always going to be inequalities - the private school kid taught in classes of 10 with an experienced subject specialist and his own laptop and generally motivated and supportive parents, vs the kid at a poor school on his 5th non-specialist teacher this year who is caring for his younger siblings because mum's on a bender again. Next year will be no different. And the same mitigations will be applied - E.g. UCAS reference, contextual offers.

I'm not remotely angry - but there seems to be this fear that everyone's little darlings will be disadvantaged by missing a chunk of year 12. They won't be. Grade profiles will be exactly the same.

Actually, universities are in such difficult financial circumstances (even very highly ranked ones in London) that they will be looking to take as many strong UK students as they can (within any limits imposed by the OfS). If anything year 12 are going to have it easier than usual.

Why the mocking tone and the “little darlings” though? What’s that about? There are posters on here who have been going on about their DC and their Oxbridge offers / UCAS on an almost daily basis for about a year ad infinitum - photos of food on interview days, you name it. Nobody comes on their threads and tells them to stop fussing about the “little darlings” do they? Nobody tells them their concerns are immaterial because of the NHS. Nobody tells them to shut up, stop being drama llamas and to pay heed to the mystery “academics”, whosoever they may be. I personally think good for them - ask away - that’s what a forum is for! So at least offer other people the same basic courtesy you would expect if you had questions. I wouldn’t go on a thread about primary school “issues” or GCSEs and try to patronise parents concerns.