University 2020 :5: Results day approaching and beyond

[MillicentMartha]

Old thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3855474-University-2020-4-The-wait-for-grades-and-better-days-ahead?pg=40

Less than 3 months to go until we have a better idea what the future has in store for our DC. Let’s hope that even if most lectures are online that accommodation is open and they can move up, across or down to their university towns and start their student life.

We should have been in the middle of exams, instead we have this strange limbo of lockdown. It could have been worse, though.

DS had 4 in History, 5 in DT, biggest group was the English one, worried about his results but there's nothing he can do so just have to wait and hope

DD in a similar position. Largest class is 6 and the cohort has quite similar abilities .

I am wonder whether for smaller cohorts and where there is a difference from previous years they will just ask the school to send in evidence?

@lightuptheroom... I think there is nothing we can do.... Is Friday the final day for grade submissions?

Waiting and hoping here too. DS hoping for an A* in one subject, needs an A for uni place and got 8 for GCSE and A's in year 12 exams and in mocks. But last years results were D,D,E and there has never been an A before. The fact that it would be too ridiculous to give him a D purely based on prior results sort of makes me less worried!!

I too hope they will grade as they think fit and the overall school results may not look too different to previous cohorts, just the subject mix variable. We will find out soon enough.

We were told it was May 29th oneteen

May 29th was the earliest date results could be sent. Not sure if final date - I never checked. Left that to SLT.

Nothing to do with this thread, but I am wondering how on earth schools can fund A-level groups of 5, or just 2 ??!?

BackforGood on the whole it's called being Independent. Our (Maintained) school either holds its hands up and says it can't run the subject in a particular year or it finds a solution eg where in a particular year two students wanted to do German, in their Y12 they learned in the same classroom as the Y13s and then in their Y13 they shared a timetable with the year below.

Dds school goes from Yr3 to Upper Sixth so I guess the Sixth form just integrates into the Senior school timetable and the fees for the whole school allow this. They only teach 3 x 1hrs a day in the Sixth form so it's probably not that difficult...

There were about 10 subjects with 4 or less students and a further 8 subjects with 12 or less students last year... Plus they also do IB with about 7 students so quite a few of their lessons are 121. Most subjects have two teachers too... The sixth form is around 60 students in each year.

All of DS's classes have (had, I suppose) around 20 pupils.

Wow. Talk about very unlevel playing fields.
Same here Ironoaks

Sorry folks - as you were - I didn't mean to disrupt the thread.

DD's state school in a deprived area had classes of 3 for further maths and German this year. No idea how they managed it, although we were mighty relieved that they did!

@BackforGood... Its obviously not a level playing field but it's a small sixth form so I guess the class numbers are not going to be huge unless the Sixth Form size increases... 40 percent of pupils leave at the end of GCSEs... quite a few move to places like Hills Sixth form which has larger classes...

Wow IB for 7 that must take a lot or resources.

Of

Yes @Oratory1... There used to be around 17 - 20 girls that took IB...but numbers have fallen over the last 2 years this is the smallest cohort... Although they are probably some of the brightest girls in the cohort....

Oneteen that must be a shock, moving from teeny weeny to 30 classes intakes for some subjects. Is the IB the qualification where they study a few subjects in depth & then a couple of extras for breadth?

Friday is last day to submit.

My DS’s previous school only had 3 taking FM, down to 2 in Y13. It’s an average comp. In Y13 because of timetabling constraints some FM lessons were 1:1 and then repeated for the other student. They also did maths in Y12 then FM in Y13 so most lessons with the same tiny group. It’s the main reason DS moved for sixth form, it seemed too small a group to be healthy for 2/3rds of all lessons.

@Hoghgyni... Most of the GCSE classes are around 20...so not much of a shock for the girls that went to Hills... A few went to the local Sixth form where class sizes were around 30 ... (some regretted this move and actually moved back).

The IB is 6 subjects.. 3 of which are at Higher Level plus other additional bits and bobs .. The IB normally suits alrounders.

A couple of years ago the Charter School in Dulwich ran A level Latin for 5 and Greek for 2, so it’s not unknown for comprehensives to have tiny classes.

There are only 6 in DS's Further Maths class - state school. Most years they get 1 A in FM, but occasionally none. I'm pretty sure DS is ranked 1st in the school for Maths so I'm praying he will get his 2 required A in Maths and Further Maths. Does anyone know if schools can submit additional evidence? This would help him if it came to any downward moderation.

I'm not 100% sure, but my understanding from reading the guidance etc is that they aren't required to submit anything and there is no appeal system

I need to try and stop worrying! I have no doubt his school will give him the required grades as they have told me on many occasions over the last few years he is the most talented Mathematician they have had in donkeys years and he scored 100% in both sets of mocks. I'm just terrified that all the hard work he has put in over the last year, acing the MAT test, Olympiad challenges might end up being moderated down by a statistical model :(

Interesting to see posts mentioning numbers in subjects so I checked one of the top grammar schools and they have halve of their A levels with 12 or less students and out of those 4 have 4 or under students so it's not such an unfair playing field especially given Dds school is not super selective...and does retain students even if they don't achieve desired results at GCSE...so some classes have students who could achieve an A* with students who may get an E... So not always so easy to get the pace right... I know in Dds Physics class the pace has been difficult because there is one girl who has high SEN needs and she has really struggled and even my Dd thought the pace of mechanics was too fast because she wasn't doing Maths and alot of the girls have taken Maths...

Anyway let's cross fingers that all the DC get the A levels they have worked so hard for and get their Uni places confirmed.

@HuaShan I really wouldn't worry - if he is towards the top of the class (and therefore the likely ranking) it's unlikely that he would be impacted by any standardisation process.
It's students ranked towards the bottom of a grade who are more at risk, and of course, that's why class size is important, where teachers may find it harder to distinguish between students they know less well in a bigger class.