Going into Year 13 - Uni entry 2021 - have they been forgotten?

[albicocca]

Is anyone else concerned about the children just about to start Year 13 and their opportunities for university entry in 2021? I have seen virtually no discussion about how this A level shambles might effect them. It seems to me there will inevitably be fewer university places for next year. Many of those who planned to go to uni this year will be deferring their places to 2021 (indeed some universities are offering money for them to do so now!) resulting in far fewer places. The current group will also have (on average) higher grades than next years cohort. So those taking A levels in 2021 will be competing for fewer places with lower grades. Have they been forgotten? What is the government doing to protect their opportunities too?

@mumsneedwine yes just seen that Sally has resigned. Sky said that it’ll be her predecessor back in the job. No idea what she was like though.

Let’s hope and pray the appointment of this predecessor ushers in some common sense...

How are all the DC doing? DS here in revision mode for exams during the first week back (even though they already did online exams in April, but apparently decided afterwards that these aren’t reliable enough for the predicted grades). It feels like a long and quite isolated time since March.

He’s done his PS now and EPQ is finished thank god - I think he just needs to do the presentation for this now in October.

The school want the UCAS form done by late September for Oxbridge applicants.

Does anyone know when Cambridge update the interactive graphs on their admissions pages please? It will be interesting to see if they’ve ended up taking everyone who was made conditional offers. May give a clearer idea of how many have been pushed into next year?

DS is also applying to LSE and they over-offer there by something ridiculous (due to the fact they have a very high proportion of overseas students). If they have to accept everyone from this year via offering deferrals, there will be no places for years to come!

I also really want to know what the deal is at Durham where they’ve been paying students to defer (£2,000 is it)? Also offering them first choice if college and accommodation for 2021. How many have taken up in this offer and should we give Durham a miss?

Morning all.
@quest1on all a bit calmer here with DD.
Revising too for exams on going back, EPQ nearly done and ps being tweaked.
Not Oxbridge or med/ vet application but wanting Durham too as one of her choices! She said Leeds too had some sort of statement on their website about deferrals but it didnt state anything specific. Maybe more RG unis are following the lead.
However, I am sticking by my plan of keeping calm and waiting to see if final numbers of places are made available later. Who knows?
Has anyone’s DC had any emails or communication from school/ sixth form re starting year 13? Just feel they could do with a couple of lines of support.... DC know this is going to be a bumpy year......

@quest1on do universities usually publish deferral data? My DD is struggling to find info on the number of places versus applicant numbers in general.
Yes, DD busy revising too but has been all summer. They had remote exams in June but have them again on return. There’s a lot to get through next year so she’s started reading some A2 stuff. She’s also done her personal statement but no idea if it’s ok. Guess they’ll look at them on return.

Durham is already creaking at the seams. The university has expanded hugely - lots of people think it's very seriously over expanded. I really like the atmosphere in town - students literally everywhere, compared to the more diluted atmosphere of the '80's when I was there (I don't live in the town; it's easy to enjoy it as a visitor). DS4 has just left and I don't think anyone knows how students will be fitted in, either to college accommodation or private rented and that's without even thinking about the impact on teaching and class sizes. It's going to be supremely challenging for everyone.

Interesting how yours are still doing EPQs. My DD didn’t do it as it had to be completed by Easter at her school. I think she’d have done one if able to complete over the whole year rather than 6/7 months. It’s a shame as we are seeing a lot of universities dropping offers by one grade if the EPQ is an A. I’m a bit annoyed that her school want them done so quickly! I wonder how many get As if they’re rushed through?

Parents have been sent out a Risk Assessment document which is extremely thorough. I’ve forwarded this to my DCs but they’ve not received anything themselves. However, they do have a half day induction (that is unusual) to go through it all.

We've had a full booklet of the new rules and regs, where each year group will be based, a colour coded site plan, new entrances, lunch sittings, etc etc, very comprehensive. DD has a half day induction next week to go through it all.

We’re waiting to find out how it will all work but hoping for an improvement on July, which was two hours teaching a week per subject. One subject per day.

I think reapplicants from this year should be judged on their GCSEs, and not A Levels, otherwise it's completely unfair. To try to make it more fair, judge applicants on the GCSE in that subject, or the subjects closest to that which they wish to study at university

I did say a while ago that I thought at this rate universities would be offering places based on GCSE grades. Which wouldn't be too bad for ds.

We suggested in the consultation that A level students could be expected to be more effective independent learners who would be more motivated to keep on top of or catch up with their studies, taking advantage of the free time that is usually found in an A level student’s timetable. However, some respondents pointed out that A level students are typically only a little older than GCSE students and that some A level students will have not have had access to the internet during school and college closures that would have enabled them to continue with, for example, research for the A level history non-exam assessment.
Changes to A levels of the type being sought in the responses to the consultation
would, in the main, require changes to the published subject content requirements
determined by DfE. In his letter, the Secretary of State noted the importance of A levels (and to a lesser extent AS) for successful transition to higher and further education. We have proposed changes to A levels where necessary to accommodate possible public health restrictions. We are not proposing changes that would impact on subject content coverage, other than those identified above. We have, however, decided to make some additional changes to subjects that involve non-exam assessment and fieldwork, including to some A levels, as detailed above.
(Quoting from...)
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/906173/Consultation_decisions_-_proposed_changes_to_the_assessment_of_GCSEs__AS_and_A_levels_in_2021.pdf

Changes to GCSE / AS / A levels by subject in Appendix A. ('Not a lot, really', sort of sums up the A level ones).

The Equalities Impact Assessment is shameful. I have done more in-depth work on minor staff policies.

While we understand the range of concerns raised, if there are to continue to be national qualifications, assessed to a common standard, it is difficult to identify mitigations that would reduce the disadvantage caused to particular groups by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Genuinely appalling. They have the best part of a year to do this. Just shrugging and saying it can’t be done is unacceptable.

I mean I know they don’t have a year to offer guidance on the format and content of next year’s exams. But they have plenty of time to consider mitigations. I have zero faith in the statement that they will be considering how to deal with the variations in results that are going to result.

I have a few friends telling me no’s that their DC’s schools /colleges are only committing to 2 hours face-to-face teaching pet A-level subject (Year 13). Can this be right? As far as I know, DS’ school will be the normal timetable once it reopens. Isn’t it normally 6 hours per subject? What is the point of some schools opening if they’re only teaching part-time and what are the students supposed to do the rest of the time?

@quest1on DD now has timetable ( state 6th form college) 4.5hrs/ subject / week, So each lesson 2 hrs 15 mins long, no frees or tutor time. Designated lunch spaces If in for full day but to go home otherwise. Assemblies/ form times online. I should imagine it’s been a logistical nightmare for teachers to plan.... and will differ between year groups.

Quest1on that's right. They used to have 5 hours per subject, now it's 2. Limited use of the library. Work set for the remainder of their time for completion at home, so I imagine that most of the 2 hours will be spent reviewing what they've done & setting up the next batch.

It's a mixture of online and in person for Dd who usually has 2 x 2.5 hour lessons per subject. The college are still aiming for full in person after a month or so.

So schools are not back full-time at all then? Or is this just some schools? I haven’t had emails from DS’ school stating otherwise, so I presumed he would be in 8.30 to 4 every day as normal.

If some schools are basically part-time and others are business as usual surely this can’t be fair going forward?

My sons (year 10 and year 13) both have full face to face timetables starting next week.

Why are the govt making out that schools are all going back as normal and how vital this is for mental health, life chances etc, when some A-level students are only getting about 6 hours teaching per week while others are receiving 18+?

DC2 got very little in the way of contact at school back in the summer, but the timetables they've sent out now seem to indicate a more or less normal timetable. Hard to see how they could do otherwise, as the school is in a very large rural catchment, and service buses to some areas only run once a week, so it's not really practicable to expect students to go home willy nilly just to empty the buildings out a bit.

I think there is a world of difference between colleges, where 6th formers have a lot more freedom to come & go and schools where they are treated more like pupils than students.

No timetable yet but yr12 was 4hrs per subject. Assuming yr13 will be the same. Given ours are in school full time 830-4pm so have 30 hours teaching time after lunch & break removed, it seems more than half of their time at school is spent on ‘other stuff’! I think I’d rather she went in for the 12 hours a week & came home and did independent study.

But I’m very pleased (as is she) that’s she’s getting those 12hrs face to face teaching! I’m just quite surprised how little it usually is.

We have now received a full timetable. Full lessons, and pretty full though re-organised clubs and sports. All clubs and sports have been re-organised into year groups, and combined. So where there were several full school choirs or music bands, they are now combined and segregated into year groups. Talks and extra-curricular will still be full school access but over zoom. Our time-tabler is a genius!

We are extremely lucky, and as pp's have said, this is the huge difference between what some in the private sector and some state and grammers schools are able to offer, compared to others.