Unsatisfied with school

[b0nker5Mum]

I?m new to this so please bear with me.... I will try make this long story short!!
My daughter is in year 11 in an independent school, her predicted GCSE grades are mainly As and Bs.

Her English predicted grade is CC. The English department (there are less than 15 children in the class) seem to want to scrape them through with a CC IMO so the school can keep their status of 100% A-C. The whole class has suffered a bit and none of them reached their predicted grades last summer. I, amongst many of the other parents, have had to call in an English tutor who is a teacher in a local state school and thinks she is capable of a B or above but the school have only entered her for foundation (guaranteeing the C grade for their stats).

The problem she now has is that most of the sixth forms want a B grade for maths and English (she is A* maths) so she will struggle to get in to study the A levels she wants to do.

I am fuming with the school I pay a lot of money and now I wish I had sent her to the local comp. this is just the latest thing in a succession of problems with the school.

I guess I just needed to rant as I feel like there is nothing I can do now but wait and support her.
Thanks!

Rock the boat! Make some noise! I'll bet the other parents want to, but it probably just needs someone to make the first move. And look at other options for schools while you do it. In these times no private school can afford to be complacent about results.

I think it is worth meeting with the tutor or head of year for a discussion about your DD's potential.

They should be able to show you her MidYIS or ALIS results which give an indication of GCSE potential. If your DD is on track for lower results than her early predictions, then you are quite right to expect the school to do more.

I have to say that my experience of parents is that their expectations can be much higher than reality. Sending DCs to independent schools does not automatically mean top grades. Some children simply do not have the potential. But you would expect them to get higher grades than they would have got at a large comprehensive.

Just because DD is predicted higher grades in some subjects, she will not necessarily reach those grades in all subjects. If that were the case, the system would be a single qualification. It's not. It is quite reasonable to do less well in English - you have to bring more into English from outside of school, such as a wide vocabulary.

The other thing to keep in mind is that this year is going to be different with regard to grades. I have had a letter from my exam board saying that grade boundaries are going to be much higher this year. If this is to be believed, then the days of 10 A*s are over.

the proper exam Floranomad

You are not... how shall we say... a snob, by any chance?

(or did you mean 'appropriate' exam?)

Why wouldn't you rock the boat? you are paying for an education and they are not providing you with one. If you bought a Rolls Royce and it only went up to third gear wouldn't you complain until it was fixed.

To abuse your analogy... if you turn up with a Skoda, the garage cannot turn it into a RR.

Yep - you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

You poor thing. You're up against it now and need the easiest route for her, considering she is now so pressed for time.

I would have her tutored hard for the higher paper offered at the school and tell the school to enter her for it, period. Then check with the exam board to make sure she has been entered and on the day, make sure she sits the correct paper or calls you immediately the papers are handed out so you can intervene. Seriously.

This subject is so vital. There are 2 basic types of C grade in my experience: those whose English is appalling but were taught to test, and those whose English is perfect but whose school failed to take them through the course. On paper, colleges and unis will assume the former, which makes this all the more serious.

As for trying to claim money back from the school, it won't work and will antagonise them towards your DD in her remaining time there. Best to spend whatever it takes on securing her grade at this stage and keep things as relaxed as possible.