First entry rules changed to force new GCSEs

[noblegiraffe]

I've just seen that any schools that try to get around their kids being guinea pigs for the the new GCSE by entering early for the old GCSE will be penalised as these results will no longer count as first entry for the league tables.

So any students in Y10 who might have been entered for Maths or English in June of Y10, or November of Y11 will not have those results entered into the league tables at the end of Y11, they will have to sit the new GCSE. Any school that only enters all their kids early for the old GCSE would get 0% headline measure.

I guess this would also have implications for the next phase of GCSEs for schools who do a three year KS4 and enter for some GCSEs in Y10. I expect they won't count either.

I've never been more grateful that I work in an SEN (SEMH) school. I will be entering my current year 10 (low ability even for us) for English iGCSE in November 2016 (at the start of their year 11) with one exam (one modern extract), coursework and speaking and listening rather than two exams with a 19th, 20th and 21st century extract.

ragged my quote was about maths because it was sent from the Edexcel maths coordinator to maths teachers.

I've just found the DfE guidance and it says:

"The only English and maths qualifications that will count in the 2017 secondary school performance tables will be reformed GCSEs in those subjects or qualifications reformed to meet the same standards and expectations, the Department for Education said today.

This will ensure that there is consistency in terms of exams in these subjects, including linearity (exams at the end of the 2-year course) and limited non-exam assessment.

English language, English literature and maths are the first GCSEs to be reformed. They will be taught for the first time from September 2015, with pupils sitting exams in summer 2017.

The current arrangements for recognising other academic qualifications, such as level 1/level 2 certificates (sometimes known as IGCSEs) will end with the introduction of reformed GCSEs. Level 1/level 2 certificates in English and maths will not be included in the 2017 performance tables (due to be published in January 2018).

Similarly, level 1/level 2 certificates in subjects being reformed for first teaching from September 2016 (including history, geography, languages and the sciences) will not be included in the 2018 performance tables. This follows advice from the regulator about the challenges of including academic qualifications that could potentially be quite different from GCSEs in performance tables for 2017.

... Alongside these changes, the Department for Education confirmed that entries to the current GCSEs in English and maths from 2016 or earlier will not count in performance tables in 2017.

Schools may still enter pupils early for these ‘legacy’ qualifications, but if they do pupils will need to either take the new GCSE in 2017 or progress to a higher level qualification, such as an AS qualification, for their achievements to count in tables.

The exclusion of ‘legacy’ GCSEs from performance tables will apply only to English and maths, reflecting the weight placed on these qualifications in the new Progress 8 measure. As other GCSEs are reformed, we will continue to count achievements in ‘legacy’ GCSEs in all other subjects. This will allow schools to continue curriculum arrangements that allow students to take exams in some subjects - for example, 1 of the 3 separate sciences - before the end of year 11, having been properly prepared to do so."

www.gov.uk/government/news/qualifications-counting-in-future-performance-tables

So not counting early entry will only affect English and Maths, however for other subjects, you can sit GCSE early, but if you sit in 2018, you have to sit the new GCSE. IGCSE won't count.

So, even more reason to treat league table results with caution and look more deeply at schools as a parent.

It might have been good if the piecemeal, idiotic way that the GCSE changes have been introduced had ended with Gove leaving.

What would have been wrong with a single changeover point and some advance notice?

Ah, that's quite manageable then. Only math & English need to be in yr11 (I think).

As a parent of a child who struggles academically, can I insist they are allowed to sit a qualification that is in their best interest, rather than one that counts in the league tables though? Can a child be entered for more than one maths qualification - I'm thinking functional skills alongside GCSE. School are implying that nothing other than GCSE is 'allowed' as it doesn't count.

If only MaryClary..
It takes a brave school to take the route you ask for.
Common sense and best interest of child can go out of the window when a school performs to league tables and bottom lines.

Functional skills maths level 2 [as someone who has taken it as an adult] is a great option if available.
Also level 1 is at least a good practical qualification which can be applied in day to day living.

in addition to what noblegiraffe has described there are effects on children currently in Y11. We have been informed that there are no "legacy" papers for the current Y11 to resit the current A*-G GCSEs in June 2017. The only resit opportunity will be in November 2016 so current Y11 pupils who don't manage to obtain a C grade in either June 2016 and November 2016 will have to take the new 9-1 GCSE in June 2017.

Common sense and best interest of child can go out of the window when a school performs to league tables and bottom lines.
Yes, interesting how schools suddenly decided not to bother with retakes, when it was only in the child's interest, rather than the school's.

Can someone explain why schools have children taking all their GCSEs a year early? Do they all get straight A*? Because if not, why not take them at the age for which they were designed? Not being argumentative - I just don't understand. Especially with all the concern about the negative impact of being summer born

When you say league tables though, which ones?

There seem to be different ones in the broadsheet papers. Do you mean there are government ones and these are the ones that matter to state schools?