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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Year 11 dd told shes getting an E for art.

79 replies

PossumInAPearTree · 08/05/2017 16:22

Art teacher only two weeks ago was saying low B or high C. Now this. She's gutted.

He said its because She's done so much in charcol which can't be detailed enough. But he's known for ages she was doing charcol. Why didnt he say something before? He's previously said her work was expressive and had a good style.

He's given her a week to put some more work in and says if its detailed enough she may get a C but probably not.

OP posts:

Rudi44 · 09/05/2017 07:14

I agree that you can't be led by your DD on this. It sounds like she has given up, it's your job to champion her cause. I would definitely be going into the school to get to the bottom of this regardless of what she says. If there is anyway she can increase her prediction to a C with a small amount of work surely it's worth a try.

SoupDragon · 09/05/2017 07:26

That teacher sounds absolutely crap.

I do wonder how he can say what grade she will get though - surely that's just his opinion and not that of the examiner? I'm not sure how it works, even though DS1 did GCSE art.

SunshineDeLaSoul · 09/05/2017 07:29

They've banned her?

You need to step in. She's not able to sort this on her own.

titchy · 09/05/2017 07:38

She's told you she's banned? And you didn't question this or bother to go in before Easter when she was banned?

Original poster

PossumInAPearTree · 09/05/2017 08:26

They said she was banned but never followed that though.

Anyway have just spoken to her teacher and she's at a D not an E. He's told me what she needs to do to get a C so now its up to her. She needs to knuckle down tonight and do it. He wants to see stuff by friday. He says technically she's capable (just).

OP posts:

Chippednailvarnishing · 09/05/2017 14:49

And what about the extra time in the exam?

Original poster

PossumInAPearTree · 09/05/2017 15:41

Bugger. Forgot that. Will ring again tomorrow.

OP posts:

bojorojo · 09/05/2017 17:14

I rather suspect architecture may not be a good fit. Regardless of what Cambridge are prepared to overlook, other universities won't but may ask for slightly lower A level grades. Not all purses are identical.

bojorojo · 09/05/2017 17:21

courses - obviously!

stayathomegardener · 09/05/2017 17:37

As far as I'm aware the Art teachers mark the work for the exam so they do grade it.
It may or may not then be modulated.

Huge amount of work for art GCSE.
Most parents in DD's year 'helped'
Just saying...

confuugled1 · 09/05/2017 17:40

Blimey. I would be furious with a teacher that promised to help and didn't within the necessary timescale, ditto one that got around to all the other students but not my child, ditto one that dumped such bad news on a student about grades being significantly lower than predicted, ditto one that ignored the extra time required for exams, ditto being told that she was being banned from the department when trying to find her teacher who should have been helping her... And your dd has had all of this, just before her exams

I would be talking to the head of department as well - or if the art teacher involved is head of department then maybe one of the deputy heads and making a formal complaint - it's a rubbish thing to happen to your dd at any time, let alone just before exams. I'd also be talking to her tutor and/or head of year to see if there was any way that they could support her in liaising with the art department at the moment, to ensure nothing got any worse.

cansu · 09/05/2017 17:45

I remember your other thread about her being kicked out of the art room. Tbh your dd sounds like she is perhaps being rather 'challenging' with her teachers. You are highly likely to be getting the edited highlights here. Teens are v good at only hearing the bits they want, when they want to. I would spend the time helping her to improve her work at this point.

Marvellousmarg · 09/05/2017 17:51

Get the art teacher to email you the list.
Oversee her completing it. Why was she banned from the art dept?

Flyingprettycretonnecurtains · 11/05/2017 10:24

For art the portfolio has to be bursting, each page covered and loads of stimuli and 'stuff'. She needs to write (or you do) little waffly bits to go with sketches so on a page, say for sketches of a tree, done in different styles or colours. Bit of written analysis like so

I wanted to draw a tree in the style of x artist (examples of x artists work on other page) so first use the medium of acrylic. I like the way the paint brinks out the texture of the bark but feel that the colour does not reflect the texture. I next tried in pen and ink. The free form style suited me but felt this moves away from artist x. This sketch shows use of colour blue chosen to reflect the mood of despondancy but then it doesn't fit in with the overall style. Sketch 4 shows. Blah blah blah.

You HAVE to do this to get a decent grade and she should have been doing is all the way through. The problem with art is that kids and parents underestimate the amount of work and in my experience it takes the most work of any GCSe or A level. My son cannot draw due to his disabilities but got a B grade.

Tigerblue · 11/05/2017 10:38

This is awful for your DD, she's been under the impression. I think all she can do now is put whatever pieces she has time together. It might help if she spoke to the teacher, explain she desperately wants to succeed (he won't want her to get a D as it doesn't reflect well) and see if she can get any advice/support from him.

My DD's teacher has been given them a rough idea about what grade each piece is they've submitted.

SoupDragon · 11/05/2017 10:43

The problem with art is that kids and parents underestimate the amount of work

Hell yes!!

DS1 was going into the art department for the whole Saturday for at least 4 weeks before the exam plus doing still lifes at home.

SoupDragon · 11/05/2017 10:44

He lost one single art book in, I think, the summer term of the year before his exam and i was shocked at the amount of work needed to reproduce this one book. I think he had about 4 or 5 A3 sketchbooks at the end.

Original poster

PossumInAPearTree · 11/05/2017 10:53

She's skiving off school today to spend the whole day drawing. I've done all I can.

OP posts:

Lancelottie · 11/05/2017 10:56

Flying, that brings back memories! DS could do the drawing bit but really struggled to get any analysis down on paper.

At one point we might have had a production line going for sticking things into the portfolio at the last minute -- DS describing things, me typing what he'd just said (and resisting editorial urges!), DD cutting out and applying glue to typed scrap of paper and handing back to DS to stick in where needed.

It didn't have the charm of a fully hand-written page but it got the words down there.

Lancelottie · 11/05/2017 10:57

Eeek, SoupDragon!

DS's form were all told to photograph their art pages at intervals just in case anything went astray (I think this might have been the year after some school's whole art block went up in smoke).

bojorojo · 11/05/2017 12:38

My DD did Art GCSE and the teacher was not helpful at all. The art dept was locked up quite a lot! She boarded but day girls who took work home were accused of cheating by the school! It appears cheating is widespread if parents do it as described here so they were probably right. She got a B and was disappointed. She moved schools for 6th form and achieved an A at A level. All down to new teachers actually teaching the required modules, teaching art techniques rather than continual experimentation, and DD having good guidance about what was required. No-one did it for her! Yes, it is hard work but enjoyable if you enjoy art. She also did Photography A level at the same time. Punishing schedule! Oh,and a portflio for university interviews.

Danglingmod · 11/05/2017 13:02

Ds has brought virtually nothing home for the last two years apart from the occasional written research piece. He's taking art and graphics GCSEs but is at an independent school and has spent some of his 1.25 hour lunches in the department. I certainly would never have done anything for him if he had!

Flyingprettycretonnecurtains · 11/05/2017 13:13

My comments are made from years of helping sen students with work - usually them talking and me typing. It's these waffly bits that get them every time. Have no clue what my son did as I didn't get involved apart from pointing him to various websites to research. I didn't even know what he'd done for his final piece until the exhibition! She should also have her year 10 pieces to put towards coursework. Usually art teachers are very demanding and want pupils in at lunchtimes, after school, etc so it is poor if she hasn't been chased but then perhaps she has. Two sides and all that...

Danglingmod · 11/05/2017 13:15

Ds has SEN as well, but seems to have been pretty independent for his art subjects (within the context of an outstanding art department and very supportive teachers).

Still thinking he should consider two art and one written A levels instead of the other way around...!

Original poster

PossumInAPearTree · 11/05/2017 13:36

She hasn't been chased at all.

In fact when she's tried to stay in the art dept at break time or after school she's been told to get out. Which is pretty much what she got banned from the art dept for.

She's been sketching since 10am and has produced a tiny sketch......like about 2"x3", and hasn't even finished the shading, detail for it. She now claims her head hurts, she's tired and csnt do anymore. I could slap her to be honest.

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