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Secondary education

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Original poster

GCSEs 2018 (5 & a puppy, but no kittens)

999 replies

Stickerrocks · 22/03/2018 22:48

Here we go again.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3177476-GCSEs-2018-4-already

OP posts:
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12
mmzz · 13/04/2018 07:23

Cherryburn, It wouldn't be so bad if people gave you some kudos for doing well in it, but the only thing I've ever heard in every day life is off the cuff remarks such as "Oh, RE is easy, isn't it? Everyone gets good grades in that."
Maybe I am over thinking it. It's just that there is so much to memorise.

Cherryburn · 13/04/2018 07:44

Agree mmzz. The grade boundaries are sky high as well, at least they are on DS's board (c. 85% for A*) and they were on DD's (different) board too (c. 90% as I recall). Which suggests that lots of DC score very highly. Although that won't necessarily be the case for the new 9-1 syllabus

Oratory1 · 13/04/2018 07:58

I think the previous course was easy and in some schools it was only top English sets that took it as an extra - hence the high grade boundaries. This one (9to 1) is very different and no idea what the grade boundaries will be as a result.

Cherryburn · 13/04/2018 08:27

I really wouldn't term either of their courses 'easy' Oratory. There's a hell of a lot to learn and you can't just wing it with common sense answers. Easy to pass I think, not so easy to do well.

LooseAtTheSeams · 13/04/2018 08:28

It was compulsory at DS's school because they had to study RE and the school was getting great results in it. It'll be interesting to see if they continue to insist on it with the new spec.
Have let DS off science at school this morning as he's revising so well at home. He'll go in later for art.

Oratory1 · 13/04/2018 08:55

Sorry I meant the old course was comparatively easier (no gcse is easy) and was much more common sense/general knowledge based with a lot of ethics (arguments for and against abortion, Christian view in gay marriage etc) the new 9 - 1 courses seem to have much more content to learn that the dc won’t have been familiar with before and more specific requirments

Teenmum60 · 13/04/2018 09:54

I can understand why faith schools would wish to include RE as part of their curriculum but I don't understand why there is a need to take a public exam. I think DD has one compulsory RE lesson each week which she actually really enjoys - they don't tend to discuss religion its more ethics and morals. I think most teenagers would consider themselves atheist although DD switched to agnostic when we were talked a little more in depth.

mmzz · 13/04/2018 11:17

The HT said at the start of year 7 that RE teaching is a legal requirement until age 16, so the school decided that they may as well have the DC get another GCSE out of it, if they've got to do it anyway.
I don't know anything about the old RE GCSE, but given how much there is to this new one, I think that maybe schools ought to reconsider that decision.

I expect the diocese would not be thrilled if it were turned from deep study into a Friday afternoon ethics debate, and they might wondering what they are getting in return for their funding, but it is a very challenging subject now, and it does present a risk to the other grades.

KickBishopBrennanUpTheArse · 13/04/2018 11:39

Dd is in the same boat. RE has always been compulsory but taught in an hour a week. With the new GCSE the school has just continued that policy but is now trying to cram a full, very content heavy subject into that one hour. Also her teacher was off for four months in year 10.

I think the school have been very slow to react and adapt. They will no doubt realise in August when a whole cohort come out with 1s, 2s and 3s.

The other thing is that the handful of kids who might have actually wanted to take the new GCSE have been forced to spend one hour a week with a disengaged difficult class of 30+.

Dd has done no work at all for RS and her revision plan has her doing two hours the weekend before. If she gets a 4 it will be a miracle but unfortunately we don't believe in miracles in our house Smile

Oratory1 · 13/04/2018 11:41

It’s difficult as like yiuvsay ds doesn’t want to take time away from English (needs to pass) or his a level subjects but we have no idea how much he needs to do to get a pass. He would now be happy with a 4. I think with work he could probably scrape together 50 % in the time but would that get a 4 - who knows !!

Oratory1 · 13/04/2018 11:46

Same kick. Teacher In Year 10 didn’t cotton on at all to the new course demands and went at the old pace. New young teacher in year 11 is trying to cover all of Islam and go over two topics and they had to cover one topic for homework over Christmas. It just doesn’t add up and is worst possible position severely dyslexic dh. It’s a shame as he us genuinely interested in the subject.

RosieLig · 13/04/2018 14:40

God the RE thing sounds like a nightmare! Really poor of the schools not to pick that up. I’m sorry for your kids. Like you say you don’t want to risk other subjects...

I’m getting a bit stressy here at my lovely DS. He is working hard but I’m not sure how effectively. He writes a plan each morning for the 5 subjects he’s working in that day but often it’s quite passive revision -read over textbook etc...I always need to push him to work through past papers. I was out today and there’s been a lot of reading and listening to podcasts.... Just getting worried as he has a second set of English and Maths prelims next week-eek!

LooseAtTheSeams · 13/04/2018 15:06

Ds is back. Apparently his art prep is all fine and he just has to do some writing, which he's doing now so it won't be hanging over him - or indeed the rest of us - at the weekend. And this time next week the art exam will be over, too!

BlueBelle123 · 13/04/2018 16:09

Yeah I will be celebrating with you once that art is finally done Grin

So glad DS decided not to do RS as it sounds a complete nightmare, although it will be the same for everyone so hopefully the grade boundaries will be ridiculously low.

KingscoteStaff · 13/04/2018 16:50

DS needs to get a respectable RS grade in order to do Philosophy A level. He did well in the mock, though, so most revision time is being used on the trickier subjects. Hope he doesn’t regret this...

mmzz · 13/04/2018 17:08

I just checked Ds's latest 2 school reports. He is expected to get an 8 in RE, apparently.
How?! I'm genuinely confused as to how the teacher thinks he'll do so well when I can see that he really is having to force himself to do any work on it, and when I was testing him, he was really struggling to remember any of it.
Either the teacher is expecting low grade boundaries, or she doesn't know DS at all, or I am missing something basic, because what I'm looking at isn't someone who knows the subject at all well.

pannetone · 13/04/2018 17:59

At DS’s school (not a faith one) most of the cohort are entered for full RS GCSE. It has only been taught for one hour a week in Y10 and 11. And like others, DS was without an RS teacher for some months in Y10.

DS did the mock and did well - an 8 BUT it was only on 2 of the papers- Christianity and Ethics. Not Islam because they only started that in Jan!

We persuaded DS to withdraw from the exam - he was a bit torn because he was predicted a 9! (Crazy!) I’m sure he could have done reasonably well BUT only with lots of revising and memorising - and we were worried it could impact on his other grades. And he is doing 10 other GCSES plus Further Maths FSMQ so there was really no need to put himself through the extra work.

Teenmum60 · 13/04/2018 18:09

Gosh I am so surprised that the DC's are expected to sit the RS exam on just 1 lesson per week...DD has 1 compulsory lesson per week (she didn't opt to take RS at GCSE) but the DC who are taking GCSE at her school are having 5 lessons over a two week period.

EllenJanethickerknickers · 13/04/2018 18:54

One local school does the full GCSE in one hour a week, like some of yours. Crazy. They used to do the half GCSE in that time and only the top set took the full one, but that was the old one, which sounds like it had a much more common sense content. Their reasoning was that the half GCSE doesn't count for the attainment or progress 8 measure, so wouldn't benefit the school. Not really thinking about whether it would benefit the students. Hmm

DS3's school now have it as a full option and cover the legal bit within their PCSHE lesson. DS3 didn't choose it.

TheSecondOfHerName · 13/04/2018 19:41

Bought a Moss Bros suit on eBay (new with tags) for £50 that fits DS2.

The trousers are half an inch too long but according to his paediatrician he still has an inch or so to grow.

The trousers are 26" waist and fit with a belt. If he puts on weight and/or has a big growth spurt between now and September, I will be so happy about his weight gain that I won't mind buying another suit.

LooseAtTheSeams · 13/04/2018 19:53

DS has 2 hours of RE a week so hopefully enough!

Original poster
Stickerrocks · 13/04/2018 22:03

MMZZ your DS is in exactly the same situation as DD. She asked for help and simply gets told to go to an extra session at lunchtime to cover more quotes. She wants help with her technique. Her grade for 'RE is completely out of kilter with every other subject & she has completely lost interest, despite getting 7s & 8s before year 11.

OP posts:
BlueBelle123 · 14/04/2018 19:21

What a difference the weather makes to revision......today DS has been playing football with mates and then a 2 hour bike ride, currently wallowing in the bath and alledgedly is then going to do an hour or two of revision. Still he's back to school monday for the final time (now that is scary)

Oh the CS CGP book arrived hoping he might do some tonight! Disappointed didn't come in the brown paper you have all been talking about Smile

LooseAtTheSeams · 14/04/2018 19:54

DS must be allergic to sunlight! He hid in his room - apparently he was revising chemistry some of the time. I am so happy to see the sun, though - I finally got to do some gardening as well! Although there’s been so much rain Inthink the weeds outnumber everything else....

Cherryburn · 14/04/2018 20:05

DS has been revising today too. But he's going out for the day tomorrow so will get a break then. Agree, so nice to see the sun!

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