GCSEs 2018 (14): the aftermath

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Following on from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3275972-GCSEs-2018-13-Untwisting-our-knickers-lucky-for-some

Schools Minister Nick Gibb is on Radio 4 at the moment defending the reformed GCSE / A Level exams and his blasé / dismissive appraochis making me cross

JugglingFromHereToThere maybe the answer is that we'll stop thinking in terms of A*, A,B, C etc and the numbers will come to mean something to us without having to translate them into the old system?

A bit like 25p now means 25p but in the mid-70s people still were thinking that they had to pay 5 shillings for the thing that was priced at 25p?

Yup definitely hoping for some 4s here and as long as they are passes we don't need 5 s. I think I've said before I really can't predict this year. Not just the new gcse s, some dodgy teaching and not knowing the grade boundaries but also DS has typically always got results a couple of levels down from his teachers expectations (I think what gets down on paper isn't what's in his head - or what's in his head doesn't even reach the paper !!). But offset against that he has worked harder and more consistently than ever before this time round and has worked on exam technique and knowing what to expect in each exam - so final grades could be anything really !.

After a handful of 2 s and 3s in mocks along with a surprise 8 we have a level we would be happy with (a 7, two 6 s, seven 4's and a C), a best possible level we would be delighted with, and the hoped for level somewhere in between. But whatever happens we are fortunate that 6th form doesn't depend on it, just may be choice of A levels if there are some disasters.

DS finishes thursday afternoon - is that the last

not sure what to expect from ds's GCSEs. He has his last one today (maths) and thank goodness that is it!

he thinks he did ok in the maths/sciences, harder to tell in geography/history as he often thinks he's done well then hasn't or vice versa.

English is his weak point. The 6th forms he's applied to prefer him to have higher than 5 (preferably a 6) so fingers crossed on that one....

I suspect that those sixth form colleges that are asking for 5s (DS's selective included), know very well that a 4 is a standard pass and 5 is a strong pass. It's just they can afford to be choosy due to over-subscription etc

I agree that for a lot of young people, 4 is the important benchmark, as it opens doors to level 3 courses and also means they don't have to keep taking Maths/English exams.

Very nervous for DS at the moment - only started to do well in maths over the last 6 months so Further maths with very little extra teaching may not have been wise. I understand why he wanted to have a go though and only needs to pass so 40 % ish would do fine.

Staying in for band again and I'm sure he won't think to text - going to be a long day !

DS2 thought FM paper 1 was OK. Only one more exam to go!

DD is predicting herself a 7 for English. Her teacher's prediction was 9, and I posted earlier that this had actually made her seize up in the exam, but she's a competent writer and that's probably realistic.
Her other guesses:
French 6/7
Art 6/7
Drama 'God knows, I'd actually forgotten about drama'
Science 'Well Physics will be bad but maybe 7 for Biology?'
Maths 5/6. This is the one that will define whether she gets her first choice of 6th form, which demands a 6. But she seems confident that it won't be lower than a 4, and that's the main thing.

Has anyone thought ahead as to what they will say if their DC's grades fall short of their expectations?

If they have genuinely worked hard, then it's easy and true to say how disappointed you are for them and how they have been 'unlucky' or whatever.

With DS I'm a bit unsure. I can't honestly say that I think he worked as hard as he should have done. He definitely didn't display drive and commitment, except in the subjects he wanted to do for A level.
Some of it is dyslexia related, but some not.
Obviously I'm hoping he will have done enough to get the 6s and 7s he wants in some subjects, but if he doesn't then I think I'd want to be honest and say "well perhaps you needed to do more revision than you realised?" That's a tough message, but one I think he needs to understand going into A levels.

Of course I'm really hoping he will surprise us all and say "what was all the fuss about?"

Tea break from painting. I love the idea of decorating, then when I start I remember how much I dislike it....

Ds home from Further Maths - paper was 'fine, no difficulties'. One more to go!

Neither ds or I are doing any predictions - just hope he can replicate what he did in his 2nd set of mocks.

Dd will be happy to pass. She's worked hard and was predicted good grades but struggled with illness at the start of her exams. We're just glad they're done and hoping for no resits.
for Sost, you're an amazing parent and grandparent.

DD is going to all of her induction programmes;

1. First choice of Sixth Form, high-ish entry requirements. (2 day induction)
2. Second choice of Sixth Form, lower entry requirements. (4 day induction)
3. College, unconditional offer.(1 day induction)

I think it will be good to have a taster of all anyway, so she can get a feel for them - as they are all new schools/colleges.

If it goes badly wrong with GCSE results and she has to take the college offer then it throws a complete curveball as that is a Dance course, and not what she had envisaged. But she said "if I have to go to the College, I may as well do something I love". Our college does not offer A levels.

I don't want to think about if the results are really bad, I don't know what I will say or do, but probably she will (quite rightly) blame it on her failing school. I hope she is underestimating her results. She was a straight 6 student at SATS so is targeted for 8's across the board but as the product of a failing school she won't get that.

Jufus has dd had poor teaching at her school? If she achieved Level 6's at SATS then she should be 7/8 at GCSE. How badly is the school failing?

Wonderwine I've already been in that situation with DD and it wasn't pleasant, she was genuinely distraught despite doing very little revision, she very naively assumed because teachers said she would get X grade that is what she would get . On the day I consoled her as no-one wants to see their child that distressed but I did bring up the subject of actually how much revision did you do and do you think you could of done more (she virtually did nothing at home).........she was incredibly lucky that she still got to do the A levels that she wanted but it was a real wake up call and a definite blow to her confidence.
If similar should happen to DS then I think I will just leave the country as I don't want to go through that again and he actually worked incredibly hard ...............

A friend yesterday says she's simply going to be absolutely honest/ absolutely furious with her DS if he fails his GCSEs (as may well happen) because he did absolutely no revision for them, or only a cosmetic amount.

If DD falls a long way short of her predictions than I've got all of the stuff about teacher predictions being guesswork etc to hand, and I'll just say well done/ bad luck (although actually we haven't had bad luck here really in the shape of illness, family problems, massively weird papers etc). She's been steady and civilised while taking them so I can't ask for more.

goodbye same here - in stark contrast to his mocks, DS worked solidly through Easter and beyond and I can’t fault the effort. He stayed positive and said he wasn’t stressed by the exams. If the results are less than he wanted at least he will have tried (and we’ll definitely blame the new exam system!)

cubscout it's an absolute catalogue of disaster. DD's primary school was OFSTED Outstanding and had shining results. DD is naturally fairly academic.

Joined School From Hell (hereby known as SFH) in year 7 as it had just come out of special measures and had been taken over by Swedish academy provider. All went swimmingly in year 7 and 8, although LOTS of English supply teachers) OFSTED good in year 8. Cracks started to appear in year 9. By year 10 the Swedish academy provider had pulled out (school still in limbo now over academy provider). SFH is over 70 years old, very undersubscribed, meaning SFH has to taken children who have been excluded from schools in town (SFH is in a large village). This means a constant tumbleweed of children destined for Pupil Referral Unit drifting through the school = disruption.
Head is very weak - no leadership skills.
DD has had 17 (yes 17!) english teachers since year 8.
Deputy Head left at the end of year 10 without a job to go to.
50% of the school buildings are unused and derelict as they cannot afford to heat them, DD has most lessons in the same classroom.
DD's maths teacher left in October of year 11 (lasted a month!) - supply teachers since.
DD's German teacher left at Easter, replaced with a PE teacher who does not speak German (I kid you not!)
Only 28 kids in year 12/13. Only 6 kids stayed on last year.
3rd from bottom in county in league tables, beaten by two special schools!

This is just the tip of the iceberg trust me!

jufus what a catalogue of disasters. You must've been climbing up the wall these years.

We've just heard DS has been given an overall academic school Prize for his mocks and work this year. Very very chuffed for him, I just gave him the longest hug. Ever.

Jufus that's horrendous . It makes me mad that the local authority does not step in with a drastic plan when things get to such a state. I really hope your dd gets the grades she wants for her first choice - then hopefully you can both enjoy the next stage.

Crikey Jufus - that sounds awful !

How have you managed, has DD had to do lots of independent work etc to make up for poor teaching?

Jufus that is truly shocking, really hope your DD gets a lovely surprise on results day.

Brainmelt well done your DS !

Brainmelt well done to your DS!
Wonderwine enlisted tutors for German, Maths and English but couldn't afford anymore. She's just completely fed up :(

Jufus that's one of the worst examples I've ever heard. Your poor dd and the other students. If the DfE can't find another academy chain it should have handed the school back to the LEA rather than leaving such a mess.
Brainmelt that's fantastic - and very much deserved! well done to him!

Phew - survived FM - only two questions he couldn't do so even with allowing for some incorrect and silly errors that should be good enough. Looking very tired so a chill afternoon before band and then back to it tomorrow.