Private school but 5s,6,7,8S gcse results ?

[ROZ12]

Hi all

I feel proud of my dd for achieving all passes but part of me feels disappointed with the school as I paid so much money and expected her to get 7-9s. Am I being silly? I feel like the classic photo of the girls getting all 9s should have been my dd. At least their investment paid off .

Glad this thread has helped put things in perspective for you, OP. From where she was in SATs it sounds like your decision to put her in private school and her own hard work have paid off. They're a good set of grades - I'll be delighted if my DC does that well come GCSES.

IGCSEs are regarded as easier”
I’m not sure how true this is and it may vary from different exam boards. When my DS sat term (a number of years ago) there was no course work apart from the obvious like art DT etc you sat exams at the end of the course and according to language teachers (in the state sector) admittedly 5-6 years ago MFL IGCSEs were harder as was Latin.
It’s a regular remark on here that private schools use them because the are easier which may be correct but the super selective private schools who pride themselves on stretching and challenging their pupils and who have some of the countries top results also use them. So realistically there are only two conclusions you can draw; they are so easy the super selective can regularly go beyond the curriculum in yr 10 and 11 stretching their pupils academically and at the same time starting A level/IB/Pre U preparation earlier or that the schools view them as a better preparation for A level/IB/Pre U.
I have also read on here that it’s easier to get lower grades in IGCSE but harder to get top grades don’t know if that’s true.
Frankly I thought they used them because they are not constantly being interfered with by successive governments which frankly is the most logical explanation.

So she's an averagely bright child and she achieved As and Bs in her GCSEs? I'd be more than happy with that.

My daughters state comp went into special measures during her first yet there. Considered a move but decided to trust the school and am so glad we did as she has done amazingly well ( all 7-9 and mostly 9s). A combination of her ability ( level 6 sats), hard work and good teaching. One teacher ran regular 7-30 revision classes. Don't be too quick to criticise state schools.

Don't be too quick to criticise state schools

With level 6 sats your dd is extremely able. I expect if she'd gone to dd's private school the 7s would be an anomaly!

I'm surprised anyone thinks a child with level 4/5 SATS was not a child in line for a mix of good grades at GCSE. My understanding at the time when charts were readily available that a 4b = C/B 5 B/A. You have to bear in mind that the highest a child could get without doing extension papers was a 5!

Both mine go to a private school and I come across attitudes like yours all the time. I know quite a few parents who complain to the school all because their DC don't get awards or great grades and they often use the phrase "this is not what I am paying for".

Despite what some people say on here you can't "buy" your DC's grades at a private school. The DC have to work hard, be conscientious and determined. They have to realise they have got a really good opportunity and are lucky and not blow it. Some of my friends DC are undisciplined, spoilt, don't do the homework, don't listen at school, mess around and flunk tests and their parents blame the school. Some children are not academic and will get lots out of the drama, sports and music.

You can’t buy results. Ridiculous expectations

You are talking about state schools like they are absolutely dire. My DD is at an outstanding state school where a significantly high percentage of pupils got 9s. The sixth form is full of ex grammar privately educated kids whose parents seem to have come to the same realisation!

rhubarbandwine56, some schools are dire. Probably 1 in 10 could be called that actually.

But there fab comps too. I'm in a grammar area and still looked at the GCSE announcement at the local comp and over 30 pupils got 7-9 only and almost 70 got 7-9 mostly with only a couple of grades below.

IGCSEs are not easier. They are different though and not exactly the same coverage. Dd did IGCSE maths and was tutored by a state secondary school teacher. He noted that some of the content on the IGCSE was difficult and not in the normal GCSE paper and also that some things in the GCSE wasn't in the IGCSE.

Same level qualification but slightly different content generally. Not easier, not harder. Just different. Despite what some state schools might try to tell you!

Why do some people have to try and pull down other's achievements with such comments I've no idea, especially as half the time they've not actually even seen both side by side anyway!

Thank you Aragog for clarifying this to Hoooo!

Also my dd worked hard and was determined and it did pay off for her. As I’ve been told by other posters can’t buy grades. But it was the other aspects which were worth it.

Regarding state schools I’m not at all saying they are bad, it was just not suitable for my dd at the time of applying due to personal issues she was going through .

Perhaps you should focus on the value added from your dc sats data to their results. My DS is at a non selective private school which has a "well above average" value added which is probably a reflection of the teaching and I therefore trust the school to (hopefully) get the best out of him. He is not a 9 kid and if he comes away with 6's and 7's they will be like 9 & 8's for me. The local super super selective private school has a negative value added score although their kids come out with loads of 9's and 8's and my view is that is a reflection of the academic quality of the intake. My DS loves his school as there is a lot of sport and other activities because they limit the number of GCSE's taken to "only" 8 or 9. We also think he benefits from the small class sizes and pastoral and has turned into a kind, decent young man.

Ok.
My many years experience of gcses/igcses must be incorrect then :)

The igcse comment re a level prep was probably true up to 2 years ago.

It's no longer the case.

Aragog I have taught both, IGCSE Maths is easier. They slowly will even out though I think.

How did you think the school could take a grade 5 student who’s struggled to even achieve that and magic them up to a 9? Do you actually believe these grades are available to be bought?

An 8 is not equivalent to the old B grade... You sound clueless, op.

Private schools don't guarantee good grades. They don't make your child suddenly become more intelligent than they actually are. If your child did all the work and revision she was supposed to do and those are her grades then well done to her. My children's private schools were worth the money because of the results they got (not all top grades) but also because of the small class sizes, facilities, strict behaviour and uniform policy and the fact that they left as confident, polite young people with a good work ethic. These things will serve your child well in future.

Headsintheclouds -I think there may be some confusion as to what level 4/5 SATS in year 6 means or perhaps I'm just misreading. It doesn't mean that your child would be capable of achieving grades 4/5 at GCSE because at that time the GCSE number system hadn't even started. The highest a child could achieve is a 5 so a 5 equalled an A. There were extension papers to get a 6 that most state schools didn't do so many very bright children left Primary with all 5s or 4s and 5s because a high 4 was also very solid grade.

Hooo dds school do some igcses. They do English igcse as the syllabus is much better preparation for A level. Their results in both are fantastic.

I really don't think the HoD is lying when she says this is why they do them. Given the issues with English gcse this year I think they've made a wise choice!

Also, I have been told that iGCSEs used to be more rigorous and a better preparation for A levels under the old letter system but under the new numbering system, they are in fact easier. I don't know how true that is.

And I've heard that gcse English Literature is such a terrible syllabus that it is putting students off taking the A level. Certainly combined English Lit and Lang A level seems more popular in state schools near me.

I went to an academic grammar school as a not particularly academic person. Many of my friends got A* s and were offered RG unis, Oxbridge etc. I got some As, some Cs, a couple of Ds 😬. I promise you I would never have got these results in my local secondary school. I was pushed and encouraged and whilst I couldn’t match my very intelligent peers, I honestly think I did the best I was capable of at the time.

I suspect your DC is the same. Not naturally academic but has done the best they can do in no doubt a wonderful, positive environment. I think your money was well spent OP ♥️

Sorry, I think it’s me misreading, zzzzz.
I meant a child destined for a GCSE grade 5 not getting a 9 just because their parents thought they’d bought high marks by buying private education.

I’ve seen friends make this mistake, actually.
They were quite bitter about it, but the reality is you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, even with tiny private school classes.