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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

GCSEs Summer 2020 (thread 4) -the final countdown

999 replies

PostNotInHaste · 28/02/2020 12:23

Thread 3
Thread 2
Thread 1(year 10)

Hope OrangeCinnamon doesn’t mind me starting another in her absence , feel twitchy without ! Apologies in advance if I have messed the links up.

The last thread ended with discussion of possible school closures, not really what we want to hear at this point - let’s hope things sound more positive as thread progresses.

OP posts:

ProggyMat · 22/03/2020 10:59

DDs school is also following the timetable,online, until the end of term.
For Yr11 that would have been 7th May but given how quickly things have changed no update as yet on when they will be ‘officially finished’
I think, for DD, doing whatever work is set will help keep some structure to her days.
One of her Yr12 friends - whom is doing the same A levels as DD-has advised her to ‘keep on top’ of the languages as she didn’t after sitting her GCSEs and felt very rusty at the start of A level,

Wheresthebeach · 22/03/2020 16:41

Its hard to know what to expect - DD has to long on and work as normal. Once exams start school is going pre A level courses so she isn’t foot loose and fancy free at all.

I think one or two of her grades will be lower than they should be as she concentrated on some subjects for mocks. Missing all the end of year Proms and stuff is hard.

The next few months aren’t going to be any fun for anyone.

HPFA · 22/03/2020 18:21

It would be interesting to see when our kids have got their predicted grades how we feel about it all. Do we think they represent their performance well. Is it a better reflection of their ability and work ethic than what they might have done in normal times?

Had a chat with DD about it all - she said of her (presumed 7) in History " on a good day I might have got an 8 but then I might have had a bad one and got a 6 or even a 5 so it's all OK."

I moan a fair bit about DD's work ethic but she's actually one of the most level-headed people I know (considering she's 15). She's very resistant to peer pressure, avoids what she calls "drama" and is generally unbothered whether people like her or not. It's been good to remember when I'm gritting my teeth about 5s that should have been 6s that there really are more important things.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 22/03/2020 18:30

HFPA, I feel like that about DD's maths. She needs a 5 to go to the new school, and I'm pretty sure she'd get that or higher 99% of the time, but she'd only have to have a bad day (e.g. forget to take her ADHD meds) and she might crash a paper. Packing away her maths books today, I can see she's got loads of last papers that her teacher has marked which are all strong 5,6 and even 7s, so I'm confident she'll get at least the 5 she needs.
On a brilliant day, she might have got a 7, but she doesn't need one so it really doesn't matter.

I don't foresee her retaking any subjects, in all honesty.

HPFA · 22/03/2020 18:59

@alsoplayspiccolo

Exactly, there's a great temptation just to think about the higher grade they might have got and forget that there was also the possibility the other way.

Truth is some kids will lose out and some will win in this process but we won't know which ones! We don't know who would have done better than expected and who would have done worse.

I actually think the possibilities are strong that overall more children will end up better off. Let's say every school submits results that are 5% better than "expected" from their intake and the school's previous performance. How on earth is OFQUAL going to know which of those schools has over-estimated? Are they going to randomly select schools and tell them to lower their scores? Can't see any way you're not going to have some grade inflation.

FlyingPandas · 22/03/2020 19:26

That is very true. @HPFA your DD sounds like a wise young lady. In the words of financial investment literature, the value of your investment can go down as well as up! -And the same applies to an exam situation. All of our DC could potentially have aced a particular subject. They could also all potentially have crashed and burned. They and we will never know. And that is hard, but I agree that if anything schools will err on the side of positivity and for those who really aren't happy then there's the retake option.

Have a kind of surreal feeling today. One of my concerns for this summer was that, once exams were completed, DS1 would sit on his bum on his laptop the whole time, chatting to his mates online. I was bracing myself to worry about his tendency to be rather agoraphobic and basically not go out during the holidays unless promised a Nando's told he has to. It feels so bizarre to now feel relieved that it won't be hard to encourage him to follow social distancing guidelines. The "antisocial teen" model is more or less the one that the government is asking us to follow!

Original poster

PostNotInHaste · 22/03/2020 20:53

Panda I could have written your paragraph pretty much word for word.

DS finding it a bit strange as no real clarity as to what exactly happening but has now been set physics and maths for tomorrow. He ims doing Computer Science for A level bit not GCSE so can spend time doing that plus the Further Maths he was going to do but only just started. I think he might have said yes to doing C25K for exercise.

OP posts:

Comefromaway · 23/03/2020 01:01

Ds’s maths grade will be anyone’s guess. Last October his teacher told me if he took the exam there and then he would get a 5 so depending on how he worked it could be a 6 but he was capable of a 7

In his November mocks he did 3 papers. On Paper 1 he was 1 mark off a 6. On Paper 2 he was a high 5. On Paper 3 he had a complete meltdown/panic attack and only attempted a few questions. Overall a high Grade 4.

Shimy · 23/03/2020 07:53

Other concern about these results is that the fact they take into account the school’s past results to determine wether those predicted this year are in line with that. Ds’s schools last yrs results were not great. They were a particularly weak set and their performance showed in their results. Ds’s yr group have shown themselves as outstanding since yr 9 and the school were looking forward to amazing exam results. Now it seems they won’t be able to predict inline with that as it will look like an anomaly.

Piggywaspushed · 23/03/2020 08:07

They will have reams of data to back that progress up : all schools do as they live in constant fear of the Ofsted knock!

I have seen a DfE document that says ' they will not receive predicted grades' so there is a lot of semantics. This is mainly because they are concerned about being accused of perpetuating social disadvantage but just accepting PGs. Personally, I'd be more than happy for PGs to be accepted and all Pupil premium students to have some sort of concession applied if they showed signs across schools of underperformance. They do also need to monitor grade 9 and grade 4/5 awarding very carefully , obviously.

I am honestly having fretful nights worrying about a few anxious girls in my class on the 3/4 borderline... I would rather have left the fate of their grades down to them in the exam room and faceless exam markers.

KingscoteStaff · 23/03/2020 08:27

This is the first thing that has really made things clear to my two teens.

Scruffyoak · 23/03/2020 08:32

I have no idea on my sons grade. Probably 2-3-4 but he did get some 6s in his mocks.

Piggywaspushed · 23/03/2020 08:33

Love this!

Shimy · 23/03/2020 08:52

@piggy That’s great to know. I’m now worried about the fact they’re not going to use predicted grades? What a shambles. I too would rather the grades results were left to fate, but it wasn’t to be. Now it seems there’s going to be lots of politicking around what’s fair etc. So disappointed for my DS who has risen above his SEN challenges worked hard on his focus and MH issues and tics to get into a good school then carried on determined to prove to everyone he can get 8s and 9s and now looks like he’s going to have all that taken away from him.

It’s no one’s fault but it just sucks big time.

Peninsula · 23/03/2020 11:09

Why do you think he'll have it taken away from him? (Not disputing what you are saying, just trying to understand how it all works)

Wheresthebeach · 23/03/2020 11:16

DD has been told that tests will be issued during exam timetable and will be used for grades. Anyone else heard this?

crazycrofter · 23/03/2020 11:26

Dd has been given two long essays to do for history so I wonder if teachers are focusing on collecting evidence? She thought she’d be free so she’s a bit annoyed!

Piggywaspushed · 23/03/2020 11:32

I do think a lot of schools seem to be panic evidence gathering. This suggests they weren't very good ta tracking progress as they went along : that's a bit stone age and may well be more common in private schools, for example.

Take anything with a pinch of salt...

TeenPlusTwenties · 23/03/2020 11:41

@Shimy I think you are misinterpreting perhaps? They are going to ask schools to say what they think the pupils would have got, but with data to back it up and checks and balances to ensure schools don't get too optimistic. If you DS has been working at 8/9 level then the aim is that is what he will end up with.

But they can't just use mock results (as different schools do mocks differently) or just use a 'prediction' from a report (as some schools over predict to encourage or under predict to give kids a kick).

RedskyAtnight · 23/03/2020 11:56

DD has been told that tests will be issued during exam timetable and will be used for grades. Anyone else heard this?

I'd rather assumed that they'd want schools to have submitted grades before the exams were due to start. Do we know the dates for this?

MirandaWest · 23/03/2020 12:11

DS seems to be getting more and more work to do - there seems to be a keep on working message. I think he will probably ignore Spanish though...

Shimy · 23/03/2020 12:16

@Peninsula The semantics influencing how they they will determine grades.

Mocks, predicted grades, teacher assessment of student - Fine

Disregarding predicted grades, Previous schools reports, fear of favouring the socially advantaged v disadvantaged and wanting to equalise things by being more shrewd with students or schools who’ve would’ve got high grades - Not so fine.

Piggywaspushed · 23/03/2020 12:37

Bless her, one of my students has just sent me extra work (I can't open it as it goes because she sent it in a weird encrypted file) because she has heard that you can improve your grade if you submit extra work to your teachers. Poor thing.

Such misinformation out there.

Piggywaspushed · 23/03/2020 12:38

Schools don't submit predicted grade ordinarily red. haven't for years.

Peninsula · 23/03/2020 12:44

I think what 11:41TeenPlusTwenties describes makes sense.
I can't see how work/tests done at home since the closure could have any bearing, given people could have got someone else to do them.

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