GCSE’s summer 2020 thread 5 - And then there were none..

[FoolsAssassin]

Once upon a time there was a group of year 11 students who had spent the last few years preparing to sit their GCSE exams in the summer of 2020. Then one day they woke up and found themselves as characters in a real life disaster movie and as if by magic the exams disappeared.

What lies next for the Corona Cohort?!

Thread 4
Thread 3
Thread 2
Thread 1 (Year 10)

Anyone lurking please feel free to jump on in .

I'm not sure if it will help @Wheresthebeach but DD and I spent some time looking at the schools results to try and calm her a bit in a 'see this percentage got a strong pass and sbove and above so really you'll be ok ' kind of manner.

DH has been watching old football match reruns and even cricket ...i just dont get it

We've been watching old football too, Ds and I are big fans. Both our teams will be in action soon.

Very strange feeling that exams would have been over.

It all seems a bit surreal here that GCSEs would have been finished. We've looked over the last two years school reports, exam results, predicted and target grades and taken a punt at what GCSE results might be given. Tried to make it fun with a prize for the closest guess. It'll be a great shame if results day is a non event and results are emailed out.

DD has just pointed out to me that tomorrow would have been her last exam - Ad Maths. She was a bit disappointed not be sitting it but not very.

She has spent a very happy day out on a picnic with friends. I know cancelling exams is far from ideal but I've not seen her so relaxed and happy in a long time.

Do we think results will be emailed out or is there any possibility of collecting in person?

I really don’t know. Have taken the day off work anyway...

I hope if they are emailed out that DS remembers his school email password

DS’s school emailed today to say they are hoping for face to face on results day.

Orange - it more that her maths mock wasn't great, but she's hoping all the work she's put in will move it up. School failed to give her increased print size so she struggled. Obviously nobody can reassure her so she's a bit stuck. But yes, it's a good approach.

sandy I can't speak for any other school but I spoke to DD's pastoral head and she said that they are expecting the students to go in but with social distancing. That way any issues can be tackled head on face to face. It's over 2 months away so fingers crossed it's so. I was very much expecting letters in the post so was pleasantly surprised that they feel optimistic. DD has to have chosen her 3 subjects by then so her results hopefully will help cement her choices.

We'd hoped she could start with 4 then drop the one she didn't like as much by October half term but at her school this is not an option. You can swap within 2 weeks but anymore than that I was told would be too hard to catch up. DD is so torn over 3 but definite on one.

How do you get a detailed breakdown of previous years GCSE results? DS’s school website seems to only have headline figures and nothing by subject apart from % of 9-4 grades.

I couldn’t see it on Ofsted either. Am I missing something or is there a central place these things are listed?

At DS1's school you had to look at the Admissions section of the website which has a prospectus and "statistical appendix" - they never advertised the results internally.

Thanks Monkey, sadly no statistical info in the prospectus, just the overall summary. Doesn’t matter now really, just got me thinking again.

@20Newnames if you look on the education.gov site under league tables, towards the bottom there’s an option to download prior years results. If you choose all England and detailed KS4, you get full results by subject for every school in England! It’s very informative... and I’m far too invested

This is the link for the DfE school data but you won't get stats for all schools. Neither of my DC's independent schools are included but they both publish full stats on their websites going back several years.

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/find-a-school-in-england

Thank you both! I will look at those when I get to my PC

We've been told that results will be on the student portal and that core staff will be available on site or on the phone for those with disappointing results or who want/need to consider subject changes for 6th form. Normally the whole year goes in and all subject staff too, it's going to be very low key by comparison.

We haven’t been told anything about results day yet.

New college have said they have organised different building where can social distance by appointment for the day after results to enrol.

@20NewNames it says 'download data 1991-2019'. It's fascinating as I took my GCSEs in 1992!

We had a parents meeting on zoom last night but they didn't commit to anything re results day - it was wait and see. A lot could change between now and August 20th. I really hope they get to go in.

DS’s last exam would’ve been last Friday & last weekend would’ve been ‘Big’ Durham Regatta which he would’ve rowed quad & double. They had agreed not to race during exams but continue to train & then ‘celebrate’ the end of exams racing at ‘Big’ Durham.

Such a shame.

He’s now cracking on with bridging work & it looks like he’ll be able to get out in a single over the next few weeks, so all good news!

The School have announced they hope to do face to face results day in August! I have taken the day off, but DS asked ‘Why?’ 🙄

Interesting article - most subjects calculated grades half a grade up on last year. Not surprising IMHO as I would expect most teachers to predict the higher grade if a student is near a grade boundary, and some grade boundaries are very close together. If your student is hi=overing round pass/fail you are not really going to fail them.

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-teacher-assessed-grades-higher-grades-2019

DS mental health is now poor and I'm actually quite worried about him. He is worried about the results and which school he will be at in September, he has no motivation for the bridging work or exercise.

He says he isnt dreaming anymore and 'doesnt have any thoughts' he is still messaging his mates and gaming with them but it just seems so lethargic.

@ChristopherTracy how awful for you both. Can you/he talk to his tutor at school? Most schools have someone to support worried students. Is he marginal for getting the grades where he wants to go? Do you think it is a rational worry or a bit paranoid?