GCSE retakes 2021

[sorrelli]

If students decide to retake their GCSE’s next year what will be the consequences?

Will they apply as usual next year for sixth form places even if they’re 17 by then?

Sorry not very knowledgable so forgive my ignorance.

DD doesn’t like the idea as she’ll be behind her friends but I’m thinking she’d be on much better footing next year and have better grades therefore a better sixth form start.

[Hairydogmummy]

Yes it is...but the Ofqual guidance says 'don't tell parents or students about the grades you're giving' it doesn't say you can't communicate with them at all.

[Decorhate]

Our school have written to all parents & said we must not communicate with the school about the predicted grades to ensure the integrity of the process. This is based on OFQUAL guidance I think.

[Hairydogmummy]

@aut0replenish the two pieces of info refer to 1) the grade they think the student would get if they sat the exam under normal circumstances and 2) the rank order of their students including within grades so if a school has 20 grade 8s in a particular subject, they rank them too. Speaking for myself I have dozens of marks to base my grades on, plus my experience of what particular types of students tend to do in the exam and my knowledge of the kids as individuals. We've known these kids for 3 years. As long as our results overall aren't much different to previous years our judgement will be accepted.

[TeenPlusTwenties]

To be honest, I think it might be hard for a school to take into account MH issues they have had no knowledge of and which have cleared up in time for exams.
Ultimately the schools literally order the pupils. They can probably order them however they want provided they can justify it.

If I were a teacher and a pupil had had say alternating grade 7 and grade 3 test results over 2 years. I might plump for a 5 based on guessing they might do one good and one bad paper in the real thing. I can't see how I'd be able to justify a 7 without a recent 'run' of 7s.

[aut0replenish]

There is a thread on AIBU and somebody has posted that their dc’s school have been asked for 2 pieces of info and in the list of criteria for grade allocation there was no mention of external issues. Will schools definitely be able to take MH and other external circumstances into consideration?

[liquoricecravings]

I'm also a teacher and have spent a great deal of time working out how to fairly and honestly grade my year 11s. Some of them will never do as well in exams due to the pressure they're under and therefore I feel this way of grading is fair as I can take this stress into account. I know how they work, how well they write and how confident they are with the syllabus. Those that are on the borderline of a 3/4 have been my biggest dilemma.

I'm also a head of year and I'd really encourage you to let your DDs head of year or the safeguarding lead at the school know that your DD has been struggling with her mental health. It is an area that is supported in schools on a daily basis and will help the teachers put into context how your DD has been able to progress in recent months. I know for a number of my year 11s that their feelings of anxiety or depression have impacted their progress in lessons and I have taken this into account when finalising their grades.

If your DD would like to challenge any of the grades that she's been awarded the exam boards are planning to offer exams in the Autumn term. I would expect that she would do this alongside her college/ year 12 course. Under normal circumstances students who don't pass Maths and English have resit classes throughout the year alongside their college/ year 12 course and then take the GCSE exam in the summer term.

Ofqual have announced their system for grading today: www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcses-as-and-a-level-awarding-summer-2020. There are a number of links on here that might help to clarify your questions further.

[sorrelli]

@Hairydogmummy

I’ll do that. Thank you so much.

[sorrelli]

@Hairydogmummy

Thanks so much for your reassurance in this!

[Hairydogmummy]

I'd email the head of year or equivalent if you think there's any info you've held back on. You won't be the only one. Lots of teens don't want their schools to know about MH probs

[Hairydogmummy]

We've got lots like that. Every school has and we will be doing our absolute best for them. If we didn't it would be callous and not at all in line with the guidance. Especially if you've been in touch and the school knows the circumstances. They have no reason to do anything else.

[sorrelli]

@Hairydogmummy @aut0replenish

I’m just concerned they might think we’re making it up as now it’s crunch time!

How should we go about this?

[Hairydogmummy]

My son also got a few low grades in the mocks. I'm not worried though, he's given the teacher plenty of other evidence of what he would have been capable of. Teachers should have this for yours too...if they haven't I'd be concerned they weren't doing their jobs properly. There will be an appeal process. I can't see a teacher going 'oh yes I'll give X a 4 even though I know that will bar them from sixth form based on limited evidence that, if scrutinised would expose me as not assessing regularly and rigorously'.

[aut0replenish]

Hairy my dd has had a tricky year 10 and 11. We have evidence of support etc but hope that will be enough. What if they’re not like you? Dd trying to plan for the worse case scenario but not easy with no specific time for resits in place. It’s so hard as they’re stuck at home whilst handling all this. 😩

[Hairydogmummy]

@sorrelli I would definitely tell them that now then. Again that's specifically mentioned in the guidance as being a factor that can be taken in to account when we are using mocks as part of our calculations.

[Hairydogmummy]

@sorrelli we can take that in to account. The detailed guidance for teachers specifically says that. I know which of my students were not motivated in mocks and what their potential would have been. Honestly. We see each and every student as if they were our own and we can see what they would have got in lots of ways.

[sorrelli]

@Hairydogmummy

Thank you, we do however think that our dc have let themselves down due to factors such as depression which school don’t know about.

But thank you for the reassurance, I hope all the teachers are like you.

[Hairydogmummy]

Honestly...try not to worry...we know our students...my son is at a grammar too. I know it's hard if you've not been through the system lots of times but we almost always get it right. It's unlikely that if your child wants to go to the school's sixth form and thinks they're suitable for the course, that they will give them a grade that puts the blockers on that. It's as fair as it can be @aut0replenish there's no way I will allow any of my students of the kids you're describing to be disappointed or disadvantaged. The only ones who won't do well enough to go on to what they want to do are the ones who have continually let themselves down.

[sorrelli]

@Hairydogmummy

My DD is from a competitive school and was yesterday left in tears by a teachers talk saying that their entry requirements had gone up because they’re oversubscribed this year and that lots would just have to go to college.

A lot of students do better from mocks to GCSE and surprise their teachers because now they’re motivated. It’s a shame!

[sorrelli]

@Hairydogmummy

Thanks for your input. Just had an email from her sixth form saying that the exam will be as if she sat it and that the entry requirements are the same - no flexibility.

So we are very worried as she didn’t get a chance to show what she could do and were expecting some flexibility from her sixth form.

[Hairydogmummy]

Honestly don't worry about sixth forms saying they will be strict...this will be because the grades are likely to be a little higher than normal and if they then went on to take students lower than their usual grades, they're going to end up with students who won't be able to do the A levels. If students are destined for A level, their teachers will already know this and will want to give them the best grade they can justify. Where 6 forms are attached to schools, they want as many year 11 to stay on as possible, they're not going to turn people down unless they really have to. It's such an anxious time I know. We aren't allowed from now on to give parents or students an idea of their grade.

[aut0replenish]

And how can you say it’s fair. Teachers and assessments differ, it’s not very scientific at all.

[aut0replenish]

It’s not highly unlikely at all. You could easily be 1 grade off a specific gcse for a specific course or the whole number of GCSEs needed for the A level course.

[Hairydogmummy]

I'm a teacher and parent of year 11. The option of sitting the exam will be in the autumn of this year. Your daughter will get teacher allocated grades in the summer and having studied how this will be done am satisfied it's fair, this will be what determines her grade. She will get in to sixth form based on these but if she doesn't like them, she can sit the exams this autumn. It's highly unlikely a sixth form would turn her down based on allocated grades and then for her to do her exams and get grades so much higher she would have got in. If that were to happen and as I say it's highly unlikely she apply to join the following year and would be a year older but that's highly highly unlikely.

[aut0replenish]

Yes which is why it would be good to know ASAP. If it’s November then yes maybe not but would be really annoying if she’d worked all summer for them instead of A level prep thinking Sep.

Op god I hope our 6 th form will have more empathy. My dd similar situation. They won’t be alone going by mental health levels.

[sorrelli]

@TeenPlusTwenties

Really agree with you and if for a minute I thought she’d get the grades to do her chosen a level I wouldn’t even consider resits. It’s a pain in the arse. But as she got a 3/4 in three of her subjects it looks unlikely that she’ll get the grades she was planning on getting in her exam.