GCSE Summer 2021 - Concerned? Worried or just crying......

[SoTiredNeedHoliday]

Hi I am looking for feedback on how your children are learning in this period? Are they focused? If so how are you getting them to focus?

Do you feel they are learning new course work in detail / in a way that will be retained for the exams?

I am struggling to get my Ds to focus and be engaged in this time and I am really worried about him falling behind and having a really bad experience come next year and the exam time.

I saw this on change.org what do you think?
Change.org Petition

It seems like something that should be considered soon so students and teachers know what there methods assessment will be?

I have a year 10.

I don't think there is much point thinking too hard about this until we (the country) can see when schools get back to 'normal'. Any decision on how to deal with current y10s could be quite different if they can return 'as normal' in September compared with eg Feb.

My year 10 is flagging a bit. Some departments being more engaging than others. Some subjects are feeding back more than others.
He is a year 10 who has been put in for English Language early.
He has already told me he will retake if doesn't get the grade he feels he is capable of. He is fed up about not taking an exam for Eng Lang.
I am beginning to think that everything will change for next year.
It is a mess for year 10s and so not a level playing field.
I find myself looking beyond his gcses and thinking he just needs to get grades he needs for the next stage/ Alevels at the sixth form he wants to go to.
Whereas I was thinking pretty high grades all subjects am now thinking- get enough to move on... He is actually aiming higher for himself than I am. He is very capable but this situation a bit shit...

Yr10 dd here, state school. She completes the work set, some of it is new material. We are having a better week than last when I felt like I was nagging her all the time because she was ignoring some subjects.

I’m worried about the music GCSE, because the teacher left in January and was only replaced in March as schools shut. However she doesn’t want to continue this for a level so maybe we just have to accept a lower grade.

I feel sorry for the yr10s.

DS1 is in Year 10. Predicted 7 and 8’s so far...but that’s not likely to happen now despite the fact that he is working hard and getting positive feedback from school. He is most worried about English Lit (his weakest subject) and they hadn’t even really started looking at Romeo and Juliet and also about PE as 2 of his sports were athletics and Cricket which obviously can’t happen now. I’ve signed the petition and shared it as well.

Yes dd in Y10. Very studious and motivated student, now flagging without the presence of her lovely teachers and friends. Heartbreaking to watch, and I find it hard to talk about it without wanting to cry.

We have the summer holidays, so we are taking the long term view, and not pile on the pressure now or panic. We have time.

We have since found out they will lost six months of education (at least) so I don't see how they can expect the children to sit the exams next year as if nothing has happened. Unless they open all schools over the summer?

Important thing is to keep them in a happy place mentally. We have time to work on everything else.

Government should be doing much, much more for this year group and Alevel students!!!!! Why is a year 1 pupil more important than those actually due to take exams....??

Biscuit0110 I guess getting the petition to over 100,000 is one way to get parliament to look at this next group of students to be effected and plan instead of 'react'.

I would certainly like to know so that my DS can focus on the end goal, be that assessments or exams etc

petition at 41,000 signatures so far

Are you going to sign - anyone??????

IpanemaGallina i feel that pain too, I am the bad cop always chasing up on things. I feel that if the children had a clear path as to what is happening with their GCSE it would be far easier to comprehend.

I feel very sorry for this years year 11 - but none of us could predict this virus and situation that has happened. For next years Year 11 though we have the chance to plan and not just rush a reaction.

Change.org petition - I've signed and shared!

I have a daughter in year 10 who is reasonably engaged but probably not leaning as much as usual. But I'm not signing because I think there are many, many more urgent things for the government to give attention to right now. If they still haven't thought about next year's GCSEs by September I might sign something.

AchickencalledDaal I agree the government has a lot to think about and very urgently at that.

I signed as I feel it needs to get on the agenda for a point in time when it can fit in the government's process appropriately and getting it on the agenda means that these children are not forgotten or expected to simply cope with missing a significant amount of face to face school.

I know there are other threads on this so not saying much new but I have just signed the petition as my DD is in Y10 and whilst I am hopeful the Government will work something out the uncertainty is putting huge pressure on our children never to have an off day ‘just in case’ they too are assessed like the current Y11s and their exams ditched. They then vascilate from this to sheer ‘why bother’ at rumours that they may be asked to repeat the entire year and compete with another year group for sixth form and Uni places.

We try and shield our children but then they are encouraged to keep on top of current affairs so at this age they will be exposed to the rumour mill and we can only remind them that that is what is is, rumours.

DS in year 10 and I echo what @DinkyDaisy thinks. I am now thinking beyond GCSEs to A'levels as I cannot see how he can possibly keep on the track he was on prior to this (aiming for 7,8 and 9s). I haven't shared this with him as I'm trying to keep his motivation as good as possible but I could cry and have had sleepless nights.
He's doing work set, but in nowhere near as much depth as he probably should as he's getting minimum feedback so doesn't see the point. Don't want to nag too much as he's doing a lot more than some of his friends so I'm grateful for that.

I have a DS year 10 and also a DD year 13. The exam boards have kept us up to date with all the A level grade plans this year but also mentioned they would put the results out as per usual mid August. They did talk about declaring results in July but have said as this is all new, they want to be absolutely sure the process works so as to benefit next years GCSE and A Level candidates.
I'm have been reassured by them that are absolutely planning ahead for next year and for now, I'm not too worried.

petts I agree there needs to be some kind of reassurance. I believe our school is considering the assessment idea too, as they seem to be piling on so much work, there seems to be genuine anxiety coming from the school with regards to getting the children ready early.This is unhelpful, as it is creating even more pressure!!

Icanclearabuffet that is so good to hear that they have kept you informed and reassured throughout. For your comment that
they want to be absolutely sure the process works so as to benefit next years GCSE and A Level candidates Does this imply they will be using the assessment way for this coming years 2021 class of year 11?

PettswoodParadise I agree there is so much pressure on the children not knowing and being taken out of their routine at a point were (in my case) they were just hitting their stride. It's very hard to know how much reminding of homework and school work to do versus letting them forget about the looming exams.

I see the petition is at about 44,000 a long way off the 100,000 needed

here

@SoTiredNeedHoliday
They didn't confirm what they were planning for next year,just that they weren't rushing this years results out, to ensure the process worked for everyone.
DD was due to take 3 A Levels this summer and hopefully head to uni in September.
The exam boards have asked her teachers to
a) submit her predicted results
b)submit 2 pieces of evidence for each child to support the predicted grades
c) grade each child within the class so the brightest would be number 1, the least able would be e.g 30 (if there are 30 students in the class if you see what I mean)
The idea is that the grading of each individual within the class will be collated nationally and that will give the National grade boundaries.
There will also be the opportunity to appeal if you think the result is unfair.
I think it sounds fair and the best process considering the circumstances.

I have a year 10 & 12 and I am concerned. Less so for the year 10 but I’m really worried for the year 12. An NEA which is 30% of one A level and requires field work was due to happen the week lockdown started - this is now tentatively pencilled in for late Oct.

My year 10 should be doing drama devised component of gcse next month which obviously won’t happen.

The pressure they will be under in years 13 & 11 will be immense 😒

After stressing massively and constantly nagging my Year 10 son, I have come to the realisation that constantly pressuring him is doing him no good at all. Today, therefore he has gone on a socially distanced bike ride! Mental health must come first.

Parques yes mental health must come first I agree and we are trying to encourage things that will help with that. For me though if I understood how the GCSE would be assessed I would feel better myself.

KittyMcNitty you're right the pressure could be just awful. Hence why I think its important to have this tabled to ensure it is figured out so that the groups involved know what they are facing.

here

I completely agree and have already signed the petition. The uncertainty is so much pressure in itself.

Thanks Parques good to know.

peition

I have signed the petition as I am very concerned about this. My DD suffers with stress, anxiety and depression. A week before the schools closed, she had just completed an 8 week reduced timetable to get her back into school full-time, after having a month off school due to poor mental health. I was feeling quite positive that she would be able to catch up.

So DD has already missed a huge amount of year 10 content even before the lockdown. She started off quite well, doing a couple of assignments every day. This quickly reduced to only working on one assignment 2 or 3 days per week. However, since Easter she has really struggled to focus on anything and she has only managed to do 1 1/2 assigments so far this term. I think I will have to come to terms with the fact that she will not be doing any school work until the school reopens.

My main concern, when they are back in school, is that they are going to pile on the pressure and have to work faster to catch up. She already struggles to deal with the pressure put on her and I feel that year 11 is going to be much more difficult for her to cope with. She is predicted fairly high grades in most subjects but I think we will have to just aim for passing them. This could really impact on her ability to get onto the A-Level courses she wants to do.

Someone mentioned the potential for using work completed at home as part of the assessment for their GCSE grades. I really hope they don't do this as DD will be seriously disadvantaged. I can already feel my own stress rising.

Katalex timing sounds like it has been the worst possible for your DD. My DS was also just getting into his stride and then this.....

Someone mentioned the potential for using work completed at home as part of the assessment for their GCSE grades. I really hope they don't do this as DD will be seriously disadvantaged. I can already feel my own stress rising. I completely agree with this but if they are going to use any assessments the children need to know about it asap so they can reassess how they will be graded.

yes, it was so frustrating.

I really hope they can find a fair way to assess them next year. It can't be seen as business as usual.

Any more thoughts on this guys? I am quite stressed about it.