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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

GCSE Summer 2020 Thread 9 : Carry on Corona Cohort ‘Let’s Ofqual the whole thing off'

999 replies

OrangeCinnamon1 · 18/08/2020 12:56

Welcome all to the 9th Thread for this year's GCSE cohort - the Corona Cohort!

This is a thread for supporting all young people ( and their parents) taking GCSEs regardless of the institute they attend or the grades they need. It is respectfully requested that we are all supportive and helpful to each other.

If you want to start a debate e.g state vs private - please do not within this thread.

Similarly it should be recognised that the grades our children need/deserve/want will vary across the board- we wish to celebrate and comiserate with all. One same grade outcome can simultaneously cause joy and despair for different posters and their families. Please be sensitive when responding to threads about grade outcomes.

Some of us have been here since I started first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. It is hoped this will continue. Going forward we intend to stay on the Secondary Education Board (at least until Mumsnet HQ chuck us out Grin ) as from now on our DS/DD may go down various paths such employment, apprenticeships, higher ed etc so we decided not to be exclusionary.

Any new threads should have 'GCSE Summer 2020 Thread # : Carry on Corona Cohort' in title just to make it easier to find. There is no preciousness about who starts new threads!

At this precise moment in time we are still awaiting GCSE results . At first these were to be that seem to have been produced by an algorithm that also takes very little account of Teacher Centre Assessed Grades. There is an appeal process but it was changed to include mock results and coursework, then taken down again for review. Now it has been decided that the higher of Centre Assessed Grades and Calculated Grades will be awarded in two parts??!?!

We are all STILL trying to protect our young people's mental health, which the government claims is their priority...when they talk about wanting students back in schools/college in September...

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Cherryonthetop2019 · 20/08/2020 10:17

Thank you @RedskyAtnight and @KingscoteStaff and @itsgettingweird xx

IHeartHarryStyles · 20/08/2020 10:19

@singingstones

No. Not as it stands.

ealingwestmum · 20/08/2020 10:22

So pleased to hear most chuffed with their DCs’ results!

Iheart, I hope you guys will be ok and able to work on positive next steps.

10 x 9s here, good to see a smile today.

ealingwestmum · 20/08/2020 10:23

Damn, cross post. So sorry to hear that.

boredboredboredboredbored · 20/08/2020 10:23

Dd results on target. Combination of 9s/ 8s and 7s. 9/9 in English language and lit, teachers were there who told me Ofqual hadn't downgraded those but I wonder how her other results would've faired!

HPFA · 20/08/2020 10:30

The percentage of the top 3 Grades has risen from 20 to 25 %
So that doesn't suggest schools were wildly overgrading - that includes the upgrading that was done by the GAVs AND the fact that teachers couldn't account for the pupils who slipped up on the day.

ProggyMat · 20/08/2020 10:31

10x9 and 1x8
And breathe Grin

Madhairday · 20/08/2020 10:36

All 7s, 8s and 9s here. DS finding it hard to 'own' them though, thinking he doesn't actually deserve them Sad to be fair he got a 9 in RE which is a bit left field as his marks in that were generally closer to 6 or 7. I do wonder if that one's an algorithm grade as his school are high performing in that subject. But he definitely deserves all the others and can do the a levels he wanted so am so relieved!

Madhairday · 20/08/2020 10:37

So sorry to hear that iheartHarryStyles - will you appeal do you think? Flowers

Zandathepanda · 20/08/2020 10:39

7,7,8,8,8,8,9,9,9,9

And breathe.

stoneysongs · 20/08/2020 10:39

Oh no @IHeartHarryStyles

I hope she's going to be ok. Is it worth checking in with the school and making sure there hasn't been a mistake? (If you haven't already)

Hopefully someone at school can also help / advise on potential next steps for her. Thanks for you both though

stoneysongs · 20/08/2020 10:43

Just seen this on a wales news site Shock

But exam regulator Qualifications Wales heaped more uncertainty upon students and schools saying the grades they receive today are only “best estimates” . A spokesman saying confirmed grades for Wales will be out in a few weeks, but added that they are not expected to be significantly different.

WTF

Oblomov20 · 20/08/2020 10:43

Congratulations those with what they wanted.

Commiserations to those who haven't.

I left work, came home, and went to the playground. Glad I did, the atmosphere was nice.

Maths 8
English Lit 8
Combined science 7, 7
Business 7
History 6
Eng Lang 6
RE 5

No grade for ICT, which apparently means he won't be able to log onto and accept his school 6th for place today. Not for another week?

So I'm not happy about that.

He's thrilled with the 2 x 7's for combined science. Because he was worried about only getting a 4 or 5 in triple science: Biology, Chemistry, Physics. But I am baffled by when they made the decision to put him down to combined and this means that he's lost out on one GCSE grade. But I suppose 2 x 7's is better?

Wheresthebeach · 20/08/2020 10:44

Relief here as well. Great marks four 9’s, four 8’s and one 7. She was only 2 marks off a 9 in her chemistry mocks a bit disappointed to get an 8 but that’s splitting hairs.

Witchend · 20/08/2020 10:46

At least your have told you their results.
Mine says she got "numbers" and is not looking bothered either way.
I might just rescind the offer of... Well everything if she doesn't hurry up and tell me.

RedskyAtnight · 20/08/2020 10:47

So DS nearly did get murdered. He rang me in a flap saying I had to come in to school so I charged off imagining the worst.

Turns out that, due to Covid, school want all sixth form paperwork done today, so he needed a parent to sign the "parental agreement" bits.
No issue with his sixth form entry. Big sigh of relief (and why school couldn't tell us in advance that they needed a parent physically in, I have no idea).

IHeartHarryStyles · 20/08/2020 10:49

The school have been in touch but DD upset and it was a very rapid call with little empathy along the lines of ‘this is what you wanted to do, this is now what you’re able to do (btech) so I’ll put you down for those, yep, great, bye’ whilst DD just looked blankly at me with tears streaming down her face and occasionally saying ok.

She’s saying she wants to sit the exams, we’re now trying to find out if that will make a difference.

stoneysongs · 20/08/2020 10:49

Sorry @Witchend but "numbers" made me simultaneously amused and horrified ShockSmile

stoneysongs · 20/08/2020 10:51

Great results @Oblomov20

I think 7,7 is definitely better than 4,4,4 or 5,5,5

Devlesko · 20/08/2020 10:52

Aw, dd is pleased over all and no resits.

Maths 4
Eng lang/lit 5/5
Science 5/5 The biggest surprise
Art 6
Music 7 The biggest disappointment for several of them predicted 8/9

But no resits. Yeah!

Darbs76 · 20/08/2020 10:53

Super proud of DS - 9x9’s and 2x8 - 3 x8 with last years RE! He’s relieved and we are over the moon!

Alsoplayspiccolo · 20/08/2020 10:53

IHeart, that’s heartbreaking. 🥺
Can you speak to the school?

Sarahbeans · 20/08/2020 10:54

My DD got what I'd describe as fair results. All 6s and 7s. But given how little work she had done over the past year, I would say they're okay. The 7s were in her best / favourite subjects.

At Feb half term, she had just started stepping up and really revising and was hoping for a couple of 8s, but I knew she wouldn't have got them in her predicted grades as she hadn't really been able to demonstrate that. Annoyingly some of the last work she did before lockdown was higher than her final grade... but DD is happy and that's the main thing.

stoneysongs · 20/08/2020 10:55

Oh that sounds very tough @IHeartHarryStyles
Hoping that she can get onto whatever she wanted with a plan to retake in November.
Doesn't sound like the school is being very helpful, get arsey with them if you have to

stoneysongs · 20/08/2020 10:56

Congrats to little @Devlesko great results

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