22% of students didn't get Grade 4 or higher in Maths or English this summer

[Itfelloffwithaclunk]

Did anyone else see Breakfast News with this item this morning? Over one fifth of students having to retake, because of a 'perfect storm' of high numbers taking them (a high birth year apparently), and returning to pre pandemic grade boundaries.

I'm really shocked. The very eloquent teacher from Greater Manchester was very interesting on this subject.

I'm not sure this is really news is it? It is how the system is designed.
I don't see what high entry numbers has to do with it though?

(We've given up with my 19yo; now working on functional skills. The GCSE exams are just too long for her, she hasn't the stamina.)

Well we have grades 1, 2, and 3 for a reason and that's because that is the level that some students work out and for some students that grade 2 is a massive achievement.

But most would have got grades 1-3. If 4 is a GCSE pass, a good proportion of pupils wouldn’t pass - that’s the whole point. Not everyone will be able to pass. It’s always been like that- from School Cert, O levels etc.

I think the high entry numbers was referred to because this year the colleges are having to accommodate more students for retakes than had previously been the case.

Well it is good practice for the government (not really) sourcing all those extra teachers given that Sunak wants everyone to be doing English & Maths to 18!

Just out of curiosity, is there much .0 opinformation on what proportion of that 22% was educated privately or had extra tutorial support that the family of the average state school pupil was very unlikely to be able to afford?

Mine had an English tutor from y8, and me (with maths degree) helping from always. But it didn't quite make up for dyslexia, slow processing and mh issues.

DS is at a big 16-19 college around 5000 students. Apparently in normal years around 600 students have to resit maths alongside their other studies. This year grade boundaries have gone up by around 10 marks from last year and 1100 are having to retake, with 9 maths teachers.

Agreed, my son really struggles with maths despite school interventions and tution and didn’t pass. I would have thought private school students mostly would, as they are on the whole selective.

Perfect storm of issues, including attendance.

Attendance in secondary schools 22/23 - sits at 85%.

Persistent absence ( pupils who attend less than 90% of time) - 28.3%.

DD had tutoring since 6 she's 14 now she's still very unlikely to pass. She started at a non selective private school 18 months ago.

The examination system really needs rethinking for SEN pupils in fact the whole school system does.

Only 22% !

The school ds was offered a place at, 59% of boys failed maths GCSE. The girls pass rate (72%) pulled the overall figure back up, but it was enough to make me look elsewhere.

That's how the system is designed. It is impossible for 100% to pass, that's the whole point of changing grade boundaries, they essentially cap the number that can pass.

The system is fundamentally flawed when it comes to the compulsory GCSEs that employers insist on having a passing grade for (specifically English and Maths).

The passing grade should be a constant measure - we need to know if the person can use Maths or English at a functional level acceptable for employment, not how well they can do Maths or English in comparison to people who sat the exam at the same time as them.

Anything above a pass should go through comparative boundaries to help establish who should be studying different courses for further development - but there's an awful lot of people out there who only need Maths/English GCSE to get their foot in the door for a job or apprenticeship. The basic attainment for that should be a fixed point in the scale.

I’m surprised it’s not higher actually, given the poor maths provision in the UK.

@LittleLegsKeepGoing I agree.

The proportions are set before kids sit the exams. We know that the proportion of kids getting a 4+ was slightly higher than 2019 even though we also know (from National Reference Tests) that this year's cohort were worse at maths than the 2019 cohort.

Comparable outcomes masks declining performance.

But it is fixed, more or less. Boundaries don't move that much. When you consider a four can be as low as 25% in maths that is pretty low. Whether those kids who struggle should be taken out earlier and channeled into functional maths is a debate long held, but always comes against the barrier if being discriminatory, holding kids back. We obviously need a rethink.

When you consider a four can be as low as 25% in maths that is pretty low.

Only because you are talking about the Higher tier paper that doesn't go below a 3 and has to go up to a 9. On the foundation paper it is around 60% or so.

It's designed as a bell curve. That many have to get below a 4. It sucks. I do not tell my students this.

Is it always around 22%?

It’s a tough one

@Sickoffamilydrama

Not for all sen students, I fought for my dd to be mainstream educated because the sen offerings were not suitable for independent living beyond childhood, no track record of exams etc. my DD's both are on the sen register yet both achieved excellent grades at gcse. SEN isn't a one sized fits all so if you divert sen students away from mainstream qualifications it can ruin future life chances. (Which is what her specialist wanted to do)

It's not fixed though. A passing grade on the advanced paper in Maths is completely different to a passing grade on the intermediate paper and here in Wales if you sit the foundation paper you can't even reach the passing grade. Bring in the bell curve and it just produces an inconsistent standard for what a 'pass' looks like in the two core subjects that are gatekeepers for almost all future opportunities.

Plus I'm gobsmacked that you can get a passing grade of 4 from only around the 25% mark. My daughter failed to get a C this year on a mark of 58% so is currently resitting Maths alongside her full time (5 days a week, 6 hours a day) course. It's even worse that devolution means there isn't a consistent standard across the UK anymore.

There really needs to be an overhaul from this perspective at least.

It’s heartbreaking to see kids faces with assessments that are too hard for them starting with SATs at y2. We need a system that measures individual best ability fairly. Sadly, the government and the economy do not value these kids.

There are only two papers in England, Higher and Foundation, which is why the boundary for a grade 4 on the higher paper is so low.