School's bad GCSE results - how to address?

[matchingmoll]

Hello, I have a child going into Y11 - she's doing quite an unusual subject at GCSE and according to data published by the school, this year's 9-4 pass rate for this subject was calamitously low. Like, so low I would assume the teacher - who I have concerns about anyway - has failed to teach them part of the curriculum, or there's been an admin failure, something like that. It's a 50 percent fall in the pass rate, it's that bad. There's another couple of subjects that have similar issues. I need to ask about this, no? What's the best way to address it with the school and make sure that they are doing the right things / sorting whatever issues there are?

Hello, for context I’m a secondary maths teacher and my daughter got Grade 9 in dance last year so I know a bit about this. What you need to find out (from the teachers or head of faciulty perahaps creative arts) is what grade your daughter is currently on and what do they expect. I think 60% is theory with exam and the other 40% practical (or may be the other way round). The theory can be learnt and exam technique developed - so a tutor might help with this. With the practical I’m guessing she has a solo dance which will has the potential to score highly if she is a good dancer and gets good advice on how to structure it. Probably there is a pair dance (or a group one) and this perhaps relies more on a good fit with the other student.
As long as a few students got high grades last you can be reassured, as it may be the low pass rate is kids who took it and now can’t be bothered learn their solos etc and then didn’t bother with the theory. Hope this helps.

@Cheeesus 85 percent of cohort got 9-4, 75 percent of cohort got 9-4 etc. Have I misread this? I was not good at maths...
I think she should be fine with analytical bit but I will definitely go over spec, thank you. I am still not sure whether to talk to school but will have a think.

My DS does both PE and Music GCSE. A LOT of outside work required. Unlike any other subject it's really skills based. The teacher really makes a difference I think. DS's PE teacher is a bit rubbish when it comes to communicating what is needed in the performance videos. Music seems to be better and the teacher more on the ball, so it really depends, I would definitely ask the school and question those grades.
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I didn't know that about Art. I did Art O level in the 80s and it involved drawing and painting only. No analysis or written work at all.

I did Higher Art (I'm Scottish) and we did Art History as part of the course. I quite enjoyed it but I already had a History Higher so it was easy in comparison. DD1 has just done GCSE Art and I was surprised there was no art history exam but as @Foxesandsquirrels says there was a lot of art analysis in the course work which academic DD1 didn't find an issue but I can imagine would turn off kids that struggle with writing.

GCSE dance was a massive issue at the school I taught at. I recall one year when barely anyone passed. No idea if it was down to the teacher (I wouldn’t know obvs) but there was just one teacher and one quite small group. That can skew figures but I think there can be issues with this subject.

Agree it is the type of subject taken by less academic students too. Ds2 was the toppedt in PE Alevel but not in other subjects (tho he is bright). Dance is similar which may also skew things.

Yy get the spec and check through with dd.

My DD is incredibly incredibly dyslexic, had a stint in special school, has a EHCP etc. She is going to be very very lucky if she passes maths and English despite working very hard. She's doing art GCSE now and I have 0 shame in admitting that 99% of the analysis in her sketchbook was dictated by me. Is it fair? Absolutely not but it's the single lesson that keeps her enjoyment in school (alongside drama). She's also incredibly talented and there's absolutely no way I could recreate any of the art work in her book. However it means I'm very aware of what all the AO's in the mark scheme expect and it's ridiculous. It's the kind of analysis I was doing in English A Level! Maybe at A Level Art it would help but not at GCSE. Throwing some Art History would've been far more useful.

I'm a secondary music teacher.

One of the exam boards seemed to instruct their moderators to slash the coursework grades this year. It's been a nightmare. I have never been marked down in 20 years of teaching GCSE music.

So it's probably something along those lines.

Thanks for the perspective @FrippEnos and @rachrose8 and for the other comments. I think I'll have to ask a few gentle questions in the first instance.

Don't forget, 2 years ago, students were still having exam concessions due to covid. In a coursework heavy subject like Dance, these could have been pretty significant. Grade boundaries were also lower in comparison to last year and this year. IMO, you would have to go back to 2019 results to have a fair comparison with this year.

If you are worried, I would have a chat with the school. As a form tutor, I once had a student who unfortunately was not able to pass GCSE Dance as she seriously damaged her knee at the start of Y11, and effectively could no longer do the sort of skills required- I don't know all the details, but I felt really sorry for her. Obviously this won't apply to a whole cohort, but 2-3 students with long term injury or illness could have a major impact on a small cohort.

AFAIK Dance also only has one exam paper- potentially if there was some kind of issue during the exam, this could have had a major impact (E.G. we once had an exam where a student started projectile vomiting in the middle of it, which obviously massively put off the students around her!).

If it's a one off blip, I wouldn't be super concerned, but hopefully the school may be able to put your mind at rest!

If 85% of the cohort got 4-9 then that is 17 out of the 20? Which seems ok?

DD took dance a few years ago, tiny cohort. She got a 4. All other grades 7-9. She could retain information and analyse etc, as evidenced by other essay based subjects, and she danced to a reasonably high level outside school, (can't remember exactly what but points towards ucas, she'd danced since she was 3, 7 disciplines a week at 16). She was one of most experienced dancers in her cohort. It was an extra Gcse, done in core pe time, so in one sense it really didn't matter but it didn't reflect her ability.

I hope you get some explanation and feel more confidence in the teaching

@Dragonsandcats 85 percent was 2 years ago. This year is more like 25.
@Postapocalypticcowgirl I think the Covid change is definitely an issue but it still seems like a huge decline.
@PandaG thanks - not an extra GCSE alas. I wish it was.

Ah sorry I didn’t read your message properly! No 25% is awful, I’d be very concerned too. I think the theory side is likely to be more important than the practical- can you look up mark schemes and review past papers with her to help?

it may just be the cohort. Dance is often considered less academic and as such attracts those working at lower grades - but those same kids may struggle with the theory.

That's not been an absolute given in previous years and it's not a given in my kid's year either, from what I know. It's been taken reasonably seriously and I know a few "academic" kids who have taken it. But this isn't about the subject and its perceived "softness" really - it's about bad results in that subject. I still can't think of a good reason for 75 percent of kids basically not passing unless it's the teaching?
@Dragonsandcats It is awful. I will definitely be going over that stuff where I can. But I still feel the school need to be addressing it with some urgency.
I fear I am going to have to go in and ask questions.

Arty subjects and pe aren't always taken by the less academic. In my DS's music GCSE class there are about a dozen kids and apparently they are the "nerdy" ones according to DS and they all happen to be in top set for maths too.
I think a lot depends on the school and the teacher.

I know a school where they let anyone who wanted to, do the Music GCSE- without being able to play an instrument or read music

What on earth have schools been doing in 9 years of music lessons if they haven't taught children to play or to read music?

The national curriculum includes playing instruments at key stages 1-3 and reading
staff notation at key stages 2 and 3.

Obviously those who do a lot of extra curricular music are likely to be more proficient players and to read music more fluently than their classmates, but there should be no children who can't read music or play an instrument by the end of year 9.

Yup well that what the national curriculum says but in reality it often doesn't happen. Primary schools often don't have a music specialist so they rely on resources such as Charanga and a teacher who might be able to play a few notes on a recorder.

And playing an instrument? The school I worked in had a guitar tutor they paid for for a class guitar lesson which the year 4 children had for a term in year 4. And in my experience this is not the norm.

My girls barely tapped a tambourine in primary school.

Schools just do not have the funding for specialist teachers- not all primary school teachers play instruments to a high enough level to teach and even if they did, schools can't afford 30 clarinets, violins, etc for a class to learn on. Y the time they get to secondary it is often group lessons on a keyboard with two sharing.

Grade 5 is the standard recommended for GCSE. No way would most kids get to that level with class based lessons!

You couldn't even pass a grade 1 exam with just school music lessons! I've seen the musical notation etc that my kids were doing at year 9 and it was basic. Yes, to get the best mark in a GCSE performance you need to be at grade 5 level. The curriculum just does not allow this, you HAVE to have paid for lessons. My DS is doing music gcse and even then, the pieces they play for assessment are prepared for outside of class, with private lessons, there is no teaching of the pieces in class, that they actually do for their actual exam! Can't imagine any other subject being run like that. PE to an extent, as my DS does that too, but at least they do train for sports during the lesson and can be assessed on that.

I think in almost all schools music and art are predominantly taken by the academic kids. PE is the anomaly, and is usually taken by the less academic side of the cohort.

I think the problem is that some schools don't take music seriously enough as a subject.

Many (especially primary) seem to take the view that as long as everyone is joining in and enjoying themselves everything is fine, even if the children aren't actually learning anything.

Unfortunately this is nothing new. When I was at secondary school in the 1970s I didn't have the option to take music O level because for a few years there was not a single music teacher at my school.

My mother wrote to the headmaster to complain about the lack of music provision. At the time I was deeply embarrassed but she was absolutely right!

PE is the anomaly, and is usually taken by the less academic side of the cohort.

Yes even though, it is 70% written assessment, covering a lot of Biology.

PE, Art, DT/Technology, Drama, and dance are all subjects where less academic, SEND and often badly behaved pupils are shoved into as SLT and often the SENDCO/Pastoral staff have no idea what the subjects entail.
And as they are the bottom bucket progress 8 have less of an impact on school results data.
They are frankly the subjects that SLT do not care about.

I agree that music is usually more able students but at my school at least, PE and art were subjects where less academic students genuinely had their chance to shine. That’s a positive I think. Art was particularly well taught and supported.

All that aside tho @matchingmoll a figure if just 25% passing is a concern. Worth raising even if only to check that nothing was missed that your dd should pick up. But with a small group it might be a cohort thing. What is DD’s pg?

I totally disagree about PE - it’s got a lot of science and is the preferred subject for physiotherapist at uni

the sports side may be easier if a kid is sporty but a third is human physiology