Finishing Y11 content

[YesYesKitten]

One of DD's Y11 subjects is so behind that they are slotting in an extra c.12 hours of lessons and even then they won't finish content until just the lesson before the first exams in mid-May.

Whereas other subjects aim to finish before Easter.

The teacher said other schools sometimes tell pupils to cover content themselves as they've run out of time - is this anyone's experience?

The current science specs are not designed to be taught to mixed ability classes. The assumption is the keen/most able scientists will do triple, those with good English/maths skills but maybe not such a strong interest in science would do higher, and anyone expecting a 5 or below would probably do foundation. Yes, you may have a middle set where some are aiming for 6 and some are aiming for 4, and may sit different papers, but it isn't workable to teach the current spec to a class where some would be aiming for a 2/3 and some aiming for an 8/9.

I'm not saying this is good or desirable, but this is the way the syllabus is designed, and the way Gove et al wanted it to be designed during the curriculum reforms.

Exam boards and the DfE understand teachers find certain qualifications very content heavy, but that was done on purpose with the intention of "raising standards".

Don't forget as well, snow days, we closed a few years ago due to red weather warning for a storm, schools can also end up closing due to power cuts, burst pipes, flooding etc- I can't think of a year recently where my school didn't close unexpectedly for at least a day for one reason or another.

Plus if you see a class on Mondays or Fridays, you tend to get hit disproportionately with bank holidays, inset days etc. That's maybe 3-4 missed lessons a year before you've even started worrying about anything else!

Tbf, as a biology teacher, I do remember once being in a planning meeting where our HoD had printed off a commercial scheme of work for us to adapt- the biology one was nearly twice as thick compared to chemistry and physics. Physics especially (which I have taught at GCSE) is easy to get through with a high ability class who is good at substituting into and rearranging formulae- once they've got that skill, you don't need to reteach it. In biology, there's obviously less maths content, but equally there's less repetition of it as well and there's less skills we can just carry through.

We always aim to finish by Easter, but biology is normally the last science to finish- if I teach Y11 multiple subjects, then I'll usually "steal" a few from the faster subject around February time, so that we finish at roughly the same time.

I do also agree we're not scheduled enough hours- English Lit and Language are 2 GCSEs, as is double award- so surely we should have the same number of hours on the timetable? But apparently not...

That's interesting @Newbutoldfather . Triple science was sold as invite only but DD has been surprised that they have allowed academically weaker students to take it.

Triple science,if offered at all, should be offered to all that have a real interest in Science, it comes in Foundation and Higher tier for that reason.

They offer single sciences at foundation level so I don't think it's an exact rule [ETA that triple sci is only for the highest achieving]

There are lots of potential reasons besides mixed ability classes. For DD they had a lack of science teachers compounded by strikes. They were reduced to teaching science lecture style in the hall. It was stressful. The worst bit was she was set so much sci homework over Easter that she basically didn't get to revision that holiday. Her sci results were great in the end - 899 - but I think there was a knock on impact on her stress levels and her prep for other subjects.

They should move back to a single science option.

It's crazy expecting kids with zero interest in science to take all 3 and use up so many blocks on the timetable when they could take other subjects they have more interest in.

Schools also all seem to insist on teaching Higher level and then making a decision about Foundation post Feb mocks. By which time weaker students are overwhelmed and disheartened.

Don't you think that's where double science is a winner tho @OhCrumbsWhereNow ?

I really wish that had existed when I took my exams – to take what I wanted, I had to drop a science which means my physics knowledge is really weak sadly.

It's not though. It's 6 hours of lessons a week.

If you have zero interest in sciences then why not take one science and another option.

It's far too content heavy.

DD (severely SEN) has already worked out that a pass is out of reach without compromising her other grades and so has basically given it up. Attends lessons but fully expects a 1/1 in August.

I've told her just to focus on all the others where she's likely to be getting 7-9 grades.

I only did Biology and have never found my lack of Chemistry a handicap in life.

Have Triple (as always existed)
Combined for those who want to do all 3 but less in depth
Single - for those who aren't interested or just want to do the one.

I know so many schools where kids have been without teachers for months and in some cases years.

Schools where they can't recruit so are teaching the whole year group lecture style.

Current GCSE year missed all science practicals due to Covid in Y7/Y8 (and how do you do practicals with everyone in a lecture style class, or with supply teachers baby sitting?)

Our history teacher teaches up to the wire every year but her results are absolutely top notch and it works for her. She does everything thoroughly. It's seriously impressive to watch her work.

I aim to be done by February half term usually - I teach English - but my current set are extremely low ability and have challenging behaviour so I still have three outstanding poems to do after half term. I'm starting lunchtime and after school revision this week though. Staying on track with the volume of content is challenging. I dream of an overhaul.

A few on modern but that’s not the usual way. The A Level texts definitely stayed the same due to Covid and they’re now struggling with questions as hadn’t planned this selection to be on so long.

Yes English usually gets more (but Science is given enough at my place) but not always. I worked out recently that over the 5 years we get a whole year less teaching time than the girls’ school down the road.

If by 'teaching up to the wire', you mean planned teaching of new content right up to the onset of GCSEs @CilantroLarry, there are obviously risks: no slack for unanticipated issues and, perhaps more crucially, the potential crowding out of other subjects in terms of a student's finite capacity to consolidate and prepare for the GCSE exam season as a whole. This is even more important these days as, compared with my O levels, exams are shorter but there are more individual exams per subject and so less time to 'draw breath' during the exam period itself.

@Postapocalypticcowgirl ,

I think you underestimate how much content there is in Physics.

There is a fair bit of knowledge in Physics and the applications are more than just rearranging simple formulae.

Of course, teaching very strong pupils is easy and, in Physics, there is less to remember than biology (one reason I did my degree in it!) but, equally, for pupils with a strong memory but less logical ability, biology is far easier than Physics.