Year 11 - 2024/2025: Half way, half baked, half term!

[QueenMabby]

Continuation of the year 11 support thread. Go!

I'm hoping for positive feedback about Physics AQA higher when I see my DC1 later. Glad to hear others saying it was an ok exam.

I've had mixed feedback so far about all the other exams, and DC is terrible at exams in general so we're just hoping for a solid pass in 5 subjects so they can stay for sixth form. It's really frustrating because they perform really well in class but crumble in the exam hall.

DC2 reported that RS yesterday was good, but hard to apply religion to a lot of the questions which were more ethics and very general. Will see in August how that went!

See this argument. I read though that for Eng lit, for example, correlations not hugely dissimilar. MFL v similar to physics with GCSE as A level grade predictor. Is there a reason it is a bigger deal for STEM if stats are similar??

DD said combined physics higher was "very good".

Dreaded English tomorrow then a very welcome half term break!

new here.

DD is doing the Foundation Combined Science trilogy physics paper, but she won't tell me much about it, so if anyone's kid is a bit more expressive i'd appreciate it xD

This is just a personal view, but wrt picking A levels, I think that if you’re very good at languages/Arts/Humanities, you often spend more time studying (reading around the subject etc), whereas people with high ability in STEM can spend less time studying because they can just “get” it immediately.
I do like the idea of a single combined science GCSE. There are definitely people who know at 14 that they can’t do/don’t like science, but we should all have a basic understanding of how the world works, and the sort of issues that affect our daily lives/wider society. (When I did GCSE, you were only allowed to do General Science if you weren’t expected to get more than a C.)
Meanwhile, DPs didn’t have a science O level between them, though they both did 3 languages. But that was in the good old days.

Pre-reform there was a single science option.
I think 'Progress8' requires combined.

I think Single Science offered to lower achievers would be good.
I don't think the current GCSE set up works for the lowest 25% (or more).

Doesn't even have to be low achievers.

No reason why it couldn't be on offer for those who just aren't interested in science enough to want to pick it as more than a single option. And who are interested in a lot of other options that they can't take because someone thinks they would be better off in Chemistry (with a cover teacher and a worksheet).

If you know you don't fancy doing Art/History/Geography/DT etc at 14, no reason why you wouldn't know that you don't fancy more than one block a week of science.

The P8 thing is interesting and I suspect what is actually behind it.

But it's true that A levels are a bit of a game and it’s about playing to your strengths. Which subjects will get you the highest grades? Probs a good idea to take those

DD2 taking that approach her three best subjects but the college maths teacher did try and steer her in physics direction - which had no chance - so she'll take a much less common combination of A-level one art base/adjacent one, one science and depending on results both maths - so hoping there are no clashes in lessons for her as they tend to like to group them into areas more at that college.

DS was talked out of chemisty A-level in favour of physics to support the maths by same teacher - but while he's not struggled had in GCSE A* in both and either would have been fine for next step - not sure he's enjoyed it as much as if he'd done chemistry.

@OhCrumbsWhereNow I take your point. However I do think science is quite core knowledge that people should experience/learn/know if they have the ability.

I think I think lower achievers should be able to do Maths, English Lang, 1 combined science and say 3 other subjects. So 6 GCSEs in total.

Yes, progress 8 requires combined sciences.
It's never made much sense to me tbh 🤷‍♀️
But none of <spits> Gove's ridiculous changes make sense to me.

Older dd took A levels in her best subjects (she got 8s)
I thought this is what everyone did?

What are people classing as lower achievers?
I don’t think I like that term.

In schools they call it lower ability.

Dd back from AQA physics higher. She said the paper was very maths heavy. That suited her as she doesn’t love physics but does enjoy maths.

thank you to the pp up-thread for the good combined/triple explanation - I get it now!

Back in the dim and distant past I was allowed to do “single science” at school in order to do two humanities. I did regret it a bit as an adult though as I’m much more interested in science now!

Email response from the lovely teacher I escalated the matter to.
She agrees it's nonsense, has removed the detention and said DS is to speak to her if anything like that happens again.
Good.

Physics was quite hard but OK he says.

I'm thinking of people like my DD.

Don't know the best term, but the less academic who massively struggle to understand, learn and retain the vast swathes of knowledge required to pass 9 GCSEs.

Less content, slower paced lessons to really understand what is being taught, less to revise, fewer exams. Make it manageable.

Another AQA separate science higher tier physics home. It was “good” (which is high praise as chemistry was “terrible” and biology “ok”). Some things that he revised in the car 15 minutes before the exam started were in it which blows my mind…still learning content practically walking into the exam 😭

DfE require that school use the terms
Lpa - low prior attainer
Mpa - medium prior attainer
Hpa - high prior attainer
So, along with progress 8 (P8) schools are also measured against attainment 8 (A8)
Just because you start secondary school as a lpa it doesn't mean you cant attain good grades.
not applicable to this years Y11 or next year as they did not sit sats in y6

GCSE results are attainment.
Achievement is more than just the final result.

A 5 shows the same level of attainment, but this may be a far greater achievement for one student than another.

Excellent outcome @rosemarble 🩵

This has really reassured me too.
My son has tiny, scruffy writing. I kept asking if we needed to consider this but was told 'no, all OK' only for it to be raised in the few weeks before. Too little, too late! He's tried to keep it legible but it's hard with so much to write.

@Whoooo I'm not saying there should be any pre-judging based on SATs.

More that when a student is at the end of y9 there should be slower paced pathways for those that look like they won't pass a full / majority set of GCSEs. The work load in y10 was a contributing factor to my DD's MH issues (before covid completely anihilated her.)

DD came back from double physics higher relatively happy (she slept a bit better last night)

Still has a bee in her bonnet about studying 3 sciences and only getting 2 GCSEs.

TBH it's been explained to me several times, stills makes no sense whatsoever. Or rather, I think it's just plain wrong!

@TeenToTwenties
I completely agree!
I don't think teachers like having to use these terms tbh

The way I look at it (after many years as a school governor for attainment and pp pupils) is that if a kid has always been a hpa and tracking as a grade 9 in KS4 then they might be understandably upset with a 7 or 8.
Whilst for a lpa pupil tracking 2s and 3s in KS4, a grade 4 is a triumph and should be celebrated as such 😊