I'm a teacher and was asked to declare if my child is sitting A-levels this year - anyone else?

[chuckingitin]

Just that, really (and thought I'd post on here for more chance of a response).

I'm a humanities teacher in a secondary school and this year I was asked to register if I had a child sitting A-levels (not specifically in my subject).

This didn't happen when my DC were doing GCSEs so wondered if this is something new?

And why would they need to know that one of my children is taking A-levels?

One of my friends is a school exams officer and has to hand in her phone if her DC is doing an exam (so obviously they must have asked her!)

So interesting and who ever mentioned research on outcomes of teachers' kids, I remember seeing a post on something similar on MN recently.

Referring to the freedom of request to Oxford - 9% of offer holders had teachers as parents!!

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/admission_statistics_on_occupati

I didn't think of it but really good point

This doesn’t surprise me at all.

I went to the Cambridge college that takes the highest percentage of state school
applicants. Teacher was by far the most common parental job.

Really, that's so interesting. Not sure if there is a similar Freedom of Information Request for Cambridge but sounds as if it would be the same as Oxford then.

This, I’m a teacher and get asked this ever year.

Asked by who?

But it's to be expected. Teachers generally have a passion for learning, which they pass on to their children by engaging with them, reading with them, taking them to museums, places of interest, cultural experiences, galleries, etc. Teachers are likely to encourage their children in self-directed educational experiences - making up stories, creative play, writing, etc, because they understand the value of these experiences on child development.

Teachers are also degree level (or higher) educated professionals, which is generally a predictor for good educational achievement by their children. Finally, the long holidays enable teacher parents to spend much more time with their children, supporting them in learning experiences that may not be available in a childcare setting.

Page 11&12 of the JCQ regs explain why this happens:

www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Gen_regs_approved_centres_22-23_FINAL.pdf

By the exams officer (or presumably someone in exams team such as SLT link etc) at the school you work at.
Must keep a record as per JCQ regulations.

That must be challenging at schools in small towns like where I went to school. Quite a few teachers had children around my age. Though it probably didn't matter back then, and maybe thry could arrange invigilation swaps or similar with schools in nearish towns.

Everyone has to sign a letter of declaration. You may mark papers?

Our entire staff was asked via email about GCSEs. Those of us with children sitting them are unable to invigilate within one of the school buildings or at students' homes (EBSA provision).

My mum was the exams officer at the school I sat my A Level exams at (admittedly that was about 15 years ago). She was never asked/didn't have to hand in her phone/keys/stop doing her job at any point during that period. Nor did she pass on any details of the exam papers to me (the envelopes they come in are sealed and aren't even opened until the morning of the exam) so this is a new and odd rule to me.

I guess it makes sense, though I've not been asked before. I guess there must be a source to all these leaked papers that there are reports about every year but I assumed that applied to teachers with access to exam papers which I don't have.

One thing I do remember that was a bit tricky was that my mum had access to my GCSE results several hours before they were released to students (In those days, the results slips were couried to the school very early on results day morning, had to be checked before being put into envelopes, and SLT helped with that as they were onsite for results day).

Mum did say I could come with her in the morning, and collect my results early (the only perk of being the deputy's daughter!), but I wanted to go with my friends and refused. We had an almighty row about it the night before results day.....