The fourteenth republic - watching Scotland and ever changing DfE guidelines

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff. Baiters and bashers can jog on somewhere else.

If you are NOT staff and just have a general education query please start your own thread.

You can play here only if you are a member of one the following groups-

-ABBA - anti bashers and baiting association
-SWAB - school workers against bashers
-SWOT - school workers opposing teacherbashers
-STARS - schoolworkers together against ranting + slurs

Other requirements for staff room entry include the ability to find the staff room, the ability to find a clean mug in the staff room, knowledge of the photocopier codes, and the ability to sniff out where the toffee vodka is hidden.

If you are fed up with cakes and biscuits there is now a cheeseboard on offer

If you come with a stick to beat us with then please do so elsewhere and not in the staffroom

I’m sorry, Lidlfix. It’s so shit for all the young people who should have been able to do their best within the system they expected to face.

Sorry about the results it's rubbish.

Even the retakes as I understand it are an issue. As in England they will have from results to oct to study but that is a very long time since march to remember what they did. (They were maybe 8w away from lockdown). But then might have 8w to study to retake but, as i say a long gap and also the emotions of dealing with the unfairness of it and 'not passing'. Whilst maybe friends carry on. And obviously that can happen in a normal year but at leadt the redult would have been your own responsibility.
(And i would probably struggle to settle to study knowing it could be cancelled again). Not to mention lots of mixing in the exam rooms.

Ive just seen another GP going down to pick up from holiday club. I cant see them not doing this in Sept.

Calling things safe with bubbles etc leads some to believe them.

Sorry Lidl it's such an awful process.

Reading on the scottish thread some posters seem to know what the teacher predicted. Did anyone else get told it would be gross misconduct to discuss your predictions as we were warned three times.

Copied this text from a fb post doing the rounds:

For parents worried their kids won’t be able to wear masks for long periods of time this Fall, try this rule for your last few weeks of summer: You’re only allowed screen time if you’re wearing a mask. Either they will acclimate quickly, or you’ll get them off devices for the last weeks of their summer. I’ve got my money on them acclimating and your kid’s teacher having a much easier first week of school.

Our school made very clear staff were not to discuss or allude anything about predictions to students and when results came in weren’t to question them or undermine those results in any way.

Reading on the scottish thread some posters seem to know what the teacher predicted. Did anyone else get told it would be gross misconduct to discuss your predictions as we were warned three times.

We got told this repeatedly. However the kids can ask after results and you have to tell them. Their request can be verbal and should be passed on to SLT. SLT should then respond in writing.

Oh really Herc we are not allowed to say anything at all and have to refer them to an initial letter sent out.

www.google.com/amp/s/schoolsweek.co.uk/how-to-prepare-for-what-could-be-the-summer-of-subject-access-requests/amp/

Ahhh interesting. Thanks Herc

Oh yes I won't be telling them. I mean the school has to tell them. Sorry worded that really badly! They are definitely entitled to know their CAG and rank position.

It is different in Scotland though because they had some actual test and coursework that was marked and used and Scottish schools stills end in predicted grades every year. I am sure lidl knows more.

I can't see those resit exams not being disrupted by the virus either!

Sorry about the results Lidl , that's rough. 😩

@Piggywaspushed I am thinking that about the resits

@Piggywaspushed No coursework was marked this year. The National 5 had been sent off and initially SQA said they would be marked, but then changed their minds. My Higher and Advanced Higher was packaged up ready to go when the schools closed. I am using some Higher work as evidence for appeals.

Ah, OK. I obviously didn't see the U Turn!

How downgraded, Lidl? One grade or more? Is that two schools or were your children at the same school as you? I am so worried for my son’s results.

I reckon most of my y13s would know what I'd have predicted them as pre-covid cancellations we'd had plenty of chats about what I thought they'd get. Particularly after the mocks, some got an A* in the mock so it'd be odd if I predicted them lower...

What has made me angry about the results is the reporting that teachers overinflated the grades.

As if anyone would now.

Besides the real issue is how little teachers are trusted in that 25% of the grades where put down. That should be what the media and parents should be questioning.

The exam boards need to put there algorithms out there so that they can be transparent about this.

On the flip side fripp it is highly unlikely that this year's cohort will have done that much better than last year. Is it fair to award whatever the teacher predicted? I know some SLT changed grades, I don't even know what they sent off for my qualification (frustratingly).

Are the algorithms for grade boundaries on normal exams made public?

To be quite honest I don't think exam results are accurate anyway year on year!

So how will resits work in terms of subject content? Presumably they will examine all content even though they might not have finished the course? For y13 I only had one topic left to teach, but it was the toughest one, will be a right bar steward for them to teach themselves and always, always comes up. It's conceivable that other classes might have finished early. I always used to, and then spent ages revising, before I realised that revising made me want to throttle someone so I take longer on each topic now. GCSE I also had a topic left. Again, other schools, particularly ones with three year GCSEs, might have finished.
Even aside from workload issues, I'd be really reluctant to provide revision sessions for this as it's just adding extra contacts.

Piggy do you mean in terms of marking being inaccurate, algorithms for grade boundaries being incorrect, or them not reflecting the students?

Resits will presumably be the papers written for the may/June series. No content reduced but coursework doesn't count (if I remember correctly). For most students it won't be worth bothering. I suspect tiny resit requests.

I think the first two, although I know less about the grade boundaries. That moreorless guy did a whole thing last year on the inaccuracy in History and English which suddenly this year, everyone has conveniently forgotten about!