The Fifteenth Republic - A Level and GCSE Results storm coming!

[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

[MrsHamlet]

I assumed they'd purely be administrative with a checklist to follow so Doris who normally works in the post room, and Bob the CEO can do it.

[SaltyAndFresh]

I think with the scale of the fuck up they're going to need a lot more warm bodies than they've got available, especially with GCSE.

[MrsHamlet]

I was asked about November marking, which I do every year, but I've heard nothing since. I wonder how many people will be available for that, let alone this.

[Hercwasonaroll]

I really think GCSEs won't be so bad. In part because they are 9-1 not A*-E and in part because they are such big cohorts.

There will be unfairness on the borderlines but I think for most students if they have passed and got into college it won't be worth appealing a 5 to 6 or 8 to 9 for example.

[StationView]

Hercwasonaroll I was furloughed by CAIE. We were offered an ex gratia payment initially, but when the govt extended furlough, CAIE said the scheme now applied to us. Should get paid end of this month. I think AQA have behaved appallingly and hope nobody marks for them ever again

[SaltyAndFresh]

Thing is @StationView I regard my marking as my early retirement plan (and by early I mean 60). I really don't want to work for them again but it takes a lot of work and some luck to get a senior post. I'm hoping I'd be an APE by then so I wouldn't have to do much other work. I know I'm a sellout.

[MrsHamlet]

I also worry that if experienced seniors don't mark, inexperienced ones will always fill the gaps. I've had diabolical people on my teams in the past and I'd hate to think they'd be the majority.

[Hercwasonaroll]

AQA did initially say they would furlough everyone then the government scheme didn't cover the contract type. Pearson apparently looked into furlough and found the same thing.

CAIE perhaps have a different type of contract otherwise everyone who marks should be getting furlough pay.

As naff as the boards can be, furlough would have benefitted them over paying an ex gratia payment so they have an incentive to check properly.

[SaltyAndFresh]

@MrsHamlet

I also worry that if experienced seniors don't mark, inexperienced ones will always fill the gaps. I've had diabolical people on my teams in the past and I'd hate to think they'd be the majority.

Quite. I really think it's time to stop recruiting non-teaching examiners (except for retirees who've been marking for years).

[StationView]

Oh Salty, I realise that people rely on the money & was just being hyperbolic. All the best with making it to APE

[Hercwasonaroll]

Yes non teachers need to stop marking (apart from the hugely experienced ones).

Marking will become the next teach first style bandwagon where people do a couple of years and stop.

[MrsHamlet]

And also ones who've never taught the specification or the subject!!!

[noblegiraffe]

The government initiative will point to guidance, endorsed by Public Health England, that ensures schools are Covid-secure.

Public Health England are an arm of the government so this is like saying ‘we have marked our own homework and got 100%’

[noblegiraffe]

I really think GCSEs won't be so bad. In part because they are 9-1 not A*-E and in part because they are such big cohorts.

The problem here is that the algorithm isn’t being applied at a national level, it’s being applied at a school level and therefore the cohorts for many subjects are going to be fairly small and there are 3 more grades to distinguish between than there are at A-level.

The core subjects will be fine. The option subjects perhaps not so fine. Unless Ofqual have implemented a last minute check-and-fix on a 2+ grade drop that they should have already had in place for A-levels, we will probably again see some stupid decisions. And I don’t think Ofqual have had time to do that because it’s been all hands on deck re mocks since Gav’s announcement on Tuesday.

[Iamnotthe1]

Very true noble.

It's also interesting that they are scrapping Public Health England because its performance has been seen as "failing". They're merging it with another group and relaunching it with a rebrand.

[Hercwasonaroll]

Noble I fear you may be right about options subjects. Core will be fine inc science. Big options like History and Geography should be ok too. It'll be the smaller options that suffer.

Ofqual should have manually reviewed the 2+ drops, the U grades and the maths/further maths. How no one foresaw that is scary.

[Appuskidu]

Who can we complain to about the media consistently saying schools are safe to go back and showing stock photos with classes of 5! Even in June, we had 15!

I don’t want to fill in that complaint form (IPSO?) for each article that does it, as EVERY article does it! Where are all the stock photos of schools pre covid?! In size of 30/35?

[CountDuckulasKetchup]

Went shopping for the first time since lockdown yesterday. Went past multiple shops the same size as my classroom and none of them were allowing more than 5 or 6 customers in. The massive mountain warehouse which is easily 3 times the size of my classroom allowed 15.

The wife has subsequently accused me of ranting and hastily tries to change the subject anytime I mention it.

[WhyNotMe40]

Why does our side get tone policed, but the other doesn't?
I have had a job offer from January with my previous (not teaching) employer..... I am so sick of being piled on for my profession.

[motherrunner]

@Iamnotthe1

Very true noble.

It's also interesting that they are scrapping Public Health England because its performance has been seen as "failing". They're merging it with another group and relaunching it with a rebrand.

From Twitter:

Mike Fergus Flag of Scotland
@Mike_Fergus
First story I read in the headlines - #backtoschoolsafely using data from Public Health England. Second story - Govt. to axe PHE for poor handling of Covid 19 outbreak

[TheHoneyBadger]

Shame phe can’t axe government and put old Chris W in charge.

Think staff was a bit optimistic when she thought we’d get to gcse on this thread. A level shitstorm has filled it.

[Appuskidu]

It’s just so random.

Government: PHE say schools are safe so get back to school (yet they then want to axe PHE).

Government: Nick Gibb says the A levels are fair (and start new task force into proving the fairness of the A levels, to be led by...Nick Gibb!

[FrippEnos]

I wonder if the scrapping of PHE is to do with the report where the scientists came out and said older children should wear masks.

Seems strange that this should happen about a week after they rebelled.

[CarrieBlue]

Keir Starmer thinks schools are perfectly safe - Daily Fail article which I won’t link to. Who do I vote for in the future now?