The Thirty-ninth Republic - Covid Carnage continues and spring term is just about to start

[SantaAssociationRepresentitve]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff only – a sort of room of requirement. Baiters, haters, goaders, 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 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

Do not give the staffroom password just in case it attracts the wrong sort

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 booze is stashed - Thirsty Tuesdays, Fizz Fridays now in operation.

If you come with a stick to goad us then that is not allowed in the staffroom and you will receive a detention

Well my yr 11s have practically finished their NEA and we have a mock mock from October (they haven't had to isolate at all until one of them did in the last week of term). We are really lucky although case rates in catchment area off the scale now.

@Piggywaspushed

Were your schools not all planning on the assumption exams would be cancelled? Ours has been . their plans are beyond shit but they ahve been planning.

Yes thats why I knew I was only allowed a certain number of 9s etc.

@Piggywaspushed

Were your schools not all planning on the assumption exams would be cancelled? Ours has been . their plans are beyond shit but they ahve been planning.

We have been too

@Piggywaspushed

Were your schools not all planning on the assumption exams would be cancelled? Ours has been . their plans are beyond shit but they ahve been planning.

Nope. Discussion today in the dept revealed that some people haven't marked any paper 2 stuff - we've been teaching it for a month. We're a wing and a prayer sort of dept.

That is very silly. My A level class were stuffed by the algorithm. Thankfully not permanently.

I am assuming kids will be back and schools may be asked to have some kind of 'robust' assessments around Easter.

My concern is NEA.

Just wondering what'll happen to DD's mocks which had been moved back a week to next week......

She thinks they should just be cancelled, obvs....

All will be well saucery

@Piggywaspushed

Were your schools not all planning on the assumption exams would be cancelled? Ours has been . their plans are beyond shit but they ahve been planning.

You can’t give maths work a grade. It needs thorough exams and proper grade boundaries. We didn’t have Y10 exams and our Y11s mocks have been screwed by isolations.

I still feel sad from last year a boy I gave a 9 to was moved to an 8 and he thinks it was me. He even emailed. I couldn't tell him. I have nightmares about it. When I retire I am telling him. 🙈

@Piggywaspushed

Why are you only 'allowed' a certain number of grades?

Dennis Sherwood would love this!

Last time, I was told to lower grades for my very bright triple scientists, because we were too far over progress 8. I could evidence every single grade I was giving (6 of them got 9s in their mocks), but apparently that wasn't good enough.

I wish I'd stood up for them more, given the final outcome.

Yeah, I get maths is different . DH doesn't agree with you though! He reckons he knows what grades his will all get...

I think DS's Spanish and business were moved from 9 to 8. Still got 8s though. He'll live! His music was probably not going to be a 5 with the awful algorithm.

@RigaBalsam

I still feel sad from last year a boy I gave a 9 to was moved to an 8 and he thinks it was me. He even emailed. I couldn't tell him. I have nightmares about it. When I retire I am telling him. 🙈

It was horrible wasn’t it!? This also happened with the fake random grades the ‘algorithm’ gave and I wasn’t allowed to reply to the pupil emails in case I harmed any appeal. I just don’t want to have to do this again...

See, what we don't really have in literacy subjects is 'proper grade boundaries'. They are massive moveable feasts.

Dennis Sherwood really is fascinating on this.

Agree Chloe. Piggy who is this Dennis? Intrigued.

I am hoping they have learned lessons re CAGs. Like trusting teachers.

Oh. Wait.

@RigaBalsam

I still feel sad from last year a boy I gave a 9 to was moved to an 8 and he thinks it was me. He even emailed. I couldn't tell him. I have nightmares about it. When I retire I am telling him. 🙈

It felt really cruel. Some of mine were dropped in favour of "on paper" better kids.

@Piggywaspushed

I am hoping they have learned lessons re CAGs. Like trusting teachers.

Oh. Wait.

Fool!

Sherwood has done work for HEPI (I may have that worng... ) . He is the guy who a few years back evidenced the inaccuracy of exam marking , especially in history and English. He has done MoreOrLess or whatever it is called many times.

He sent me his podcast a while back. It is probably on about the 18th Republic! He is fab.

If they do cancel exams what about the BTECs, first one on Wednesday...

That might be why they ahve to announce tonight. Otherwise they'd leave it til - oh- April.

Welsh schools are moving to online learning until the 18th January.

When you report posters/threads, what do you write?
I've started just being me... I've reported one just now with "enough already"

@Piggywaspushed

Sherwood has done work for HEPI (I may have that worng... ) . He is the guy who a few years back evidenced the inaccuracy of exam marking , especially in history and English. He has done MoreOrLess or whatever it is called many times.

He sent me his podcast a while back. It is probably on about the 18th Republic! He is fab.

Will have a look. Thanks

I point out how it contravenes their rules and often cite a prior example . They can't argue with evidence!