TAGs hell

[GrammarTeacher]

It's going to be carnage. We've only just started and I already feel like I'm drowning. Anxiety is through the roof. It feels like it's a giant set up so we take the blame when it goes worse than last year and no one in authority seems to be considering letting us know anything about next year before it's too late to help.
And no one outside of education seems to know this is going on.
Disclaimer: I'm exhausted after second vaccine so may be more emotional than usual but genera sentiment stands.

Completely agree we are being set up to take the fall.

I think the whole thing is a bloody disgrace.

@GrammarTeacher

It's going to be carnage. We've only just started and I already feel like I'm drowning. Anxiety is through the roof. It feels like it's a giant set up so we take the blame when it goes worse than last year and no one in authority seems to be considering letting us know anything about next year before it's too late to help. And no one outside of education seems to know this is going on. Disclaimer: I'm exhausted after second vaccine so may be more emotional than usual but genera sentiment stands.

100%. Said this since the beginning.

It's a shambles

I feel like Easter is a distant memory! The first week and a half has been completely manic (I am aHoD). Just organising the papers/special arrangements/timings has been exhausting.

Started assessment at the beginning of this week and so far, haven't marked anything.

Exhausted tonight.

@PumpkinPie2016

It's a shambles

I feel like Easter is a distant memory! The first week and a half has been completely manic (I am aHoD). Just organising the papers/special arrangements/timings has been exhausting.

Started assessment at the beginning of this week and so far, haven't marked anything.

Exhausted tonight.

Same. I'm a HoD in a small-cohort subject, but even with that I'm absolutely done in.

Yup. The whole process is a complete joke at the expense of teachers. I thought I knew “teacher tired”, but TAGs are taking it to a whole new level.

The only upside is that I am too exhausted to be anxious, I am just numb and probably very close to a nervous breakdown.

And no one outside of education seems to know this is going on.

I think a major problem is that no one knows what’s going on. We’re all making it up. Exam boards don’t have a clue. Ofqual putting in more scrutiny as they become increasingly alarmed.

Schools have been given a literally impossible task because the DfE and Ofqual couldn’t come up with a solution and just passed the buck. It’s mental.

What is/are TAGs?

My school expects us to keep running assessments until they get the grades.

How do they intend to get round the fact that everyone needs the same evidence?

I'm not sure what you mean Mrs H. I'm planning a proper unseen exam but the Head said today to carry on in lessons with 'open book' assessments. I guess he wants us to submit the best work they do. Obviously I want students to get the best results they can but there's comes a point when we have to stop assessing them and accept some never did any work or revision.

Also the marking load of the kids basically doing an exam a week for 6 weeks is insane!!!!

The assessments should be the same across the group - and if they're not, there's a form to complete for every one that isn't.

I can't find the page in the JCQ documents but this is on the gov site

Argh... this

Open book? But why! It's not even helpful given how little time they have to write. How on Earth can open book results be compared to Closed book. Total and utter shambles!

I am a teacher at one school and have a daughter in year 13 at another school. My school I feel bullied by the head teacher . What a joke - we told them what section of the course we were examining them on. We told them basically what the questions were going to be . We have been told to drop boundaries so they all get As and A*. It is so wrong. Then at my daughters school they have to sit full exams no guidance ( although I find out tonight that one teacher told the boys what the topic of the source question for History was going to be but not the whole class ) . They are using 2019 grade boundaries. What a joke.

How can this be fair. I am giving grades I don’t agree with but have comply or else. My daughter will not get into university but some students who have done no work at all will get As due to head teacher pressure.

I feel like crying for my daughter who has to learn two years worth of work while at my school they only need to learn one month worth of work .

I hear you Zpegleg. We have it across departments in our school too. Some depts giving students the questions beforehand and repeated chances to write the exam, encouraged by the head, I'm trying to be robust and ethical. There's a real split between departments on this. Head just wants amazing grades as he's new and wants to show he's 'turned the school around'.

Zpegleg - unless your school historically gets 100% As and A*s their approach is going to come back to bite them as this year's data should stand up to scrutiny against the school's pre-2020 results profile.

A wildly different bell curve will have the exam boards sniffing round demanding all your evidence and paperwork produced to arrive at the results. It's a bold move by your school!

Without seeing your thread I have just commented on another with exactly the same point. I feel it’s a set up. It feels threatening at the moment and I’m so stressed I’ve had enough. I don’t know how much support others are getting from their schools but I am getting precisely zero - but what we are getting are constant changes to the procedures. I feel so anxious it’s made me question my whole career to be honest and it’s definitely sent me over the edge to find a new place of work.