A Christmas gift from CGS?

Eleven Plus (11+) in Devon

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

Kit
Posts: 132
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:58 am

Re: A Christmas gift from CGS?

Post by Kit »

pooplechair wrote:
Kit wrote:I don't think it's a coincidence that the announcement about the Three Year 6th going and the school expanding came less than a term after the deputy took over as acting head and the new permanent head was announced.
It happened because of the DfE decision about what would count in the school league tables for the kids currently in Y9. Nothing to do with the change of head. It was because of the DfE decision which related directly to that year.



The governing body must have known about the DfE's decision on this for around 18 months before they took action.
It was announced to schools back in July 2014 that only the new English and Maths GCSEs would count in the 2017 performance tables onwards, which will be based on a measure called progress 8.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/qual ... nce-tables" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Actually, unless I'm missing something, this year's Year 10s may cause an issue because AFAIK their GCSEs will be included in the 2017 table as they only include Year 11 children and their qualifications, whenever these were taken.

Why did they wait until Yr9's were part way through their first year of GCSE to announce in December 2015 they were immediately to change the system?

Pate's grammar had a couple of years at the very bottom of the league table even though their results are fantastic because their GCSE English or Maths (I forget which) was not approved by the DfE for inclusion. It hasn't done them any harm and they have consistently beaten CGS on the measures that are important e.g. grade per entry. They have the same KS2 score as CGS for new Year 7s which indicates a fairly similar ability intake.

Is this the only reason they gave at the GCSE evening? League tables?
pooplechair
Posts: 27
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2013 6:29 pm

Re: A Christmas gift from CGS?

Post by pooplechair »

Kit wrote:
Is this the only reason they gave at the GCSE evening? League tables?
They didn't give any reason at all at the Y8 GCSE evening. Just said this is what's happening. I do not know what they said to the Y9 parents. Each year group had different meetings.

AIUI it was only made clear in October last year that kids that had taken their GCSEs a year early and thus done the old new one not the new new one in Maths and English wouldn't count for progress 8. Before that it was understood (by teachers - my information came from a teacher who teaches in a state school in a different part of the country, not a grammar school either but one that has accelrated brighter kids in some subjects, and has also in the past allowed some kids more than one bite at the exam cherry) that while only the first entry would count (so no multiple attempts) accelerated entries wouldn't be penalised in this way. As soon as it became clear that in fact accelerated entries would be penalised in this way the writing was clearly on the wall, it seems to me. And so it came to pass just a few weeks later.

The Pates thing was an accident, and only happened once. It was because they did the English IGCSE before it was accredited. Since this was before progress 8 anyway, I think comparing the situations is like comparing apples and spanners.

Edited to add - what they did say at the Y8 GCSE evening, what the temporary head said, was that they weren't wild about changing to a 3 year KS 4 and a 2 year 6th form but that that was the way it was and that they would try and ensure that the kids got the enrichment at KS 4 that they might now miss out on in the 6th form. I didn't get any sense at all from what she said that she thought it was a great idea or that she was the one who had pushed it. There was a distinct lack of enthusiasm.
Kit
Posts: 132
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:58 am

Re: A Christmas gift from CGS?

Post by Kit »

Interesting.
I mention Pates only because they survived being at the 'bottom' of the league table as it obviously didn't reflect their actual performance at all but it seems Colyton didn't want to be in the same position.

Although I wonder what will happen with the 2017 progress 8 performance tables and this year's Year 10 GCSE who'll sit all their GCSEs in June. Colyton may be in the same position as Pate's were unless the DfE makes an exception. If they fall below the floor standards perhaps OFSTED will be visiting in 2017/18 which may be no bad thing. Who knows?
buzzard
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 12:01 am

Re: A Christmas gift from CGS?

Post by buzzard »

the ethos of the school for many years has been about maintaining its position in the league tables, not doing what is best for the young people. The school has also been inflexible for years. Those who had not experienced that previously were fortunate.

Schools are not being "forced" to introduce anything. If a 3 year 6th form was in the best interests of pupils they could continue with it even if bottom of a league table. This is simply illustrating that the changes were always about maintaining a position in league tables, never about the interests of the pupils. The reason there is a lack of enthusiasm for more change, apart from the extra work involved, is that the school will not do so well in the new tables. There are schools that refused to join in the rush to do things not in the interests of pupils just to inflate their position in the tables. Reading was one of those schools and hopefully the new head has that ethos.
Loopyloulou
Posts: 878
Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2008 5:20 pm

Re: A Christmas gift from CGS?

Post by Loopyloulou »

I'm not sure you're right about that Buzzard, though you might be. I think perhaps the end of the 3-year sixth form might have been brought about by financial considerations, linked to the change of funding regime related to the recent changes in A-Levels.
Perhaps someone connected with the school's administration will clarify, please?
Loopy
Kit
Posts: 132
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:58 am

Re: A Christmas gift from CGS?

Post by Kit »

Loopy- when a number of Yr9 parents (who are most directly and immediately affected by these changes) wrote to the school requesting answers many of the e-mails were mysteriously lost in the system and did not arrive so went unanswered unless parents followed up repeatedly. Strange huh?

The school governors have repeatedly refused to have a Yr9 parents meeting to discuss the reasons for the change or even how many A levels their children will now be allowed to take under the new system despite many parents requesting this for several months.

I think you may be waiting a long time.
Post Reply