GCSE 2020

[Moon unit]

The ramifications of this injustice will be felt for years to come.
That is awful Hera.

[KS10]

Sending you a pm, Hera.

[kenyancowgirl]

Sixth form places seem pretty much sorted locally.
It isn’t usually a problem in my area.
My question is as follows;
Do we impress upon our 16 year olds they must just put up with the injustice or support them in making their feelings of dissatisfaction known to their schools.
It was pretty clear on results day that the school weren’t interested in hearing the voices of unhappy students.

DC received an email yesterday listing 6 courses that are oversubscribed. It apologises that students who have met the grades and are academically able may not all be able to study the courses they want to. It affects 2 of DCs courses which would prevent progression onto desired degree and career. The children will get an email on Wednesday if affected. All other sixth forms have closed their applications process so there are no other options.

Have you actually approached other 6th firms with a just in case scenario? I would like to think that in these unusual times they might be a little more lenient for someone with good grades - and contact the LA and ask them what their solution is as U18s are required to stay in education so they have some responsibility to help aid that.

[Guest55]

So, out of curiosity, did the school do what schools are expected to do, i.e. use the previous summer's papers, theoretically unseen, whilst they were still in the 'restricted access' area of the relevant exam board's website?

Schools can't use the previous summer's paper with any confidence now. Sites like TSR have feedback threads on the papers and tutors can sometimes get access to the locked papers.

Some boards produce additional mocks which only exam officer access can get. In Maths the November papers can sometimes be safer as fewer people give feedback and there's less time for tutors to access them.

[2GirlsDad]

... and contact the LA and ask them what their solution is as U18s are required to stay in education so they have some responsibility to help aid that.

Is it not just until 16 that they are required to stay in education? I was assuming the LA would not take an interest in 6th form perhaps at most they would ant to make sure there is a seat somewhere/anywhere she can take.

There's a lot of talk of getting girls in science, my DD is trying to pursue Physics but I am not sure where to turn to. Given all the grade inflation, it seems offers would not come before September.

[doodles]

... and contact the LA and ask them what their solution is as U18s are required to stay in education so they have some responsibility to help aid that.

Is it not just until 16 that they are required to stay in education? I was assuming the LA would not take an interest in 6th form perhaps at most they would ant to make sure there is a seat somewhere/anywhere she can take.

There's a lot of talk of getting girls in science, my DD is trying to pursue Physics but I am not sure where to turn to. Given all the grade inflation, it seems offers would not come before September.

There is now a requirement for them to be in some sort of formal education until 18 be it college, an apprenticeship or school. So it is defintely worth talking to your LA. Have you spoken directly to your local 6th form college, sometimes talking to a person is more beneficial than trying to converse with a computer!

[SHertsDad]

Have you spoken directly to your local 6th form college, sometimes talking to a person is more beneficial than trying to converse with a computer!

True it feels better to speak to human and I spoke to a few schools and was told that nothing is likely to be available before September. I have also been trying to speak to them to find what the process will be in Sept but still no luck. To be honest, a lot of talking is to be done to the computer as some of the voicemail messages indicate there are many people still away : "the school is closed indefinitely because of COVID!!!". The LA asked for an email as well..

I wonder if there are any apprenticeships suitable for theoretical physicists...

[test1]

Schools consider appeals against GCSE grades that are too high

Headteachers are considering challenging unusually high GCSE results, accusing the algorithm of injecting grade inflation as pupils round the country celebrate and the government’s exams fiasco continues to snowball.

Heads in England reported bizarre anomalies as record results were published, with pupils unexpectedly upgraded beyond their school-assessed grade, raising fears they could subsequently end up on unsuitable courses which could set them up for failure.

Sixth-form colleges meanwhile were bracing themselves for a surge in applications as more pupils achieved the required grades to progress to A-levels.

Thursday’s GCSE results were mainly derived from assessments made by teachers and schools, known as centre-assessed grades (CAGs), after the algorithm used by the exams regulator Ofqual was largely ditched following the furore over downgraded A-levels. Grades generated by the algorithm were only retained if they were higher than the school-assessed grade.

Schools reported that this led to large numbers of CAGs being raised. Philip Jones, the headteacher of Ferndown upper school in Dorset said that more than 300 grades at his school – about 15% – had been raised, some by two grades. “We thought the CAGs were fair. It’s put us in quite a difficult position,” he said.

Perplexed heads said some pupils were given higher grades than they could possibly have achieved had they actually sat the paper. Students entered for foundation-tier papers were awarded a 6 by the algorithm, when the maximum possible grade was 5.

Elsewhere there were reports that a pupil in West Yorkshire who was forecast a grade of level 1 in a subject had been upgraded to an 8 after the Ofqual moderating process. At the same school, 12 students studying a subject were awarded results that were four grades higher than the CAGs.

According to figures released by Ofqual, the proportion of the highest GCSE grades awarded in England this year jumped by 26%. Based on school-assessed grades in most cases, the proportion of grades 7, 8 and 9 – equivalent to the old A and A* grades – awarded to Year 11 pupils rose from 21.9% last year to 27.6% this year.

[quasimodo]

The saga continues.Its beginning to smell now.

The civil servants have been resigning but no politicians.This has all the hallmarks of a High Court battle on the way if nothing changes.

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-that- ... ys-ofqual/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ascl-writes-t ... des-fears/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[2GirlsDad]

Schools consider appeals against GCSE grades that are too high

Headteachers are considering challenging unusually high GCSE results, accusing the algorithm of injecting grade inflation as pupils round the country celebrate and the government’s exams fiasco continues to snowball.

Heads in England reported bizarre anomalies as record results were published, with pupils unexpectedly upgraded beyond their school-assessed grade, raising fears they could subsequently end up on unsuitable courses which could set them up for failure.

Sixth-form colleges meanwhile were bracing themselves for a surge in applications as more pupils achieved the required grades to progress to A-levels.

Schools reported that this led to large numbers of CAGs being raised. Philip Jones, the headteacher of Ferndown upper school in Dorset said that more than 300 grades at his school – about 15% – had been raised, some by two grades. “We thought the CAGs were fair. It’s put us in quite a difficult position,” he said.

According to figures released by Ofqual, the proportion of the highest GCSE grades awarded in England this year jumped by 26%. Based on school-assessed grades in most cases, the proportion of grades 7, 8 and 9 – equivalent to the old A and A* grades – awarded to Year 11 pupils rose from 21.9% last year to 27.6% this year.

Had we had a level playing field, my DD would have most likely joined an academically focused 6th form.

She had a serious medical operation, she was unhappy with her subject choices and she still had almost the maximum predictions for A levels after top GCSEs.

We are in Hertfordshire, if we find a local 6th form head looking to challenge it, we would be very happy to support it.