Just to let anyone know who might be interested, Camphill boys will be publishing their GCSE results on their website this week apparently. I’m assuming it will be the same for the girls’ school as well.

Since most schools have already advertised their results on their websites, I was wondering why Camphill hadn’t and was told it would be this week. Useful information to have when filling in the LEA form and deciding on schools.

The usual reason for delaying is waiting for the result of remarks / reviews.

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx

Sorry if this sounds cynical, but it is a GS, the results will be good, they are all above average intelligence. Yes, one may be 1% higher than another, but pretty sure they are all over 90% which is a good 40% better than any of the comps around here. Rather than focusing solely on results, please also consider the commute to school, subjects taught, extra-curricular activities, how your DS ‘felt’ when he visited as he will be there for the next 5 (or 7) years.

I think that looking at GCSE results is more important when deciding on which comps to put on the CAF. Which schools are improving year on year, which are not and what plans does the school have in place to combat downward trends?

I do not mean to come across in a negative manner, just think that there are more important aspects of a GS to consider than the results / league tables.

There are many factors which can produce A* and A results at GCSE and A level ... it could be due to good teaching/leadership and management within a school...or could equally be down to such poor teaching that many pupils have acquired external tutors and/or significant home support...it could be down to inspiration and good work ethic within a school, or an individual child's determination and hard work.
All we see are the results, I guess. We cannot see the meaning behind them!

Yes, grammar schools do really select pupils at 11 who are either incredibly bright, incredibly hard working, or both. The majority will have parents who are heavily involved in their child's education.
If they then just watched Finding Nemo on a loop in class for 5 years you'd find that many would still end up getting A* and A
That's not to ignore some amazing and hard working teachers who do work in these schools, though.

Considering the two schools have between them the highest cohorts of intellectual ability in the grammar schools in the West Midlands based on the marks required for entrance in the 11 plus exams over the years it will be no surprise if the results are similar if not slightly better than the GCSE and A level results for 2016.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=50023

You would expect every year the schools should expect their pupils to get the highest percentage of A and A* in their GCSE and A level exams compared to the other grammar schools and other state schools in the West Midlands.The surprise is how well some of the other schools perform in comparison.I am sure children of equal intellectual ability perform just as well in other West Midlands schools.

Indeed JaneEyre has already indicated on another thread regarding the boys school the following;
A LEVELS:
More than a quarter of the exams taken at A level were A*.
A* to B: 88.3%

GCSE: 9 out of 10 are an A or an A*

GCSE's similar to 2016 and at A level A* slightly better.There is usually a large amount of change at sixth form with children leaving and many new children joining I am not sure what the changes in A level results from year to year tell you about such schools ?

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In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln

Sure, there are really issues with some markings! My DS (pupil at CHB) is still waiting for two remarks. He got back two: in one of them, 17 marks have been added to his initial result and of course, that has changed his final grade ( I have no idea what the first examiner has done; if s/he slipped pages when adding the results? Or is it just poor marking abilities? Seventeen marks!!!!!! ). My DS nearly didn’t ask for a remark for this one ( English lang) and I am just happy and relieved that he has followed his guts!

I think with the new GCSE syllabus for Maths/English there has been some anomalies to the "usual" high grades in a number of selective schools. A higher number than usual of children got Bs rather than A/A*. Fortunately DS1 didn't need any remarks but I do feel for those that do, particularly where errors may have meant they found they were appealing for a 6th Form place or not able to do an A level of their choice. This could be marking errors, as in your child's case JE - assumedly the examiners are confused over the new system too - but it could also be children not understanding the "new" spec in the same way as previously. I know our school has had a number of boys applying for retakes in English Language this year (now in Y12) which is quite unusual, as the Department's results are consistently very high.

Marks in English and maths are now in numbers.
These numbers have been created precisely to distinguish between a low A* and a high A*.
My DS did not get a bad mark in the first place, thank you. Nor did he need an appeal nor a good mark to pursue a certain subject in sixth form. The issue was between an 8 or a 9 but I did not want to mention that earlier.

Like everyone else, he needs his exams to be marked fairly and adequately so that his grades reflect his true level in all subjects.
But like you, my heart goes to those who are in difficult waters due to some hieratic marking. I am aware that some colleges ask for a B at GCSE so that the pupils are allowed to go on studying a subject at A level. If their exams papers are poorly marked, that is really an issue.


They shouldn't. They have to follow a training, haven't they?

So I can understand that the CH schools have preferred to wait before having their results published out on their website.

What is sad is that there might be people out there (not on this forum) who do not know much about remarks and are not on their toes.

Sigh...I was on your side JE.

I used the B/A/A* grades as they are still more familiar to most people than the 7/8/9 levels. I apologise if you thought I was implying your son got a bad mark - I absolutely wasn't - I was talking generally about lots of children who have felt they didn't get the grade they would have hoped for - nor do I think a B is a bad mark anyway, just stating that there have been anomalies where some children who would "normally" have sailed into the A/A* categories who didn't this year - it is an anomaly affecting many schools across the country - made more difficult this first year as teachers all over the country were saying that they didn't really know what a Level 9 "looked like", as the guidance was sketchy at most!

Some schools require an A or higher (a 7 upwards) for a subject to be studied at A level - ours does, for example - where remarks have to be applied for, this can delay - or prevent them starting a course, which is sad. Worse still is where their marks come out looking as if they haven't made the minimum entry for 6th form and they have to wait for remarks (and appeal) to get a place - again, none of this is directed at your son - this is a general discussion. But yes, I wish examiners never make mistakes with marking - or setting of exams - but with all the training in the world, it still happens - look at the OCR debarcle with the English Lit paper!

I am very glad that he got his Level 9 on the remark, from the Level 8 - well done him!

edited for a pesky grammatical error in my their/there...I certainly wouldn't have made a Level 9!!

Thank you
I wouldn't have made it to a grade 9 either. But I have excuses!
I am still waiting for a remark myself by the way ( for an AS level). Is there a limit date when everything should have been remarked? I still have not dared to ask the question at my college. May be I should start to make a move?