Late last night the whole “level 5 is a C”, “oh no its not” thing started. I find the way the media can get everyone so outraged is amazing – we read it in the paper or hear it on the news and it MUST be fact. Now if you’re like me (and bless your little cotton socks if you are!) you’ll take everything you read with a pinch of salt and the first thing you’ll do is try to hunt out the source of the news … I want to, as they say, hear it (in this case read it) from the horses mouth, so the reality is Ofqual announced “We are starting a conversation on how standards should be set for new GCSE’s” and you can read the original press release here.
They are making suggestions for the grade equivalencies and how they will reference the tests in the future, but the fact is they are launching a consultation and giving people the opportunity to have their say. Not the same thing that has been reported in the press … but then again that wouldn’t grab any headlines would it? The voice from the little demon on my shoulder however, does think that these “suggestions” will become reality and whilst consultations are taking place I’m not sure how much the results will be considered but it’ll tick a box for someone who is in charge of making sure that the requisite boxes are ticked!
This morning I tweeted “being outraged is one thing – responding to the consultation is another” and I stand by that. Don’t believe everything you read – go to the source of the story and come to your own conclusions but my overriding advice if you have an opinion on this is: make your voice heard … respond to the consultation!
Oh my! two posts in one evening! Forgive me then if I am pushing my luck – I’m going to push it anyway by going totally off topic before I get back to doing some actual work! There are probably a few reasons why you’re reading this blog and sometimes I do wonder why? You obviously have good taste, and it wasn’t until I recently got a frame of reference in terms of other peoples blog hits that I realised how well-liked this blog is becoming – lets just say March was the best month ever! (I am just so, so modest I know!) It could be that you’re looking for information, or you’re after some of our resources or you just pop in to see what we’ve been up to recently (teaching, teaching, teaching!) but people seem to like what we’re doing. Anyway, someone, somewhere nominated the blog as one of the Top 100 UK Educational Blogs (I promise it wasn’t me! honest guv!) – I don’t expect a Top 10 or even Top 50 position but its nice to get a nomination, so I’m asking (not begging mind you!) you to vote for us!
