The one and only time I get to see the word “knob” on my blog 🙂

I have been asked by a National Newspaper for my thoughts (I wonder why I was asked??) and I know that it has been cut down to a “soundbite” (it happens and I can live with that !) so here is my initial uncut version with more added to it. I will be back later when I go through the whole thing with a fine-tooth comb … I know you will be riveted.

So here goes … my uncut ramblings … I am not a mad person by the way … just very passionate about the impact this will have. Remember I came into teaching (from the “real world”) to make a difference and having worked at a school (and was a National Challenge school ) where we took results from the mid 40’s to over 80% (about 20% above target!) I feel I have some credibility.

This report has had most maths teachers sat pressing the refresh button since we were told to expect it mid-May (BTW 21st May is not “mid-May”!!)  having already been told findings would be published at the end of April so you can imagine how excited I was to read it. To sum it up there are no surprises … any maths teacher across the country who had looked at all three main boards, even when they were in their draft stage would have told you there were massive differences and this is where the issue lies. How on earth can we be in the situation where they have been accredited but they are once again being asked to make changes. The whole accreditation process has been a debacle. I do wonder how the report can unashamedly say that their process got things correct and in the same breath let teachers know that there will be substantial changes to every awarding organisations sample assessment materials. This all feels a little like GroundHog Day when going through the accreditation process last year – specifications and sample assessment materials were bouncing back and forth – let me remind you that NOT A SINGLE board got accredited first time!

We are now in the middle of exam season and there is a serious matter of time running out – this has always been a concern with Maths & English GCSEs changing a year earlier than all the other subjects. Back in Feb 2014 at a meeting with the Joint Mathematical Council, when asked if “Ofqual wanted there to be more time before the implementation of the new GCSE”  Glenys Stacey replied “specimen assessment materials will be in schools in Autumn 2014” and this just hasn’t happened. (link here -> http://www.jmc.org.uk/meetings.htm ) . It’s not just the time for us teachers to prepare it is the fact that this same cohort of students are in danger of getting lost in the “gap” having not been subject to the new National Curriculum at Key Stage 2 or 3. They are also the only year group that will leave with GCSEs as “Levels” in Maths and English and “grades” in everything else. What is being done to educate employers?

I love Maths. I love Teaching Maths – but have major reservations about the whole process. If the intention was to make GCSEs harder (and I welcome that!), then the skew that has happened between the different exam boards with regard to the student testing should absolutely be expected, but no reference to this is made in the Ofqual statement, in fact it has been used as a reason for why they are not adequate in some way.  It seems there has been no reference to the fact that the exams are not aimed at the current cohort who also had no reason to motivate themselves to revise/take seriously the exams they were asked to sit, and this is an obvious flaw in Ofquals interpretation and subsequent requests for amends. I am genuinely worried that based on this reports findings so many people will change to the exam board that they think is the easiest and we will “really” (no “really, really!”) have a race to the bottom and if that is the case Ofqual will be complicit in assisting one exam board to force the others to join this race despite the instructions from the DfE of trying to raise mathematical ability/attainment/fluency/understanding/problem solving (call it what you want!).

Let me remind you that it isn’t just me that had concerns about the process, when Nick Gibb wrote to Glenys Stacey back in November 2014 (which I had to get through a freedom of information request! HERE IT IS ) in which the final paragraph looked for reassurances and said that without them he was concerned about the “implications for the success of the governments qualification reforms with regard to Maths”. I have asked him on two occasions through his office to confirm that he has received these reassurances and his happy with the accreditation process. On both occasions I have been fobbed off and told to refer to Ofqual. He made the statement and I am looking for him to respond, especially has he mentions the importance of teachers getting the information to prepare for September. This evening I will be writing to Nicky Morgan, David Cameron and every single newspaper that I can think of.

The crux is that am not convinced that adequate reassurances have been made. I know, in government these things take time, but we don’t have that time. We have a year 9 cohort (over 570,000 students) that may end up poorly prepared or the wrong decisions being made about choice of exam board … that is not an insignificant number of students. What would you be thinking now if it was YOUR son or daughter facing these changes?

We do not operate in a vacuum and this is a subject that I have so much to say on having chronicled the process for over 12 months now. I am frustrated knowing that having formed a new government, for most people now isn’t the time to make any radical decisions, notwithstanding making the “right decision”. In my opinion (and I know it’ll never happen, but it’s making me feel better writing this!) is that, the “right decision” would be to defer the first examination date to 2018 – it would bring Maths into line with other subjects (none of the confusion that will come from students leaving with grades and levels for a start!). This would mean putting the plans for A level back again, so what? Someone may have to make some apologies … it’s not the end of the world – a few bruised egos are better than the implications of not making the “right decision” for a whole cohort of students.

Melanie Muldowney ( a very frustrated blogger who is now tired of chronicling the saga!)