You’ll be pleased to hear I’m not going to write about “that” question … I’m going to write later in the week about both papers after tomorrow mornings paper is done and dusted. Of course after tomorrow, we move to focusing on Stats and Further Maths and then finally we can breathe!
Sooooooooo ….. I may have written a letter to the Prime Minister!! (OMG but when did I turn into my mother!!!) … actually I sent it a week ago but have kept it under my hat!
OK … I maaaayyyyy be stretching the truth there a bit about not mentioning “that” question … buuuuuuuttttt … no one can deny that the attention that question got on social media was unprecedented. Whether or not it was a fair question is to some extent irrelevant because I fear that it is just a taste of what is to come if we rush into the new GCSE with our current year 9’s. I actually feel it was a fair question for the top end, the rest of the hype was media frenzy and students jumping on the bandwagon. I was concerned about the impact this had on parents, worried for the outcome of their children … we had a few conversations with staff parents calming them down on Friday. I’ve been thinking about the media frenzy we’ll have if students come out of the first exam in 2017 and embrace Twitter the way they did last Thursday and the line “you ain’t seen nothing yet” from this song has been buzzing around my head! I don’t know why!
There are just too many unknowns and it seems that every day there is something else that still needs pinning down. For our colleagues in FE, what is the grade students need to achieve so that they don’t need to resit in year 12? What about getting onto a college or university course or PGCE later in life? It would appear that still hasn’t been made clear and Ofqual don’t know (maybe it’s a Dfe question?) and then we have the whole National Reference Tests (blog post HERE ) thing that many of the awarding bodies (I am led to believe) didn’t “want to touch with a bargepole” that will be taken into account with the grading of the new GCSE.
BUT ignore all that as its all peripheral to the main issue that a government official had concerns and wrote to Ofqual back in November asking for reassurances – his letter is great by the way (even if I did have to get it through an FOI) and I almost believe that he was thinking about maths teachers when he wrote it (that’s me trying to be funny by the way, not negative!)! And I am now looking for him to publicly confirm that he has had those reassurances he requested in this letter. 6 months later and we are still no further forward. Don’t get me wrong even if we got SAMs tomorrow I’m still chasing, as the fact is we are nearly 8 months behind where we should be!!
All I’m looking for is for us to have a “fair crack” at it and not rush in regardless. I think I’ve summed up everything in a letter that I have sent to David Cameron (with a copy to Nicky Morgan, Nick Gibb and Glenys Stacey). To be fair to Ofqual, Glenys’ PA responded on the day of receipt to say that the contents had been noted but from the others I’ve had zip. Ok its very extreme action to take and I don’t expect a response in all honesty but isn’t that wrong that I would think like that. I am after all a tax payer but I am also just “any old teacher”.
If you really want to see what I’ve written .. (if you’re interested – here is a copy Letter to PM ) …. I warn you its long as it includes both letters I sent to Nick Gibb that I have been fobbed off with “refer to Ofqual” responses. NO! Mr Gibb made the comment in his letter and now needs to stand by Ofqual, or not, as the case may be.
PS: Also still waiting on my FOI from the 19th June for copies of responses from Ofqual to letters from any subject association (tick tock … 6 more working days until the timer runs out!!)
