I’ve written before about the pressure of making the right/wrong tiering decision -> here but an email I received this week (more about that below) coincided with something I found in the board meeting papers from Ofqual last week that made me go … hmmmmmmmmmmmm then grrrrrrrrrr. The specific piece is shown below and is from the “Strategy, Risk & Research” update for their November board meeting (if you’re really interested you can find all the papers from the meeting here) and you don’t need to ask … yes I am this sad! I try to read everything that comes from the DFE and Ofqual.
With regards this quote – don’t get me wrong I think there will definitely be a shift towards Foundation but as to whether a large proportion will be on the foundation tier remains to be seen – define “large proportion”? More than 50%?
Whilst I’m here …. On the subject of tiering its interesting to note that the date for making changes to tiers of entry without a charge is 21st April, which for most of us in the Easter holidays. Come on guys (exam boards!!) … give us a break … move this back a week at least!!
Now I’ve digressed … as to my email – with the permission of the person that mailed me the below the following is an extract … I’ll say no more but leave you to read it …
Hi Mel,
I’ve been meaning to email you for some time to say thanks for helping me maintain some of my sanity. Your blog posts with regards all the changes at GCSE have been an absolute Godsend and I have taken lots of comfort from the fact that I am not alone and as you’ve said “we are all in the same boat” (NOTE FROM MEL – there was lots of other nice stuff but I’ll cut to the chase).
…. At the minute I am so very stressed about making the wrong tiering decisions. At night I lie awake and all I can see are the faces of my students. Each of them has a story to tell and aren’t just “numbers” and I am conscious that the decision about tiering could be far-reaching for them. For example, let me tell you about Josh.
Under the old GCSE I would have said that he was a solid “C” grade students – I used to know what that kind of student looked like but I feel like I have no frame of reference anymore. Josh’s home life isn’t that settled and I know that could have an effect on his performance (Mum isn’t well!) in fact, Josh’s elder sister (they both act as carers for their 2 little brothers when Mums illness is at its worst) missed a grade C by 1 mark and now in year 13 she managed to get the C she needs last November having now sat her Maths GCSE 4 times – this is affecting his perception of his ability too. In his mock on the Higher tier Josh didn’t do too well but has done the Foundation tier and a good chunk of his marks come from the back end of the paper. He is making the typical mistakes like not reading the question carefully – the one where they had to write the smallest even number is a great example. The word “even” didn’t register with him and he is losing silly marks. He so very badly needs a 4 to enable him to get on the course he wants to do and ultimately onto the uni course that would mean he could be the first person in his family to do this.
It just feels like this cohort aren’t ready for the scales of the changes. I know that my current year 7 is the strongest I have taught in a long time so something is changing lower down the school system. I mean change for the good BUT this makes me both sad and hopeful at the same time. I’m hopeful that in the long term the younger students will be better prepared for the new style of questions (oh I’m all growth mindset!) and wonder how big a pair of balls (isn’t that the kind of phrase you would use eh Mel ? ) it would have taken to wait until students that have been subjected to the new KS1 and KS2 come through the system? It just feels like the next couple of cohorts have no resilience or curiosity to want to solve the problems posed to them and that’s the sad point. I am sad that their experience of maths is exam focused and feel like we’ve sold them short (I wonder whether we’ll see a dip in maths teacher recruitment when this and the next couple of year groups would be considering a career as a teacher as a result of the raw deal they’ve been given?).
In my 28 years of teaching I have never felt so incompetent as I do right now. Students, parents, SLT, colleagues are all looking to me to give them guidance. I am being asked for predictions that I have no idea where to start and when parents/students ask me “so what do you advise?” when we discussed tiering – for some students I have no answers.
However, there is light on the horizon. This summer will be my last GCSE sitting as I’ve decided to take early retirement. I will miss the students but I’m not going to miss ANY of the other stuff. To be frank I’ve had enough.
… so thoughts guys? I just want to reach out and hug this person … so in lieu of that I’m sending a virtual hug xx
It is so sad. I know so many people leaving or wanting to leave teaching. They are all great teachers who care about and support their students. They have a love for their subject and a love of giving students opportunities. The changes in exam systems, lack of funding and extreme pressure from league tables are pulling our schools apart. It doesn’t matter how good the schemes of work are if we don’t have the specialist teachers to teach it we have a problem. I also send a hug to all teachers out there who feel out of control and overwhelmed.
It`s not just schools. I have spent the past 26 years in the Further Education system and seen lots of changes, chief amongst these are funding changes which have driven the system to its current state. I totally sympathise with the email above, as the new GCSE us just hitting us and FE does not have the same support mechanisms that the schools have.
wow! i wanna cry in the corner of the room. please mell don’t leave us, not untill at least next year when we get enough guidence so we can guide others please…..
it wasn’t like we had good teachers in the first place but now even the selected few good teachers will leave and i will just fail my exams. your my last hope and i’m crying whilst writting this.please mel.
i’m stuggling as it is.
i originally used to get Ds….. yes Ds but i gave myself a target of A*. I didn’t know i was going to do the IGCSE because our school hadn’t told anyone we were doing it and the head teacher hadn’t decided whether we should do it not. 2 months before the exam we were told that we are going to be the first and last year group to do this exam paper as the government will ban public schools from doing this exam next year and so it came like a shocked to all. i wasn’t as bothered because i thought i was a pro at math… turned out i was far from it and i only realised that 1 month before the exam when i did my first ever IGCSE math paper and socred 13/100…..
it hurt and i used to cry every day for half of that month when i realised that crying wouldn’t help and i kind of stepped up. i didn’t know how to revise for math as for science you just take notes and memorise answers, same with other subjects so i found it hard to adjust to math because our school is a science school and they focus more on that. I decided that test papers is what i will be doing so i might as well practice that and so i just printed ALL test papers, paper 4H, 4HR and 3H,i did them, flopped them, cried over them, then I would try to learn the topics, i realised at this point i needed a tutor,but the thing is it’s hard to find a tutor whose teaching style suits you and it takes time to find one thats not just teaching you for money, so i went to my math teacher to ask for tuition outside of school and i asked her how much she charges, she said she couldn’t tutor me outside of school due to contract with school, however in my next lesson she confessed that after school on Fridays she teaches 2 other students from our school in school and she doesn’t charge then and i can come. That helped me out a bit but i had only 3 lessons with her. Then i came across your video and it was like a light at the end of the tunnel.
I skipped like 2 days of the school calling in sick and revised more than 20 hours in both those days. and because i had insomnia (i sleep at 4:00_ i had a lot of time on my hand to spend revising) i sat my exam and i am hoping at least an A… At least that.
and whilst that wasa ood wake up call
the new gcse is soooooo much harder. i am willing to work but teachers arn’t working with me. i Asked for the spec and they said they didn’t want some students ahead of the others. but i know i have to start now to get an A**.
i want that A**
and i will work starting from now will next year.