12:00 03.04.2020
The Government has published information about how GCSEs will be awarded this summer.
A copy of the guidance can be found here.
A copy of the letter to students can be found here.
Can I reassure students and families that OBHS will be following these guidelines and that students do not need to submit or undertake any new school work.
Important Information for Year 11 students, parents and carers 24.03.2020
GCSE Grades:
On Friday, the government issued further information regarding how students’ GCSE grades will be awarded this summer. You can read the full article here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/further-details-on-exams-and-grades-announced, but I have summarised the key points below:
1. Students will be awarded a grade which fairly reflects the work they have put in.
- The exam boards will be asking teachers to submit their judgement about the grade that they believe the student would have received if exams had gone ahead. Teachers will have to take into account a range of evidence and data (performance in mock exams, performance in Non-Examination Assessments NEA, for example).
- The exam boards will combine this with other relevant data – including students’ prior attainment (this is the Key Stage 2 data used to calculate target grades) to produce a calculated grade for the student. This means that your teachers will not be able to tell you what your grades will be as the data we have generated in schools is only part of what will be used to calculate them.
2. There will also be an option to sit an exam early in the next academic year (starting September 2020) for students who wish to.
What you should do now?
1. It is important that you continue to complete the work set for you on Go4Schools. You will have seen above that there will be an opportunity to sit an exam next academic year, you might choose to do this if when you receive your allocated grades, they are not what you were hoping for, or if you feel you would have performed significantly better in your final exams than you did in your mock exams and or NEA.
With this in mind, teachers will be setting work which does the following things:
- Recaps and revises key content, knowledge and skills from your GCSE/ BTEC courses;
- Gives you the opportunity to fill gaps in your knowledge in order to ensure you have completed the full KS4 course;
- Broadens your understanding within the subject. These tasks will move away from the requirements of the exam specification and towards your broader knowledge – please see reasons below for this.
2. Make effective use of your time this Spring and Summer. It is very likely that Post 16 providers (Colleges/ Sixth Forms) will want to know what you did with this time and how you made meaningful use of the time you had. We would suggest that the following activities would be looked on favourably by Post 16 progression routes.
- Complete additional online study in an area which links to your post-16 choices;
- Learn a new skill – this would show great independence and ambition;
- Used your skills to virtually support others;
- Completed virtual work experience – some companies will be offering this, and it is a great way to use your time;
- Shown a real passion for a subject by exploring it beyond the KS4 curriculum.
We understand that this will be a strange and difficult time for you. We are here to support you. Please contact teachers directly for subject-specific guidance, Mr Taylor (etaylor@obhs.co.uk) as your Head of Key Stage for more general advice, or Mrs Morgan (smorgan@obhs.co.uk) who oversees Year 11.
Year 11 Guided Study Session Timetable
JCQ Rules and Regulations for Candidates taking GCSEs
Mock Exam Preparation Afternoon Resources 17.10.19
Parent Handouts - Revision and Support Evening 30.10.19
Additional Revision Support Materials for Year 11
PiXL Endurance Strategy Booklet
Power to Perform Secondary Student Booklet
Prepare to Perform daily planner
GCSE Results 2019
Students achieving a pass in English (9-5) = 47.83%
Students achieving a pass in Maths (9-5) = 46.09%
Students achieving a standard pass in English and Maths (grade 5 and above) = 34%
Progress 8 score = -0.22
Average attainment 8 score per pupil = 42
Percentage of students entering the English Baccalaureate = 18.26%
Percentage of students achieving a strong pass in the English Baccalaureate (grade 5 or above in English/maths) = 8.7%
Percentage staying in education or employment after key stage 4 = 95%
School Performance Tables
The School Performance Tables are published by the Department for Education government department and are designed to provide a reliable and accessible source of comparative information on pupil attainment and progress. The performance tables present this information alongside wider contextual data including Ofsted, absence, workforce and finance data, presenting users with a wider understanding of the setting in which schools are operating.
Click here to go to the Department for Education website
