5 "good" GCSE's HARD?

[Burnsy2023]

Not all schools with low % scores for 5+ A*-C are rubbish schools. The school I teach at averages around 50% (of 850 kids) that achieve 5+. We are rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted, following an inspection last October. We also get a very high CVA score (second in the City IIRC) - which means we do bloody well with the kids we get from our primaries.

My old school comes from a similar sort of background, deprived area, chav parents etc but it seems to be doing rather well statistics wise.

As for evidence, despite operating in one of the most deprived areas of Southampton, Redbridge has twice been recognised as "outstanding" by Ofsted, and is a lead school for curriculum innovation. We are in the top 1 per cent of the country for contextual value-added, and we are fully staffed year on year.

The school gets regualr mentions in the TES, just look: http://www.tes.co.uk/searchResults.aspx?area=all&keywords=redbridge community school

So not all schools that have difficult students get bad results.

Burnsy

 

[hypochondriac]

Im sorry if anyone thought i was refering to normal but poor/uneducated people, i wasnt.

I kinda know you didn't mean that, and I tried to be careful with my words, but you must admit although not all poor/uneducated people are like this there is some correlation.

 

[Solaris]

I'm lucky....

I started off in year 7 in this school.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/07/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/825_4074.stm

and then managed to pass my 12+ and move to this school across town... much better...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/07/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/825_4051.stm

 

[EdGey]

i changed my mind based on my results.

i did much better than i thought i would do which must mean they are much easier than i thought they were

 

[revolutionrock]

Know, 1 A* 1 A , 3 B's

Easy!

 

[Syph]

My old school comes from a similar sort of background, deprived area, chav parents etc but it seems to be doing rather well statistics wise.



The school gets regualr mentions in the TES, just look: http://www.tes.co.uk/searchResults.aspx?area=all&keywords=redbridge community school

So not all schools that have difficult students get bad results.

Burnsy

Sounds very much like us, but without the bacon sarnies.

 

[aslco]

A lot of you really aren't up to date lol.

You can now only get higher and lower papers.

Higher A-C.

Lower C-G

I think doing lower is a really stupid idea, the questions aren't easier you jsut get given bullet points...its just a way of making sure your screwed before youre even in the exam.

I did all higher and im happy to say i got 4A's 6 B's. But it could change to 5A's 5B's.

Your all gullible daily mail readers if you think exams are getting easier. If you had kids who actually put effort in to their work you'd realise it takes hard graft for good grades. And for people to shoot you down after some good grades with those remarks is pretty stupid and disrespectful.

However, i agree that most colleges asking for 5 C grades or higher is maybe a little too easy (remembering 2 of those have to be in english and maths), but maybe fair enough considering college is soon to be compulsory.

 

[Strife212]

GCSE's are truely a laugh, I never did any revision or homework, and I was up untill 4am the night before my English GCSE grinding in World of Warcraft and got an A :/

 

[aslco]

Depends what kind of learner you are. I find teachers really naff...i learn nothing at school, but from school i know what to learn and take it into my own hands for revision.

Maybe GCSEs should be toughened, but they arent getting easier, if they are easy, they always have been.

 

[Sarduk]

I think doing lower is a really stupid idea, the questions aren't easier you jsut get given bullet points...its just a way of making sure your screwed before youre even in the exam.

Oh yes I am sure this is why the government introduced tiered exams. Nothing at all to do with trying to get everyone at least something. No, that would be ridiculous!

 

[Sarduk]

Maybe GCSEs should be toughened, but they arent getting easier, if they are easy, they always have been.

Have you actually seen an O-level paper? You do realise that (for example, on the Physics paper) that the stuff we cover at A-Level now is what was covered at O-level back then?

How anyone can say GCSEs aren't getting easier is beyond me. You just need to look back a decade, and see that they clearly are.

Poor spelling is no longer marked harshly in English papers. You do not need to be able to read music for a music GCSE. I only took my GCSEs 5/6 years ago, and comparing then with now they are getting easier.

 

[RandomTom]

They are getting slightly easier as the pass rate is increasing, same with A levels, and while this could be said for better teaching, it needs to be adjusted so that there is consistency, a kid who got a B five years ago might find their B is worth an A in todays GCSEs.

 

[aslco]

Yes i've seen an o-level paper. And my parents say that todays exams are tougher. Both work in education.

They are getting slightly easier as the pass rate is increasing, same with A levels, and while this could be said for better teacher, it needs to be adjusted so that there is consistency, a kid who got a B five years ago might find their B is worth an A in todays A levels.

This attitude which has been created is as though there are sour sportsmen saying Usain Bolts world record wasnt due to sportsmen improving, its due to the track shortening. Except saying exams are easier due to improving grades.

 

[aslco]

Oh yes I am sure this is why the government introduced tiered exams. Nothing at all to do with trying to get everyone at least something. No, that would be ridiculous!

LOL im not saying that, its just i had a look and i think its bad when teachers advise some perfectly clever kids to do lower papers, my mate is one.

May i add another small point that we do past papers in silence as practice at our school. The teacher then marks them. Loads of kids did better in that than they did in the final actual exam, explain that one.

 

[Sarduk]

May i add another small point that we do past papers in silence as practice at our school. The teacher then marks them. Loads of kids did better in that than they did in the final actual exam, explain that one.

Teachers give past-paper questions as (1) Homework (2) White-board examples (3) Misc. work (4) The kids have practised the papers already, through their own means (5) Less pressure

 

[Sarduk]

Yes i've seen an o-level paper. And my parents say that todays exams are tougher. Both work in education.

Your parents shouldn't be in "education", then.

My teacher got us to sit practice O-level exam papers in Physics (A-level) class, and we were amazed to see that the stuff tested in the O-level exam was what we were revising for in our A-level.

 

[aslco]

Teachers give past-paper questions as (1) Homework (2) White-board examples (3) Misc. work (4) The kids have practised the papers already, through their own means (5) Less pressure

None of those 5 things applied apart from maybe the pressure one

As for passing % of schools. Mine must be quite high at 78% 5 x A-C. and 96% 5xA-G ^^

Your parents shouldn't be in "education", then.

My teacher got us to sit practice O-level exam papers in Physics (A-level) class, and we were amazed to see that the stuff tested in the O-level exam was what we were revising for in our A-level.

Fair nuff but i didn't see the o-level papers as anything special. I thik many people are dillusioned that having no text or calculator suddenly makes stuff easier.

 

[bam0]

This attitude which has been created is as though there are sour sportsmen saying Usain Bolts world record wasnt due to sportsmen improving, its due to the track shortening. Except saying exams are easier due to improving grades.

When a score of 26% gets you a C grade on a Maths GSCE paper I think something is wrong. To only be able to answer 1 in 4 questions correctly but be considered to have a good enough grasp of the subject, it's a sham. It's not just sour grapes from people who have been through it before, for quite a while now businesses have been complaining that employees have what appear to be decent grades but aren't actually capable of doing simple maths or writing prper English.

 

[RandomTom]

Except saying exams are easier due to improving grades.

But the aim isn't so that everyone can pass. The aim is to see who the cream of the crop are, and let them forward themselves. Albeit, that's a bit of an old view of things compared to our overcrowded profiteering university days now.

If 95% of people get a Grade A then that grade is surely devalued, it becomes worth less than one of say someone who got a Grade A when only 10% of others did.

Though, there might be tonnes of geniuses in the country, but if there are, then we need to work out who is the bigger genius by adapting the exams, making them harder, not 'seemingly' easier as seen by the rising pass rates. Does that make sense?

 

[aslco]

When a score of 26% gets you a C grade on a Maths GSCE paper I think something is wrong. To only be able to answer 1 in 4 questions correctly but be considered to have a good enough grasp of the subject, it's a sham. It's not just sour grapes from people who have been through it before, for quite a while now businesses have been complaining that employees have what appear to be decent grades but aren't actually capable of doing simple maths or writing prper English.

26% does sound low its usually over 1/3 i believe. And C isn't a great grade, i think the argument comes from the fact that getting A's and B's is just as hard, but that just because o-level passes were 1-5. They instantly see a C replacing the 3? Its hard to explain, they've made the A-G tiering so more people pass, but then made it so all people 'secretly' know that C is the actual pass. C describes distinctly average btw.

But the aim isn't so that everyone can pass. The aim is to see who the cream of the crop are, and let them forward themselves. Albeit, that's a bit of an old view of things compared to our overcrowded profiteering university days now.

If 95% of people get a Grade A then that grade is surely devalued, it becomes worth less than one of say someone who got a Grade A when only 10% of others did.

Though, there might be tonnes of geniuses in the country, but if there are, then we need to work out who is the bigger genius by adapting the exams, making them harder, not 'seemingly' easier as seen by the rising pass rates. Does that make sense?

Oh i absolutley agree with you, but that statement i made was to say exams aren't easier, but yes, maybe they should be toughened, or atleast the college apllication requirements. I have agreed that its the "5xc" needed to get to the next stage that is maybe wrong.