27/04/20: Message for parents of Y11 (please scroll down for Year 13 update)
As you know teachers will now be required to submit Centre Assessed Grades for each GCSE subject. The school would like to reiterate that, except for Art and Design students, no further work may be requested, submitted or marked. Students should be aware that they must not contact their teachers (or pastoral leaders) to discuss anything which relates to grades and we would like to thank you for respecting this instruction. Please be aware that teachers have been told not to reply to any grade related queries.
The Special Consideration process usually operates to offer some support for students who are adversely affected by illness, accidents, bereavement or other serious circumstances, during (or close to) the exams. With the cancellation of exams, Ofqual has confirmed that this process will not be operational this year and schools have been asked to take into account any extenuating circumstances when assigning Centre Assessed Grades. The school already has information about extenuating circumstances for our students, both during the year and at the time of the mocks, and this will be shared with teachers as appropriate. Unless we specifically request additional details from students and parents, please do not contact us with further information (medical or otherwise) as this may been seen as an attempt to ‘influence’ grading decisions.
Finally, Y11 students should bear in mind the instructions issued by the school last week. Teachers will continue to set work until the commencement of study leave on 7th May. Any work set will focus on completion of the GCSE course or will be useful for students’ general interest and those intending to continue studying the subject next year.
27/04/20: Message for students in Y13 from Mrs Doig
As you know teachers will now be required to submit Centre Assessed Grades for each of your GCSE or A level subjects. We wanted to reiterate that, except for Art and Photography students, no further work may be requested, submitted or marked. You are all aware that you must not contact your teachers (or pastoral leaders please) to talk about anything to do with grades and we would like to thank you for respecting this instruction. Please be aware that your teachers have been told not to reply to any grade related queries.
The Special Consideration process usually operates to offer some support for students who are adversely affected by illness, accidents, bereavement or other serious circumstances, during (or close to) the exams. With the cancellation of exams, Ofqual has confirmed that this process will not be operational this year and schools have been asked to take into account any extenuating circumstances when assigning Centre Assessed Grades. We do have information about extenuating circumstances for our students, both during the year and at the time of the mocks, and this will be shared with teachers as appropriate. Unless we specifically request additional details from you, please do not contact us with further information (medical of otherwise) as this may been seen as an attempt to ‘influence’ grading decisions.
Y13, please accept that there is nothing more you can do that will have any impact on your A Level grades. We will do our utmost to be fair using all the information available to us. You should focus on completing your courses over the next couple of weeks and then on making plans for university, just as you would have done in normal circumstances. I know this has been a very stressful time for you all, and we are genuinely sorry that you have had to go through it all, but now is the time to be positive and proactive. You are not tied down with weeks of revision or (equally stressful) exams so you need to ‘let things go’, be optimistic, relax, have fun and do some of the things you had planned for the summer. If you think you might need to take autumn exams (for which plans are still not available from exam boards) then you should continue with some revision and practice is a good idea. Once our Centre Assessed Grades have been submitted, teachers may well be able to offer you some support. Folks, it is time to see the ‘big picture’ and to ‘wait and see’ so make the most of this time – I doubt you will get such as long break for another fifty years or so J Take care of yourselves and your families and we will see you all soon. Mrs D
20/04/20: Update for Year 13 (please scroll down for Year 11 update)
Hello everybody, I hope you have had a bit of a break over Easter, spent some time in the lovely sunshine and enjoyed some time with your families and friends, even if the socialising has been via the phone or laptop.
Thank you for your patience and resilience at this difficult time. I know some of you are finding the lockdown, and more particularly the lack of certainty, worrying and frustrating. That is completely understandable but, as always, we have to try to be patient, practical and positive. We are very grateful that you have followed all our advice to keep working and respected our instruction not to contact teachers about your grades. You have been ‘top notch’ in this regard and been fair and considerate – thank you.
I promised that I would share decisions as soon as they were made, so here is the latest information which we hope will answer some of your questions:
1. Work that is submitted or completed from now on will not be assessed and will NOT be considered when working out Centre Assessed Grades. The only exceptions are outstanding coursework for the relevant A level subjects and possibly exam preparation for Art and Design, which may be used to inform your Centre Assessed Grade. Mr. Hirst will be sending further instructions to Art and Photography students later this week.
Several of you will then ask why we are continuing to set work for Y13 classes and why you should complete it. There are four good reasons:
• Ofqual have instructed that schools do all they can to ensure courses are completed. You want your A level grades to be meaningful – to represent completion of the whole specification. For most subjects, four more weeks of study should enable completion.
• When you start university courses, they will assume that you have covered the whole A level course in each subject. You will find yourself at a disadvantage if you have gaps in relevant subjects – remember schools do not cover the specifications in the same order so universities will not plan to address any ‘gaps’. It makes sense to ensure that you know, and have revised and practised, as much as you can from any subject that will form a part of your degree or apprenticeship.
• Should you decide that you wish to take an exam (in the Autumn ’20 or summer ’21) you will need to be really well prepared. We will do all we can do to support you but you really should use this time well in order to be ready. If you abandon your studies now, you may regret it later on.
• You need routine for good mental health. You need to maintain good study habits and if you can develop strong independent working strategies you will be in a much more positive position when you start university/apprenticeships/work.
2. Although we do not know when schools will re-open, we have decided that study leave will go ahead as planned for Y11 and Y13 students. Y13 study leave is due to start on Friday 15th May 2020 and you will not be required to attend school for the remainder of the summer. This assumes that the government do not make it compulsory for you to attend in the later stages of the summer term. Once we have information about the alternative exams options we will contact you and see if we can arrange some support for those that choose to sit autumn papers.
3. You will now all have a clear understanding that your teachers, together with their department leaders and the Senior Leadership Team, will be required to provide Centre Assessed Grades and a rank order to the examination boards. These boards will then standardise grades using national and school level data in order to provide you with a (calculated) A level grade. Thus, your final grade may not match the Centre Assessed Grade that Crossley Heath supplies. We have instructed you (or your parents) not to contact any of your teachers or pastoral leaders, in order to discuss these grades, to request additional work or to give information about special consideration. In short you must not try to influence or seek to improve your grades in any way at all. Ofqual are very clear about this and indeed, the latest consultation confirms that
Teachers & centres are prohibited from revealing this information [Centre Assessed Grades and the school subject rank order] other than in the context of a formal request under data protection law, following the release of results.
Exam boards will treat any disclosure by any member of a centre’s staff of centre assessment grades, rank order information, or the professional judgements which underpin them, to anyone not authorised by the Head of Centre, as malpractice or maladministration, unless such disclosure is required by law or takes place only after final results have been issued.
4. Ofqual have confirmed that A level results day will be on Thursday13th August (with GCSE a week later on the 20th) as originally planned.
5. I am afraid there are still lots of unknowns. Ofqual currently have an open consultation about early/ external candidates, appeals procedures and Autumn ‘20/Summer 21 exam sessions. This consultation is due to close on 29/04 and after than we should get more clarity about their decisions and plans. We will keep you informed.
6. UCAS and universities are also trying to work out their procedures. UCAS have confirmed that decisions following results and the Clearing process will happen as usual on August 13th 2020. All institutions are currently operating remotely and have yet to make decisions about whether they will reopen fully in Sep/Oct – it will, of course, depend on whether they can do so safely and legally. We recommend that you keep your eyes on the websites of your chosen institutions and log on and read any updates from UCAS carefully. Please make sure you meet the published deadlines for final decisions (see UCAS site) – it is vital that you do so.
I hope that this information offers a little more clarity for you all. Keep safe, healthy and positive. Keep working, exercising and helping others. Stay in touch with each other and remember we are here if you need any particular advice or support. You are a tremendous group of students and are coping admirably with this unique and stressful situation. Well done everybody!
Mrs D.
Update 20/04/20: Information and Update for Year 11
Following the official announcements on how GCSE grades will be awarded I would like to update parents and carers of Year 11 students on the current position.
GCSE Studies going forward:
I can confirm that any work that is submitted or completed from now on will not be assessed and will NOT be considered when calculating Centre Assessed Grades. The only exception is that the school may review some exam preparation work which has been completed at home prior to now for GCSE Art. Mr. Hirst will be sending further instructions to GCSE Art students later this week.
Year 11 teachers will still continue to set work to complete the GCSE course or which will be useful for students’ general interest and those intending to continue studying the subject next year.
Although none of the work completed will count towards Centre Assessed Grades there are a number of reasons why we would encourage students to continue studying:
• Ofqual have instructed that schools do all they can to ensure courses are completed. The grades awarded represent the culmination of years of study and to be meaningful students will want to have completed the course.
• Students continuing to on post 16 courses should be aware that A level and other providers will assume that students have covered the whole GCSE course in each subject. Students may be disadvantaged if they have gaps in subject knowledge. It therefore makes sense to ensure that students know, and have revised and practised, as much as possible, particularly for any subject that will form a part of post 16 studies.
• Any students who decide to take an exam (in the Autumn ’20 or Summer ’21) will need to be well prepared. Students should therefore use this time well in order to be prepared in case they do wish to sit the exam.
• Students need to maintain good study habits and developing strong independent working strategies will place them in a positive position when starting post 16 courses.
Study Leave
Although we do not know when schools will re-open, we have decided that study leave will go ahead as planned for Y11 and Y13 students. Y11 study leave is due to start on Thursday 7th May 2020 and you will not be required to attend school for the remainder of the summer. This assumes that the government does not make it compulsory for you to attend in the later stages of the summer term. Once we have information about the alternative exams options we will contact you regarding any specific support that school can put in place for those that choose to sit autumn papers.
Centre Assessed Grades and contact with school
As per the Ofqual announcement all schools in England are required to provide exam boards with a Centre Assessed Grade and a ranking within each grade for every student. Class teachers, together with their department leaders and the Senior Leadership Team, will be working on this over the coming weeks ready for submission to the boards at the end of May. The exam boards will then standardise grades using national and school level data in order to provide each student a (calculated) GCSE grade. Thus, final grades awarded may not match the Centre Assessed Grade that Crossley Heath supplies.
In their letter to students which accompanied the announcement Ofqual make it clear that students and parents are not to contact teachers or pastoral leaders in school to discuss these grades. This includes requests for additional work or to give information about special consideration. In short you must not try to influence or seek to influence grades in any way. Exam boards will treat any disclosure by any member of a centre’s staff of centre assessment grades, rank order information, or the professional judgements which underpin them, to anyone not authorised by the Head of Centre, as malpractice or maladministration.
GCSE Results Day
Ofqual have confirmed that GCSE results day will be on Thursday 20th August as originally planned.
I hope that this information is useful and we will of course be in touch with further updates as information becomes available. In the meantime I would like to thank you for your continued support and would ask that you encourage your child to follow the guidance outlined above.
Mr Brownlie / Deputy Head – Achievement
Update on the Award of GCSEs in 2020 for Y11 Students
This morning Ofqual published information on how GCSE and A level grades will be awarded in 2020 following the government’s previous announcement that exams had been cancelled.
A letter from Ofqual to all students can be found via this link: https://bit.ly/2JDYmRQ
and the more detailed Guidance to Students and Parents can be accessed at: https://bit.ly/2yutPnf
These are very important documents and we recommend that students and parents read them carefully.
There are three key points:
- Centre assessment grades (and a rank order within each grade) will be arrived at by teachers in school and are to be based on a range of evidence. They will not simply be based on mock grades, and teachers will take into account a range of evidence (including any coursework or NEA) when arriving at centre assessment grades and rankings.
- Teachers and school leaders are not allowed to share centre assessment grades with students or parents. Crossley Heath will fully comply with this ruling and you must not contact the school about your grades.
- Your centre assessment grade will be used as part of the process for awarding grades and will not be the sole consideration. Ofqual will be undertaking some complex calculations and checks to ensure that grades are as fair as possible and will be looking at data at national and school level.
There are still some areas where further detail is to follow, such as when the results will be released, what appeals processes will be like and when students will be able to sit the optional exams next academic year.
For the time being I would like to reassure you that the school will be implementing the Ofqual requirements in full so that all students are awarded a fair grade. In order to do this, we will need time to study the guidance and develop a comprehensive implementation plan. We will be doing this over the coming weeks and will write to you with further details in due course.
In the meantime I would encourage all students to continue their studies so that GCSE courses are completed and students have the firm grounding they need to succeed in their next steps in education.
Mr Brownlie
Update on the Award of A Levels in 2020 for Y13 Students
Afternoon everybody,
Many of you have already seen and read the information published by Ofqual this morning about how they intend to award A level grades this summer. If not, then please use the links below to access the latest information.
The Letter to Students and the Guidance for Teachers, Students, Parents and Carers are very relevant to you and to your parents, so please make sure that you go through them in detail.
A letter from Ofqual to all students can be found via this link: https://bit.ly/2JDYmRQ
and the more detailed Guidance to Students and Parents can be accessed at: https://bit.ly/2yutPnf
There are three very key points in all this:
- Centre assessment grades (and a rank order within each grade) are to be based on a range of evidence, not simply on mock grades, so we will be looking at everything available before school closed.
- Your teachers and school leaders are not allowed to share centre assessment grades with you or your parents. We will comply with this ruling and you must not attempt to influence your grades or to request confirmation of your centre assessment grade from your teachers.
- Your centre assessment grade will be used as part of the process for awarding grades and will not be the sole consideration. Ofqual will be undertaking some complex calculations and checks to ensure that grades are as fair as possible and will be looking at data at national and school level.
There are still some areas of uncertainty:
- Once the grades are awarded (apparently no later than the published exam day in August) then you will have a right of appeal. The process and timescale for this has not yet been worked out.
- There will be opportunities to re-sit a qualification if you would like to try to improve your grade. The process and timings for this have not yet been finalised either so we will need to be patient.
Y13, we understand that you all have a huge vested interest in all this and that you all have individual worries and concerns. We need you to do the following please:
- Give us time to work through all the information in detail and trust that we will communicate what is relevant (and allowed under the rules) to you.
- Stay calm, keep focussed on the big picture and remember that every exam candidate in the country is in the same position you are. You are not at a disadvantage compared to others across the country.
- Do all the things that you would normally have been doing in terms of university preparation. Do not put off thinking about accommodation or applying for student finance because you are unsure about the grades. You really don’t want your relief at getting in to be ruined by having no tuition fees and nowhere to live. Be practical and make a plan and a back-up plan if needs be please.
- Work to complete your courses – all of them. You want your A levels to feel finished and meaningful and you want to make sure you have the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to start Higher Education courses or degree apprenticeships. The students who are most pragmatic and most diligent will reap the gains at some point along the way.
- Trust, that whatever the outcomes for you as an individual, we (your teachers, the Sixth Form Team and SLT) will be there to support, help and advise you, as we always are day to day and especially on results day.
Please try to keep all this in perspective and try not to panic or make assumptions that may not be correct. You need to try and make sensible decisions, albeit without the knowledge of predicted grades, and not damage your future chances by being overly pessimistic. Experienced teachers and ex-students will confirm that things usually work out for the best in the long run.
Thank you for your patience and sensible approach during this difficult time.
Mrs Doig and the Sixth Form Team