ANY SCHOOL EXAM OFFICERS LURKING HERE, NEED URGENT ADVICE RE gcse's

busiscoming2

I second contacting the Governors too and how about the LEA?

penny_crayon

I'm not a exams officer but a teacher, teaching AQA (but not English sorry!)

Did all the students complete the GCSE English in year 10 (ie a year early?) And get a grade?

Not completing the GCSE in year 10 should not prevent resitting in year 11 as far as I am aware.

What English exams has your son been entered for in English for this summer?

There is a rule where 40% of a GCSE has to be taken in the final exam session in order to re certificate the GCSE and get a new grade - I'm not sure exactly which unit combinations this would be for English though. It may be that if he has not been entered for the controlled assessment then he does not meet this criteria?

We had to hand our GCSE controlled assessment marks to the exams officer this Tuesday, as it has to be with the exam board by the 7th May. The controlled assessments take a while to do so it may simply be unfeasible to get it completed in time now.

However the fact that you were not aware that your son had not completed the controlled assessment until now is what I think is unacceptable on the schools part. It is the school's responsibility to inform you of this and make sure it is done, with catch up sessions after school if necessary.

TeaCake

Can't help with the school stuff but he could always resit his GCSE English at college next year if you and the school can't get it sorted this year.

tillycat123

I spoke to AQA late yesterday. The head did contact them and their exceptions team and still told 'No'. Shame the head could not be bothered to come back to me to let me know.

AQA have said that he should be able to resit the paper in NOVEMBER as a private candidate and the unit 2 and 3 that if the school manage to submit it correctly this time around will count towards the final mark still.

I want heads to role at this school over this. English teacher and the head of English should have not let this happen. I've spent the whole week on edge and in tears, my son is so stressed and has the rest of his exams soon.

Thank you everyone for your help, Is anyone a fantastic letter writer by chance? I think I will do as you say and write to the governors and the LEA.

jackieblack

tillycat, i understand your frustration, we had a similar problem with my daughter's school and her ICT which should have been completed in Year 9. If I hadn't have given them a fairly hard time I'm sure they would have just let it go, as it is it has taken us until last month to get it sorted (she left the school, end of Y11, last June!

What was/is your son planning to do in September?
Will not having the English GCSE affect his options?

Madmel

Another AQA teacher, but not in English - sorry!

I think you need one objective letter which you can send to all parties. It might be better to write a report which you can then attach to several personalised letters; one to the Headteacher, one to the Head of English, one to the Exams Officer and one to the Chair of Governors. You could try to find out which governor is linked to the English department and write to them too. The letter should say something like:

Dear XXX

Ref: Tillycat's Son's English GCSE

Please find attached a report on the timeline of events which has led to my son X being unable to complete his GCSE in English during this summer examination session. I feel that the fault for this lies squarely with the school, and despite my best efforts to find a suitable resolution, which have included speaking to AQA, the school has been remarkably unhelpful.

I therefore request a meeting with everyone to whom this letter has been copied at the earliest opportunity to find a way forward. As you are no doubt aware, the lack of a GCSE grade in English will preclude X [your son] from further study and many employment opportunities so it is imperative that we find an urgent solution to this problem.

Yours sincerely

Your name
cc Head
Head of English
everyone else I named above.

Attach a copy of the report/timeline to EACH copy of the letter. You can hand-deliver them if you like or email BUT I would always follow up an email with a paper copy.

If you need more help with the report, let me know. The key is to simply state what happened and try not to bring any emotion into it [although as a mum whose older child is completing the first year of GCSEs, I feel your pain!]

In my professional opinion, the school has messed up big time and are wriggling like mad. Often in these sort of situations where several people are involved, as the story gets different slants on it, the proverbial rope starts to twist itself into a noose and your job will be merely to guide the head of the chief offender gently within it, then as your mouth forms a sympathetic smile towards them, you yank hard on the end of the rope, trapping them. Oh I am evil!

Best of luck - PM me if I can help further

pollypenny

Tilly, I taught English and had experience of AQA, not finding it a very good board.

However, I cannot be more specific in my help as regulations have changed since my retirement.

I would be very cross with a member of my department who did not realise a pupil had missed a piece of coursework. In fact, I used to ask for names if any such near end of year 10 and contact parents. I'd repeat the exercise a month before our final submission date.

I think the school has been very remiss here.

tillycat123

MadMel - Huge thanks for your help on the writing front, much appreciated as is all the comments, thank you will pick it up from here.