From start to finish, the process put in place to ensure Year 11 students are still awarded their GCSEs on Thursday has been a challenge for schools. And this past week, in particular, has been unbelievably tricky.
We have been through multiple grading systems and dealt with huge uncertainty. This has been really hard for our students and for teachers.
What was the algorithm used for the calculated GCSE and A-level grades?
Although there are some questions still outstanding, we can now start helping our students and their families navigate the new system.
Here’s how we are approaching it.
1. Recognise the emotional rollercoaster
It’s hard to imagine how this past week must have felt for our Year 11s and 13s. Many will still be feeling a sense of frustration and confusion. It’s hard to make good decisions about your future in that state.
This is why our first responsibility is to recognise the emotions many of them will be feeling and to help them process them. That might mean providing a room where you can listen to parents or students and still maintain social distancing, or operating a telephone system where school leaders are on hand to listen to students or parents with concerns.
2. Pre-empt student or parent confusion
Even the most devoted follower of edu-news would be forgiven for getting confused about the details of what is and isn’t happening after the last few days.
We can’t wait for students and parents to contact us with questions, or for Year 11s to turn up confused on results day.
Instead, I suggest that we get out ahead and explain what’s going on before they arrive.
Correcting misconceptions early is vital. The last thing anyone wants is students thinking that, for example, a predicted grade on an essay they wrote will be their centre assessed grade (CAG) and then feeling disappointed when they realise the calculation was more complex than that.
3. Make destinations your focus
A potential flashpoint for conflict might come from parents and students who are now confused about what their next step is meant to be. Although we are now less likely to have students missing offers, this doesn’t mean they will all get into their first-choice destination.
Just as we saw with A levels, places will fill up quickly at FE colleges and sixth forms. Our top priority this week has to be helping students get onto the next step in their education.
4. Prepare for the arrival of calculated grades
At the time of writing, we are due to receive the final GCSE results on Thursday. However, some exam boards might not have the data in time, meaning teachers will give out CAG grades. This means some students may still have their grades increased after results day when they find out their calculated grade.
We need to communicate about how those will be sent out, and what to do if any grades are higher.
5. Know how to respond to anger and frustration
If a student now doesn’t get the results they were hoping for, this will be because of the grades we gave them. After the past week, it’s inevitable that emotions will be running high, and some people will find their hopes dashed.
We must be understanding about these reactions. It’s only human for parents and students to be upset about that. We have to fall back on the brief we were given: to provide a “realistic judgement of the grade each student would have been most likely to get”, taking into account “previous results in your centre in this subject”. Our judgements had to be based on evidence, not hope.
Although some people will be frustrated by those judgements, most will be able to understand our position.
6. Be ready to handle complaints if needed
Hopefully, most students and parents will understand and accept our judgements. Where they don’t, we need to be ready for a complaint.
It is not possible (at least at the moment) to appeal a school’s centre-assessed grade. The only thing that can be done is to lodge a complaint against the school. It is worth making sure that you have a person ready to handle this situation. They need to know the school’s complaints policy well and be good at defusing anger.
7. Be ready for subject access requests
Where a student is unhappy with their grade they may make a subject access request to support their complaint. Under GDPR they are entitled to request any of their personal data, and so could request any data used to decide on CAGs.
Make sure you have someone on hand who is up to speed on what students can/can’t request, and what you need to provide by when.
David Thomas is a maths teacher and principal of Jane Austen College, a mainstream state secondary school in Norwich
