Darlington school leads call for English GCSE inquiry (From Darlington and Stockton Times)
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Darlington school leads call for English GCSE inquiry
8:00am Friday 24th August 2012 in News
By Barry Nelson, Health Editor
Molly McIver, right, and Elaine Robertson embrace at Consett Academy North Campus after getting their GCSE results.
A NORTH-EAST school was last night at the centre of a major row about GCSE exam grades after senior staff accused the Government of “moving the goalposts” and wrecking the hopes of many pupils.
As hundreds of thousands of youngsters across the country celebrated their GCSE results, St Aidan’s Church of England Academy, in Darlington, said it is to challenge its English results amid allegations that they have been marked too harshly.
Instead of celebrating what were expected to be record GCSE results, senior staff at St Aidan’s have been consoling pupils who have missed out on passes in GCSE English by getting a D instead of an expected C.
St Aidan’s assistant principal Stephanie Francom said: “If the goalposts had not been moved for GCSE English, we would have expected an eight to nine per cent rise in our pass rates, putting us over 50 per cent for the first time.
“Last year, 44 per cent of our students achieved five Ato- C GCSE passes, including English and maths, but this year we are looking at a pass rate of 34 per cent, which is not acceptable and is being strongly contested.”
The academy was established in the Eastbourne area of Darlington five years ago to replace a failing state comprehensive.
Now housed in a £16m campus, the academy has seen results rise year on year.
While there were still success stories at St Aidan’s, yesterday’s results left about 40 per cent of the 116 teenager who took GCSEs at the academy this summer wondering whether they can continue with their studies or training after failing to get an expected pass in English. The school said a number of students had been awarded A grades in their English coursework and had ended up with a C.
Darlington MP Jenny Chapman said she would write to Education Secretary Michael Gove about the results.
Brian Lightman, from the Association of School and College Leaders, said the situation at St Aidan’s was repeated around the country.
He said: “What appears to have happened is that, halfway through the year, it was decided too many students were going to get a C grade in English and the grade boundaries of the exam were pushed up very substantially.”
Mr Gove said the reason some pupils have had poorer results than expected was partly down to a change in the system, which meant their exams had been split into units and modules this year.
He said the decision to change the grade boundaries was down to individual exam boards and was “fairly comparable”
with previous years.
Asked about concerns from English teachers that exams in their subject have been marked too harshly, he said: “Yes, the number of As has fallen, but the number of Bs has increased, the number of Cs has fallen and the number of Ds has increased.
“That is a result of the independent judgements made by exam boards entirely free from any political pressure.”
Nationally the proportion of GCSEs at C or above fell by 0.4 per cent – the first drop in the exam’s 24-year history.
Comments(58)
Jezreel
says...
11:53am Fri 24 Aug 12
It's very tough on the kids who have been marked down this year, knowing that they would have had better results last year.
harrowgatehilldave
says...
1:22pm Fri 24 Aug 12
ed/castrated etc if they do continue the trend of the last 25 years.
Faced with this situation the Boards have decided if it was to be the candidates or themselves that were thrown to the lions then the number of passes would have to go down.
Bring on the next government so things can change again after all it's only children who are being messed about !
BMD
says...
1:44pm Fri 24 Aug 12
Article in the Northern Echo:
Students across the region celebrating exam success
By Barry Nelson, Health Editor 12:00am Friday 24th August 2012
STUDENTS across the region have been celebrating another year of outstanding GCSE results.
One school in Darlington exceeded all expectations, recording the best GCSE results in its history.
Darlington School of Mathematics and Science, formerly Branksome School, said nearly 55 per cent of pupils achieved five A* to C grades in math’s and science, compared to 32 per cent in 2010.
GCSE's are not something that are given away, they have to be worked for! Gove is correct in resetting the bar to its original level. Labour let the education system slip to appease the unions.
Failed Teachers Failing pupils.
harrowgatehilldave
says...
1:54pm Fri 24 Aug 12
ldren remain as (in)competent as last year this year and every year.
Ask yourself why the number of passes has decreased this year for the first year in 25 years. Was there something in the water when the 2012 crop were bred ? Or perhaps somebody tinkering with the awards system in 2012 ?
Of course GCSE passes need to be deserved but to change the rules at the end of the game to award less goals (passes) seems to be a bit underhand which is why so many schools are rightly indignant
ianh
says...
2:07pm Fri 24 Aug 12
The boards moved the goalposts mid-term, meaning that a pupil taking their exam at christmas got a better grade than those taking the same exam this summer. This is just plain wrong and unfair. (on teachers and pupils alike)
I have no problem with exams being made tougher, but any change must be transparent to all.
Typically Gove has manipulated the system to suit his own goals whilst utterly failing to be accountable for the his actions or indeed the inevitable outcome.
harrowgatehilldave
says...
2:45pm Fri 24 Aug 12
25 years of grade inflation cannot be simply resolved by one man deciding to crack down overnight. Gove is a biger fool than I thought him to be if this is the only way he can act to solve this problem.
It's like getting to the end of a tax year finding yourself with a defecit and then saying that everyone should pay more to mett the defecit. Ask yourself would you be happy to pay. Sadly that is exactly what has happened to a percentage of the 2012 GCSE entry. It speaks for itself when a Church of England Academy beleives that an injustice has been done to it !
ianh
says...
2:58pm Fri 24 Aug 12
Contrary to what Gove thinks he is achieving, all he has actually done is to further undermine confidence in the qualification.
Suppose the danger with Gove, as with most politicians, is that we think he should know what he is talking about!
He is a journalist for gawds sake, and no more qualified to be in charge of our childrens education than Jermeybleedin'clarks
on......
harrowgatehilldave
says...
4:28pm Fri 24 Aug 12
Though she managed a B in English everything else was A* / A so she also feels a bit let down as she felt (as did her teachers) that English was one of her best subjects
ianh
says...
4:47pm Fri 24 Aug 12
High performing school, with all result in A-C gcse between 88 & 100% pass rates has seen its english language pass rate drop to 75% (from a predicted 90%)
English lit was 94%.
Therefore (imho) Goves washing of hands is nothin less than deceiptful, plain and simple.
Homshaw1
says...
4:56pm Fri 24 Aug 12
It's a shame that he is not concerned if this at the expense of children's future prospects
Qualifications should properly reflect a pupils efforts and abilities but a wholesale, largely unannounced moving of the goal posts isn't the way forward.
We need a person in the job with a genuine interest in helping children make the most of their abilities not a political points scorer.
Mod
says...
6:14pm Fri 24 Aug 12
Withnail Lefty
says...
6:21pm Fri 24 Aug 12
Education Secretary of the last five decades.
What does he know?
miketually
says...
6:52pm Fri 24 Aug 12
freelance
says...
7:48pm Fri 24 Aug 12
Education in the UK has been dumbed down and EMPLOYERS KNOW THAT.
As a result many of our major companies are recruiting from around the world.
bingbong
says...
8:49pm Fri 24 Aug 12
BMD
says...
5:37am Sat 25 Aug 12
Under the previous Governments, GCSE pass rates were a yard-stick for measuring the standard of individual school education.
There has to be a starting point when resetting the bar, unfortunately today’s school leavers have experienced the standard expected 25 years ago.
Todays school teachers like to be called professionals, but I am afraid very few would make a living in the Private Sector.
Micheal Gove has returned the goalposts from the halfway line back to the goal-line!
Homshaw1
says...
8:25am Sat 25 Aug 12
It's a complete mess. If you are tightening up on standards you need a new structure that is fair and all parties understand.
This has been handled so badly whoever is behind it gets an F whether you move the goal posts or not.
mark.wilkinson
says...
10:05am Sat 25 Aug 12
The problem lies with the dumbing down policies introduced in the last decade or more. and it's about time that there was a serious re-adjustment in the way exams are marked....especially English exams. Long gone are the days when little Johnny had to spell, punctuate and write clearly and neatly in order to get a good mark from an exam. Now the poor little things only have to get their point across, irrespective of the appalling way it's being delivered, to get top marks. In my mind any teacher worth their salt should have walked out of the job the day they were told that there was to be a new dumbing down policy, enabling more students to achieve many more exam passes. It's about time that exams were marked more fiercely.... Poore litel jonny can;t be allowd to fink that its akseptable not to be abel to rite proper english anymore... and go on to achieve a good exam result.
This re-adjustment is long overdue, and all the moaning teachers are only complaining because they may well be exposed as the 'below-average' teachers that they are. The good ones will have nothing to worry about at all and will welcome the changes.
swissball
says...
10:17am Sat 25 Aug 12
moved half way through the year without notice? It's unfair.
harrowgatehilldave
says...
10:51am Sat 25 Aug 12
St Aidan's have gradually progressed from a poor school to an improving one which has attained reasonable results. Yes they have a long way to go but would have continued to have improved had Mr Gove not decided to move the goalposts and worse still trying to deny doing it.
Not only is it unfair but punishes one year's children for errors which have occurred in allowing grade inflation over 25 years. It may be also worth pointing out that this moving of the goalposts has also had an adverse effect on even high performing schools.
Withnail Lefty
says...
10:57am Sat 25 Aug 12
Employers are very conscious of the difference between qualifications achieved in the recent past and those obtained before.
Perhaps we need to re-examine the reasons why we have such high levels of unemployment in certain age groups against the backdrop of educational standards.
RobAycliffe
says...
11:54am Sat 25 Aug 12
mark.wilkinson wrote:Most people would agree that the re-adjustment is long overdue.
What's with all this 'expected to achieve' talk? Sorry kids, but just because you're expected to achieve something doesn't mean you actually will. That's the whole point of exams. It's tough I know, but that's the whole point!
The problem lies with the dumbing down policies introduced in the last decade or more. and it's about time that there was a serious re-adjustment in the way exams are marked....especially English exams. Long gone are the days when little Johnny had to spell, punctuate and write clearly and neatly in order to get a good mark from an exam. Now the poor little things only have to get their point across, irrespective of the appalling way it's being delivered, to get top marks. In my mind any teacher worth their salt should have walked out of the job the day they were told that there was to be a new dumbing down policy, enabling more students to achieve many more exam passes. It's about time that exams were marked more fiercely.... Poore litel jonny can;t be allowd to fink that its akseptable not to be abel to rite proper english anymore... and go on to achieve a good exam result.
This re-adjustment is long overdue, and all the moaning teachers are only complaining because they may well be exposed as the 'below-average' teachers that they are. The good ones will have nothing to worry about at all and will welcome the changes.
What's not acceptable is the way it has been done, without warning and without explanation. The children aren't responsible for this system but are the ones bearing the brunt. Unless you believe that for some bizarre reason this year's candidates are substantially inferior to the last.
By the way, the 'expected to achieve' talk is a reference to the estimated grade a candidate is forecast to receive based on mock exams and course work. It is not always an accurate prediction in individual cases but on average across the year group is generally close.
David Lacey
says...
12:54pm Sat 25 Aug 12
RobAycliffe
says...
1:12pm Sat 25 Aug 12
David Lacey
says...
2:40pm Sat 25 Aug 12
ajtib3
says...
3:20pm Sat 25 Aug 12
David Lacey wrote:Go on David - please continue - why did they decide to suddenly do that then? It wouldn't appear to be in their interests to do so so why now?
Once again we have a situation where Government Ministers are blamed for the actions of others. If readers care to research the facts they will see that Mr Gove has had no part in this matter. The individual exam boards made the decision to amend the grade boundaries and the presumption that this followed pressure from Gove is derisible.
David Lacey
says...
3:36pm Sat 25 Aug 12
ajtib3
says...
3:44pm Sat 25 Aug 12
David Lacey wrote:Since you said Gove definitely didn't have anything to do with it just wondered how you knew.
Ask them, not me. Write them a letter and demand an answer. And while you are at it please direct a similar question at OFQUAL who had apparently had issued a directive to exam boards to do more to contain grade inflation.
So it may not be so derisible a supposition then - in fact you don't know he didn't have a word with them.
RobAycliffe
says...
3:45pm Sat 25 Aug 12
David Lacey wrote:Oh, so Gove has lost control of education policy?
Once again we have a situation where Government Ministers are blamed for the actions of others. If readers care to research the facts they will see that Mr Gove has had no part in this matter. The individual exam boards made the decision to amend the grade boundaries and the presumption that this followed pressure from Gove is derisible.
Since OFQUAL have acted against his wishes no doubt we will see him take action in the next few days.
bingbong
says...
4:55pm Sat 25 Aug 12
.
Make of that what you will.
harrowgatehilldave
says...
5:08pm Sat 25 Aug 12
Without his (indirect) intervention children suffered so the effect is the same.
Yes things needed changing but for Gove to do it this way is a shambles.
BMD
says...
5:26pm Sat 25 Aug 12
The bar had to be returned to its original level. Teachers have only encouraged pupils to scrape past exams instead of pushing them to excel.
David Lacey
says...
5:47pm Sat 25 Aug 12
.
The Department for Education has approved this action.
Ken Richardson
says...
5:49pm Sat 25 Aug 12
David Lacey
says...
6:12pm Sat 25 Aug 12
.
Let's see what OFQUAL propose after their inquiry. But when left wing strike happy teaching unions are up in arms, I feel content that the right action has probably been taken.
Ken Richardson
says...
6:22pm Sat 25 Aug 12
RobAycliffe
says...
7:00pm Sat 25 Aug 12
BMD wrote:Yes, the bar had to be returned to its original level. But not in this way.
The children have suffered due to the poor teaching standards, simply kids can send shortened text messages without a problem, but ask them to spell a sentence correctly! (enuff sed!)
The bar had to be returned to its original level. Teachers have only encouraged pupils to scrape past exams instead of pushing them to excel.
As it says in the Guardian today, "It is unfair on those taking the exams if they do not know what is expected, or if the standards change between the time they start and the time they finish without them knowing it. It is particularly unfair if someone needs a C or higher in a GCSE to go on to further study, and has just failed to get this through some unannounced change in the standard required."
Ken Richardson
says...
7:01pm Sat 25 Aug 12
RobAycliffe
says...
7:24pm Sat 25 Aug 12
Ken Richardson wrote:Sounds more like a compound of Argon and Selenium to me.
Sorry David, it's between Manganesy and Cobalty on the table. People say I'm a cynic and "not a team player" but the truth is, like you, I'm a realist.
:)
BMD
says...
7:18am Sun 26 Aug 12
RobAycliffe wrote:RobAycliffe wrote: As it says in the Guardian today, “It is unfair on those taking the exams if they do not know what is expected, or if the standards change between the time they start and the time they finish without them knowing it"
BMD wrote: The children have suffered due to the poor teaching standards, simply kids can send shortened text messages without a problem, but ask them to spell a sentence correctly! (enuff sed!) The bar had to be returned to its original level. Teachers have only encouraged pupils to scrape past exams instead of pushing them to excel.Yes, the bar had to be returned to its original level. But not in this way. As it says in the Guardian today, "It is unfair on those taking the exams if they do not know what is expected, or if the standards change between the time they start and the time they finish without them knowing it. It is particularly unfair if someone needs a C or higher in a GCSE to go on to further study, and has just failed to get this through some unannounced change in the standard required."
It is the teachers whom have failed to encourage the pupils to excel in their subjects. If the teachers had committed more effort into gaining higher pass results, would there be a discussion regarding this article?
RobAycliffe
says...
9:27am Sun 26 Aug 12
BMD wrote:I think you miss the point. The exact same paper which earned a 'C' in January would, if submitted again, earn a 'D'. Regardless of the quality of the teaching.
RobAycliffe wrote:RobAycliffe wrote: As it says in the Guardian today, “It is unfair on those taking the exams if they do not know what is expected, or if the standards change between the time they start and the time they finish without them knowing it"
BMD wrote: The children have suffered due to the poor teaching standards, simply kids can send shortened text messages without a problem, but ask them to spell a sentence correctly! (enuff sed!) The bar had to be returned to its original level. Teachers have only encouraged pupils to scrape past exams instead of pushing them to excel.Yes, the bar had to be returned to its original level. But not in this way. As it says in the Guardian today, "It is unfair on those taking the exams if they do not know what is expected, or if the standards change between the time they start and the time they finish without them knowing it. It is particularly unfair if someone needs a C or higher in a GCSE to go on to further study, and has just failed to get this through some unannounced change in the standard required."
It is the teachers whom have failed to encourage the pupils to excel in their subjects. If the teachers had committed more effort into gaining higher pass results, would there be a discussion regarding this article?
miketually
says...
10:30am Sun 26 Aug 12
flinch.com/2012/08/2
3/the-gcse-grading-s
candal-where-i-think
-well-find-the-smoki
ng-gun/
harrowgatehilldave
says...
2:02pm Sun 26 Aug 12
You tell people they need 50% to pass an exam. When you find too many got 50% you then say sorry we really meant 60% to knock the numbers passing down.
Regardless of the quality of what the pass level is is this a fair way to do it ?
Yes/no.
My answer is no and takes no account of the employability of these children or their ability to write text messages you should leave the goalposts where they were at the start of the game and if you decide it is necessary to move them do so before the game starts.
Gove should be thrown out of office as this farce is of his making whether directly or indirectly.
David Lacey
says...
2:49pm Sun 26 Aug 12
.
The truth will emerge when OFQUAL issues its report.
Withnail Lefty
says...
4:32pm Sun 26 Aug 12
RobAycliffe
says...
4:47pm Sun 26 Aug 12
Withnail Lefty wrote:There is no suggestion that any paper has been marked incorrectly or requires remarking. I really don't think you understand the article.
Perhaps the January exams were marked too leniently and it is those that should be remarked.
I was going to give you a 'C' for comprehension, but it will have to be a 'D' I'm afraid.
BMD
says...
5:45am Mon 27 Aug 12
The only argument that has been put forward is the lack of communication between the examination bodies, OFQUAL and the Schools.
Surely if a teacher makes an assessment that a student will achieve a "C" grade, is it not the teacher’s moral duty to encourage the student to push for a "B" grade. Before they retreat to the teacher’s lounge for tea and biscuits.
David Lacey
says...
9:53am Mon 27 Aug 12
miketually
says...
12:06pm Mon 27 Aug 12
Why push for a B, when they can push for an A or an A*?
Because targets have to be realistic and achievable, that's why. Otherwise, the child fails and fails and fails again.
How quickly can you run 5 miles? If we measured you running this distance, would you be more likely to respond to a target that's a minute or so faster, or one that's not far short of the world record pace?
BMD
says...
5:10pm Mon 27 Aug 12
harrowgatehilldave
says...
6:26pm Mon 27 Aug 12
Here's your target 10 As at GCSE level next year. But my name is Michael Gove so though you needed 80% to get your A this year I have decided you will need 90% next year.
BMD - go on I challenge you to do it. As a smug teacher I'll smile at your failure as I retreat to the staff room for my tea and biscuits.
ajtib3
says...
8:33pm Mon 27 Aug 12
harrowgatehilldave wrote:I used to like a nougat - very sweet.
BMD is obviously a total nougat.
Here's your target 10 As at GCSE level next year. But my name is Michael Gove so though you needed 80% to get your A this year I have decided you will need 90% next year.
BMD - go on I challenge you to do it. As a smug teacher I'll smile at your failure as I retreat to the staff room for my tea and biscuits.
Some nuggets on here though.
BMD
says...
5:11am Tue 28 Aug 12
.
But I am afraid 80% seems a very low percentage for an "A" obviously the examination has been far too lenient.
Well done Mr. Gove
ianh
says...
9:15am Tue 28 Aug 12
A pupil taking an exam at Christmas got a C.
The same mark, on the same paper in June would be given a D.
That is simply unfair, and those responsible for enacting this change should be accountable for their actions. As Sec. of State, that is ultimately Michael Gove (the journalist)
None of this has anything to do with exam difficulty, but if any change was wanted in this regard then it must be done in a planned, open and transparent way. Only then can pupils and teachers alike be confident of a fair outcome.
Insel_Affen
says...
11:22am Tue 28 Aug 12
.
I still can't get my head round an A*, surely you can't get better than 100% can you? (Please do not go on about coursework, my wife’s a qualified teacher and has tried to explain). An A used to mean you have worked well and achieved a good grade, it was something to strive for, now is a B worth it? Looking at just the results, I must be a right thicky. Good teachers will always strive to push student, poor teachers will just get by.
.
One thing that no-one has mentioned though is that the exam boards set the pass marks and grades; the schools choose which exam board they want to go with, so it stand to reason that a board which seems to get lots of passes would get chosen (therefore more revenue).
.
I have seen the standard of writing of some schools leavers and it is criminal how they have been allowed to leave school with such a poor level of literacy and numeracy.
BMD
says...
1:38pm Tue 28 Aug 12
ianh wrote:I am deducing your main complaint is a student receives a grade "D" in July 2012, but would have received a grade "C" in December 2011.
No need for daft name calling etc, the facts are very simple. A pupil taking an exam at Christmas got a C. The same mark, on the same paper in June would be given a D. That is simply unfair, and those responsible for enacting this change should be accountable for their actions. As Sec. of State, that is ultimately Michael Gove (the journalist) None of this has anything to do with exam difficulty, but if any change was wanted in this regard then it must be done in a planned, open and transparent way. Only then can pupils and teachers alike be confident of a fair outcome.
But it would have been acceptable for you if a student to receive a Grade "C" in July 2011 and a student to receive a grade "D" in July 2012.
But let’s throw it in another direction!
Before Labour reduced the grading standard, was it fair for a student whom received a "C" grade, to be out done by a less educated student receiving the same "C" grade a year later, after the political tinkering?
I believe the answer lies with the Labour party’s previous tinkering, if the grading had been untouched, this conversation would never arisen! Therefore is Mr. Gove to blame?
ianh
says...
2:06pm Tue 28 Aug 12
Two students, taking the same exam in the same school year, get the same mark, but one gets a C and one a D.
All because the grading system is changed between Christmas and June.
If there is a desire to make exams harder (or easier even!) then thats fine, but do it in a clear and transparent manner so that eveyone is aware of the change. Simple?
As Sec. of State, Gove is ultimately responsible for what happens in our education system.
By the way, GCSE's replaced the GCE and CSE in the late 1980's (1986-88 i think). So just who was doing the "political tinkering" back then?
If my history serves me,Keith Joseph was the Sec of State who instigated the GCSE and the PM was one Mrs M Thatcher.
harrowgatehilldave says...
11:24am Fri 24 Aug 12
As someone who has been involved in GCSE grading awards in past years there has been "pressure" put on by Boards to award an increasing number of "C" grades. This is a competitive market place and schools buy from the Board where they get best value (ie more passes) for their money. Hence grade inflation over the years so that pass grades are absolutely worthless.
As the Government (ie Gove) see that this can not go on they have put the pressure on Boards to reverse the trend. Sad for those sitting GCSEs this year and too dramatic a change in policy but Gove would argue something which is essential.
The only way that this can be resolved is by an inquiry that looks at the standard of work needed to achieve Grade C (in say English) in both 2011 and 2012 and establish whether the goal posts have indeed been moved.