Headteachers urge parents to lobby government over next year's GCSEs

Headteachers are calling on mother and father to assist increase consciousness of the unfairness of pushing forward with subsequent yr’s GCSEs.

With giant numbers of pupils spending huge quantities of time distant studying amid the pandemic, leaders are understandably involved over the affect on their schooling.

However by pitting those self same pupils in opposition to children in different elements of the nation, who’ve been unaffected by the virus, headteachers say we’re setting these kids as much as fail.

Immediately each secondary faculty headteacher in Wigan has written to 12 months 11 mother and father asking for his or her assist to boost consciousness of the problem. It comes a day after they warned of ‘main disruption’ to varsities amid the pandemic.

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They need them to put in writing to native MPs, Larger Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and the Division of Training, to focus on the affect the virus is having and the way detrimental it might be to push forward with the same old examination format.

Regardless of the Welsh authorities this week confirming will probably be scrapping exams in favour of coursework and trainer assessments, the federal government in England remains to be insisting GCSEs will go forward as deliberate, albeit with a slight delay.

The letter to folks outlines how a lot classroom time pupils have misplaced this educational yr due to time spent isolating at house. Some college students have been despatched house on three or 4 separate events.

Dad and mom are being urged to contact their MP, Larger Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and the Division for Training
(Picture: Vincent Cole Manchester Night Information)

The heads say: “I’m deeply involved about your son or daughter’s GCSE exams.

“The affect of coronavirus since September has been felt in our faculties, nonetheless this isn’t uniform throughout the nation.

“There are an enormous variety of faculties in the remainder of England which haven’t had any coronavirus instances and haven’t needed to ask pupils to self-isolate. Because it stands for the time being, our pupils and your little kids will probably be sitting the identical examinations as pupils in different elements of the nation who haven’t had vital disruption to their schooling. That is merely not truthful.

“My concern extends past this as that is clearly having an affect on the well-being of our college students. They’re totally conscious of the significance of the exams and the disproportionate affect it’s having on their attendance at college and therefore preparation.

“College students have gotten extraordinarily apprehensive about this and, as time progresses with a vaccine some months away and coronavirus instances changing into extra prevalent, the anxiousness ranges are rising because the exams inch nearer.”

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The leaders have given mother and father a template of a letter to signal and ship off to their very own MP, filling in what number of days their baby has missed at college.

“The aim of this letter is to ask for assist in elevating consciousness of the affect of coronavirus on our college students as they put together for his or her GCSEs, to display the energy of feeling and a name for the authorities to take applicable motion,” they are saying.

“I’m asking that you simply write to your native MP, Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Larger Manchester and the Division for Training to indicate the affect that is having in your baby’s future and well-being.”

Julian Grant, chair of the Wigan Secondary Headteachers’ Affiliation
(Picture: Manchester Night Information)

One of many leaders sending the letter is Julian Grant, headteacher of Shevington Excessive Faculty and likewise chair of the Wigan Secondary Headteachers’ Affiliation.

He mentioned: “All headteachers are very involved concerning the present state of affairs we discover our 12 months 11 college students in.

“The affect the coronavirus is having on 12 months 11 pupil attendance is important and subsequently the affect on their means to arrange for the GCSE summer season exams.

“All headteachers have completely different views, some assume the exams in summer season 2021 ought to be cancelled and that one thing much like centre assessed grades ought to be used.

“I believe the actual level is that the federal government must acknowledge that it’s completely unfair for the time being to count on our college students to sit down the identical exams as different college students in different elements of the nation who haven’t had vital disruption to their schooling and that different choices have to be thought of urgently.”

Mayor Andy Burnham has himself spoken of the unfairness of a standard examination system within the present local weather and final week mentioned he can be assembly with headteachers to develop a proposal to current to authorities.

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Considerations over the insistence to go forward with the exams have additionally been raised by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP), an organisation searching for to spice up business and schooling in north of England.

Sarah Mulholland, NPP’s head of coverage, mentioned: “We’re very involved that younger individuals throughout the north are prone to be at a drawback if the Division for Training opts to go forward with GCSE and A-Degree exams subsequent summer season, given the truth that they’re those almost definitely to have been impacted by faculty closures following yr group bubbles of pupils having to be despatched house for example.

“Steady evaluation can be a a lot fairer various to the proposed plan, and would cut back the chance of an analogous fiasco corresponding to we noticed this summer season. Assessing kids this fashion, whether it is deliberate upfront, might in actual fact be extra rigorous than what’s proposed if plans have been to have to vary at brief discover.”

Is your baby resulting from take GCSEs or A-Degree exams subsequent yr? Have they frolicked distant studying since September? How do you are feeling concerning the exams going forward? Tell us within the feedback right here, or on our Manchester Household Fb web page.

Following the announcement in Wales, Downing Road mentioned there was no change to the plan to carry exams in England.

The federal government says exams are the fairest approach of judging a pupil’s efficiency
(Picture: PA)

A DfE spokesperson mentioned: “Exams are the fairest approach of judging a pupil’s efficiency, which is why Ofqual and the federal government all agree they need to go forward subsequent yr.

“We’re working intently with stakeholders on the measures wanted to make sure exams may be held and can set out plans over the approaching weeks.”

When questioned by the Commons Training Choose Committee, Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman mentioned cancelling exams would danger ‘hurt’ to pupils, as they might lack motivation and construction for the rest of the college yr.

She informed the committee: “One of many messages that got here throughout actually strongly from younger individuals themselves final summer season within the face of the calculated grades mannequin was how a lot they resented not having the prospect to indicate what they might do for themselves.

“So if you happen to pull out one thing round which the system is organised with out one thing else as an alternative, you would find yourself inadvertently doing actual hurt.”

Has your faculty needed to ship kids house to self-isolate? Tell us within the feedback or electronic mail the main points to emma.gill@reachplc.com.