Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
We should find out soon what actually happens when you open the schools.
And, for once, England will be able to watch to see what happens in Scotland to inform what it does...it's mostly been the other way.
We should find out soon what actually happens when you open the schools.
And to say it was totally unnecessary is ridiculous. While it is true that it has been found that the impact of the virus on the young is generally insignificant, that is with the benefit of hindsight.
I had a friend who was unable to sit several exams due to exam phobia - he was physically sick and had to abandon several of them. He was given no special consideration - he had to resit the exams in the autumn. My parents separated shortly before I took my exams - I was given no special consideration (I don't think the school was even aware). Nobody went around wringing their hands and wailing about how unfair it all was. Life is unfair, we were expected to deal with it. Such situations aren't helped by irresponsible adults "bigging it up", making a mountain out of a molehill, like some seem to be doing now.If something untoward happens under normal circumstances then they can get special consideration for their exams - they still sit them but the circumstances are taken into account when grades are issued. Please don't underestimate the significance of this virus on those in school, it's not a simple life lesson that life is unfair. Many have learned that already in ways that would make you really cringe; far worse than anything listed above. I wish people would actually think before making these statements, almost no-one on this forum has had their childhood disrupted in the way that the current generation have. To be honest most of them are dealing with it very maturely but for some it is a real issue. A little more empathy rather than trot out the Victorian life lesson would help. Thank you.
The difference is that now the schools will be opening with a far lower infection rate in the community.We should find out soon what actually happens when you open the schools.
We all have stories/things that happened to us etc and maybe special consideration wasn't around then but it is now. That's because we're probably more sensitive to issues now hence mental health awareness etc, which a few years ago you were just told to man up.I had a friend who was unable to sit several exams due to exam phobia - he was physically sick and had to abandon several of them. He was given no special consideration - he had to resit the exams in the autumn. My parents separated shortly before I took my exams - I was given no special consideration (I don't think the school was even aware). Nobody went around wringing their hands and wailing about how unfair it all was. Life is unfair, we were expected to deal with it. Such situations aren't helped by irresponsible adults "bigging it up", making a mountain out of a molehill, like some seem to be doing now.
To be clear, the children are all getting their grades. Some will do better, some will do worse than hoped. That is life.
And suicide rates in children were nowhere near as high as they are now too. And that is largely because adults then taught their children to deal with life. That involves supporting them in dealing with issues - not whinging about how unfair it might be.We all have stories/things that happened to us etc and maybe special consideration wasn't around then but it is now. That's because we're probably more sensitive to issues now hence mental health awareness etc, which a few years ago you were just told to man up.
And I repeat - this is not unfair - all the children who were expecting to take exams are in the same boat. If anything, it is fairer than normal.
Bolded bit - having completed sixth form last year and GCSEs in 2017, I'm recently out of the system. Noting the posts above, I just want to add mine to say that what you've said nobody used to do is exactly what many many students are doing all the time - in a normal year. I can imagine what it's like now - it's frustrating enough at University.I had a friend who was unable to sit several exams due to exam phobia - he was physically sick and had to abandon several of them. He was given no special consideration - he had to resit the exams in the autumn. My parents separated shortly before I took my exams - I was given no special consideration (I don't think the school was even aware). Nobody went around wringing their hands and wailing about how unfair it all was. Life is unfair, we were expected to deal with it. Such situations aren't helped by irresponsible adults "bigging it up", making a mountain out of a molehill, like some seem to be doing now.
To be clear, the children are all getting their grades. Some will do better, some will do worse than hoped. That is life.
I do agree that the system needs a bit of an overhaul to be honest. But I'm not convinced it's fairer than normal - exams are blind marked while teachers are using their own judgement and a completely new system to decide grades that will either get students into university or not (or whatever they decide to do with the next stage of their life).And suicide rates in children were nowhere near as high as they are now too. And that is largely because adults then taught their children to deal with life. That involves supporting them in dealing with issues - not whinging about how unfair it might be.
And I repeat - this is not unfair - all the children who were expecting to take exams are in the same boat. If anything, it is fairer than normal.
Believe me it's not, I work in education and it isn't as fair this year. This is nothing to do with being taught life is fair/unfair. As I said earlier there are plenty of kids who know that already and too many who've had extremely nasty experiences in their life, too unthinkable to write here. I wish people would stop trying to justify their views based on their lives. Whether you think it's fair or not isn't the point. Kids who should have taken their exams are in a worse position than if they'd been allowed to. Afraid that's a fact nothing to doing with fair/unfair, learning life lessons or whatever you want to call it. I'd appreciate it if everyone could take it on board, show a bit of empathy and stop harking back to their days. Thank you.And suicide rates in children were nowhere near as high as they are now too. And that is largely because adults then taught their children to deal with life. That involves supporting them in dealing with issues - not whinging about how unfair it might be.
And I repeat - this is not unfair - all the children who were expecting to take exams are in the same boat. If anything, it is fairer than normal.
There is only one strategy that works - you learn the subject as you go along. In my experience of teaching, those who think they can idle the best part of a course away and rely on somehow pulling it all back in the last few weeks are deluded. Yes, they may well be aggrieved that they didn't get the chance to try and do so, but the reality is that they would have failed even if given the opportunity.I think you have a different definition of unfair to me.
They are all in the same boat, but people who took different strategies that would have worked out the same in the end are likely to end up with different grades.
Agreed, a minority of kids who were expecting to take exams are in a worse position. In a normal year, a minority of kids who would be expecting to take exams and who now no longer need to do so are in a better position. Swings and roundabouts.Kids who should have taken their exams are in a worse position than if they'd been allowed to. Afraid that's a fact nothing to doing with fair/unfair, learning life lessons or whatever you want to call it. I'd appreciate it if everyone could take it on board, show a bit of empathy and stop harking back to their days. Thank you.
There is only one strategy that works - you learn the subject as you go along. In my experience of teaching, those who think they can idle the best part of a course away and rely on somehow pulling it all back in the last few weeks are deluded. Yes, they may well be aggrieved that they didn't get the chance to try and do so, but the reality is that they would have failed even if given the opportunity.
Except that there is a way to right it. If you don't get the grades you need, you can sit the exam in the autumn. As has always been the case for those who, for whatever reason, don't get the grades they need.This really is an extremely cruel way of showing children that life isn’t fair, and in my view it’s bang out of order when there’s no way to right it.
I'm sorry but disagree, there are very few that I know of who will be in a better position. Will you stop refering to making mountains out of molehills? Whilst this isn't the worst issue ever to some it is significant as they've worked very hard to get to the stage where they were going to take their exams and this sort of attitude is just patronising. No-one is bigging up the issue as it is an issue that should be discussed. A few people discussing it on a forum is not going to affect mental health of those involved is it? I'm sure almost all of those involved will get over it but that doesn't make it right.Agreed, a minority of kids who were expecting to take exams are in a worse position. In a normal year, a minority of kids who would be expecting to take exams and who now no longer need to do so are in a better position. Swings and roundabouts.
I would appreciate it if people would stop making a mountain out of a molehill. Unnecessarily bigging up the issue will certainly do nothing to help the mental health of those who are adversely affected. Thank you.
Your rabid anti-child stance really doesn't cast you in a good light. In particular though, I'm not convinced this is a credible position. In normal years a very small proportion of students are affected in a way that leads them to repeat their exams. For the most part this leads to a few months of extra study and then most of the year spent gaining experience of the world of.work or doing something more gap-yearish.Except that there is a way to right it. If you don't get the grades you need, you can sit the exam in the autumn. As has always been the case for those who, for whatever reason, don't get the grades they need.
Those who keep encouraging the young to whinge on about how unfair life is, and how upset they should be about it, are really not doing them any favours at all.
Except that there is a way to right it. If you don't get the grades you need, you can sit the exam in the autumn. As has always been the case for those who, for whatever reason, don't get the grades they need.
Those who keep encouraging the young to whinge on about how unfair life is, and how upset they should be about it, are really not doing them any favours at all.
Except that there is a way to right it. If you don't get the grades you need, you can sit the exam in the autumn. As has always been the case for those who, for whatever reason, don't get the grades they need.
Those who keep encouraging the young to whinge on about how unfair life is, and how upset they should be about it, are really not doing them any favours at all.
Well said.I’m not encouraging the young to whinge on about how unfair life is, however I am certainly standing by the point that this particular issue is very much unfair to two specific groups of youngsters (I’m avoiding a third group, those at university, as I’m less clear what’s going on there).
It’s all very well saying people can re-sit, but how is that going to help someone who has now been denied entry to a sixth form based on their GCSE grades being below benchmark? I still remember the effect this had on some of my colleagues two decades ago, both on the day when they got the bad news, and over time as their hopes were wrecked - that was bad enough even as part of a process which was completely fair and consistent, unlike now where goalposts were moved with zero notice or opportunity to adapt.
If it’s so easy to re-sit why didn’t we simply arrange for the two year groups concerned to simply be doing all the exams over the autumn?
Opening those envelopes is a nerve-wracking experience in itself, and for some the moments which follow really are heartbreaking. This isn’t tea and sympathy, it’s reality. For every other year group at least those who didn’t achieve what they were hoping for can rest assured that their grades genuinely reflected their own performance, as opposed to being based on a mock which no one thought at the time would count, or worse their grades being based on a teacher’s opinion of them rather their own achievement. Quite simply it sucks.
Kids who should have taken their exams are in a worse position than if they'd been allowed to.
This really is an extremely cruel way of showing children that life isn’t fair, and in my view it’s bang out of order when there’s no way to right it.
What about if those grades are being relied upon to secure a sixth form or university place? Unless things have changed radically since the early 2000s, you would need to get the grades specified in the Spring “exam season”, and then start the course in September or October. Re-sitting in the Autumn would necessitate an unscheduled year out.