Ofqual changes to GCSE examinations – implications for SEN children

I received an email from an exam board today which said:

Ofqual have announced changes to GCSE qualifications which will be of interest to schools registered with WJEC in England and in Wales.

Changes in England

Ofqual, regulator for qualifications in England, announced that they will introduce changes to GCSEs for candidates starting two-year courses in September 2012.

 For awards in summer 2014 onwards, linear assessment will be compulsory for candidates in England. They will sit all their examinations at the end of their GCSE course, rather than having the possibility of taking them at different stages during the course as they do at present.

Further details of the changes are available on the Ofqual site here

Once again politics and Westminster teacher bashing takes precedent over the opinions and advice given by the teaching professionals who actually work with our children.  Apparently our exams are too easy and we have to do something to make sure they aren’t.  Of course these changes have far-reaching implications for our students, big ones for some.

My children are low attainers as you might expect (they attend a special school).   About half do entry level qualifications and the rest work at GCSE level.  There are children like mine in every mainstream school across the country – they aren’t that unusual.  These are children that have to be reminded what they did last week (sometimes they forget what they did earlier in the day).  These students will now have to remember what they learned up to two years ago.  Whilst it is possible to build in revision sessions (after all how can students with low literacy levels reasonably revise at home?), it isn’t possible to revise everything in sufficient depth for the students to do themselves justice.  I struggled getting enough revision in when we did modular exams.

So what is the answer?  Not only are the exams being made harder but at the same time pressure is put on schools to achieve better and better results.  The only conceivable way my students can achieve a GCSE-equivalent qualification that reflects their ability is to do a vocational qualification like BTEC where the assessment is portfolio based (although even this is being changed – more about BTEC changes here).

Of course none of these changes are pupil centred or put the student first.  Mr Gove hasn’t considered how my students will feel if I enter them for a qualification they are doomed to fail.   After the media and political attention drawn to the disaffected youth following the recent riots I thought the Government might have started to change its approach.

For now I’ll be plodding along following BTEC science with my students and trying to convince them as we go that they aren’t failures and that they have a place in society.  Let’s hope I am right!

New resources uploaded

I created this website with the intention of sharing resources and ideas with other teachers. I’ve uploaded a selection of resources here (and some to the TES resource bank) that I use with my SEN and low ability students.

Topics include:

  • BTEC Level 1 Chemistry (periodic table and chemical change factors)
  • BTEC Level 1 IT users
  • Entry level biology topics
  • Misc updated worksheets.

Please download and use these resources as you see fit.  Usual copyright terms apply.

Collaborative Writing using Google Apps (Google Docs)

Getting students to write can be difficult.  Google Apps is a free service for schools, which includes email, document and calendar sharing.  It is possible to use Google Apps so that several students can work on the same document simultaneously (and see the edits of their co-workers in real time).  On the video below I set up a group of four students to work on a single report, with colour coding to show each students where they have to write (these were SEN students).  Other ideas include collecting data into a shared spreadsheet  or creating shared presentations.

The video:

 

Please leave a comment if you have any questions.

Science in the park – Wollaton Park, Nottingham

It’s time for a plug for Science in the park taking place on 10th March 2012.  The event will be held in Wollaton Hall (in Wollaton Park, hence the name!) and offers something for everyone.

You can find out more about the event by visiting their website.

It is also worth plugging the competition they are organising (for 11-18 year old school students) which has a prize of a £100 voucher from Scientific Laboratory Supplies in Nottingham.   Up to date information about the competition can be found here.  A valuable opportunity for all schools in the Nottingham area to take part, further their science knowledge in the process and maybe win a prize for the school.  See you there!