Quality of Offline and Online Education by Schools Should Not Hold Back Your Child’s Progress or Lead to Poor Exam Grades in Core Academic Subjects

Being Prepared for the Known and the Unknown!

No one knows exactly when the lockdown will end and secondary school children, in particular, will return to school. If this happens this summer, it is likely that it will not be for a full day and for five days a week.  The provision above is for online teaching, as there is more certainty in this.

In the unlikely event that the lockdown is lifted in full before the end of June, we may reconsider opening our centres for students to come in. It must be said that, if it is the case that we decide to provide at physical premises, the fees will rise from those given above.

We are also planning to start the next academic year a little earlier than usual, meaning in early to mid-September, as opposed to our usual October start. We will update you with the dates.

Please see more information about each specific age group below

 

KS3 students

You only need to read the two points below if your child is at KS3

a. Although, Y9 is supposed to be the final year of KS3, it is common practice by almost every school that GCSE actually starts in In fact, many of the top schools, including Grammar schools and independent schools, start as early as Y8. By the time students finish Y10, over 60% of the GCSE specification has already been completed.

b. Students who do not perform well at the end of Y9 are usually put in the bottom set when they get to Y10. Sadly, most of these young people are condemned to take the foundation tier GCSE, where the maximum GCSE grade they can achieve is a 5. For students who are given the opportunity to take the higher tier, they can access Grades 6,7, 8 or 9.

 

Y10 – 1^st year of GCSE

You only need to read the two points below if your child is in Y10 

a. Due to the unprecedented situation, instead of taking their summer GCSE exams, the present Y11 students find themselves in a position where their teachers are having to recommend grades to the exam board, based on their mock exams and their academic performance throughout. Many parents are concerned about this as they consider it unfair for all sorts of reasons. Schools closure and cancellation of exams are very unusual and this is unlikely to happen this time next year. However, it is better to be prepared for all eventualities.

b. Students with weak performance at the end of Y10 are likely to be put in a set where they will be sitting the foundation tier for GCSE, for which the maximum they can achieve is Grade 5. In the higher tier, there is the opportunity of accessing Grades 6, 7, 8 and 9.

 

AS-level – 1^st year of A-level

You only need to read the two points below if your child is in the first year of A-level

a. Instead of taking their summer A-level exams, the present A2 students find themselves in a position where their teachers are having to recommend grades to the exam board, based on their mock exams and their academic performance throughout. Many parents are concerned about this as they consider it unfair for all sorts of reasons. Schools closure and cancellation of exams are very unusual and this is unlikely to happen this time next year. However, it is better to be prepared for all eventualities.

b. Those with weak academic performance at the end of the first year of A-level will not be allowed to carry on with some of their A-level subjects into the second year. They will be asked to drop at least one subject. This decision will limit the range of universities they can apply to and the degree course they can choose to study there.

As a result of the closure of schools and cancellation of exams, instead of taking their summer A-level exams this summer, the present Y13 (upper sixth) students find themselves in a position where their teachers are having to recommend grades to the exam board, based on their mock exams and their academic performance throughout. Many parents are concerned about this as they consider it unfair for all sorts of reasons.  It may affect the chances of some young people getting to the university of their choice.

Schools  closure and cancellation of exams are very unusual and this is unlikely to happen this time next year. However, it is better to put our children in a position where they are well-prepared for all eventualities, as we do not know what will happen in the coming years.

On the second point above, we have witnessed over the years  a situation whereby parents of teenagers who are just completing the lower sixth (Y12) come to us to express their concern about their predicament. The child is in a position where he or she is struggling at A-level because the inability to adjust to the huge gap between GCSE and A-level  has led to poor performance in the first year of A-level. There is often a danger that they will be asked not to continue with that at least one of their subjects into the final year of A-level. This limits the options of the universities from which they are likely to secure an offer.