GCSE Results Day 2020 – What You Need to Know

Key Questions

• How has your GCSE grade been awarded?

  We were delighted with the news that the government has decided to use only Centre Assessed Grades as students’ final GCSE grades this year.   There will now be no statistical standardisation.  This means the hard work, effort and dedication shown by our Year 11 students will be justly rewarded! 

  Centre Assessed Grades: must reflect a fair, reasonable and carefully considered judgement of the most likely grade a student would have achieved if they had sat their exams this summer and completed any non-exam assessment.   In coming to this holistic judgement, centres should assume that it is no easier or harder for a student to achieve a particular grade this year, compared to previous years.

  • Teachers should draw on existing records and available evidence (as far as possible in the context of current public health advice)
  • records of each student’s performance over the course of study, including for example progress review data, classwork, bookwork, and/or participation in performances in subjects such as music, drama and PE
  • performance on any class or homework assessments and mock exams taken over the course of study
  • any other relevant information

  There is no requirement to set additional mock exams or homework tasks for the purposes of determining a centre assessment grade

  There will be no requirement to send any supporting evidence, such as student work, to the exam boards.

  To ensure our grades were fair and accurate we used the following process:

  1. Teachers entered centre assessed grades in collaboration with their line manager. No teacher entered grades in isolation.
  2. All grades in each subject were submitted into a spreadsheet, which contained formulas that prevented staff from making clerical errors.
  3. The subject leader reviewed each subject spreadsheet student by student. The subject leader then signed off the grades to say this was a fair and accurate grade for each student.
  4. Senior leaders reviewed each subject spreadsheet student by student and questioned any anomalies; this included over and under estimates.
  5. All student grades for each subject were submitted to FFT for national comparison. This allowed us to spot any significant anomalies in student and subject performance.
  6. Following FFT national comparison, senior and middle leaders completed a further student by student check for every grade in each subject.
  7. Following this, the Principal and two more senior members of staff completed the final student by student check for every grade in each subject before submission to examination boards.
• What happens with appeals now?

  We are currently unsure about the appeals process and we are awaiting further guidance from Ofqual and the government.

  If you are not satisfied with any of your results please let Mr Cordwell know by Monday 24th August on sco@little-lever.bolton.sch.uk

  Once a robust appeals process has been confirmed by the government we will contact you immediately to explain the options available to you.

• How do Year 10 students receive their RE results?

  With the potential numbers due to be in the school grounds at any one time, we have decided it would be safer that Year 10 students do not come into school to collect their GCSE RE results. We hope parents/carers understand this as the safety of students, families and staff are our main priority.

  Year 10 students will receive an email today with the following information;

  At 11am tomorrow morning (Thursday 20th August) your GCSE RE result will now be published on your parent/carer’s individual Parent Portal page, which is accessed via the home page on our school website.

  If you do not wish to have your result published there and prefer to receive it on your own school email please reply to this email by no later than 10.30am tomorrow stating you would prefer to receive your results privately.

  If we do not receive a reply, at 11am students and their parents/carers will be able to log into their Parent Portal account and be able to view and download the official GCSE RE results report.

  We are currently unsure about the appeals process and we are awaiting further guidance from Ofqual and the government. If you are not satisfied with your RE result please let Mr Cordwell know by Monday 24th August on sco@little-lever.bolton.sch.uk

  Once a robust appeals process has been confirmed by the government we will contact you immediately to explain the options available to you.

• How do I enrol in College with social distancing measures still in place?

  Please check the websites of the college you have applied for to check their protocols for enrolment. We are aware that many local colleges are using an appointment system.  We have been asked to remind students that they must stick to their appointment times unless told otherwise.  This will help colleges safely manage the numbers of students enrolling each day.

  We have attached below a document outlining the current enrolment situation which our main college and post-16 providers have put in place.