EDUCATION
final exams, with fewer opportunities for retakes and a reduced role of coursework in the final grade awarded. A new grading scale of 9 to 1 will be used for scoring GCSEs,
with 9 being the top grade. According to the government, this will allow greater differentiation between students and help to distinguish the new GCSEs from previous versions. However, only the new GCSEs in English language, English
literature and maths will be taught in schools in England from September 2015, with the first results issued in August 2017. The remaining courses will be introduced over the following two years. AS and A Level have witnessed similar changes. Like GCSEs,
they are now linear, with more importance placed on the final exam. AS and A Level have ‘decoupled,’ meaning that the AS Level exams are standalone qualifications and will no longer count towards the A Level grade as they did before. But, like the GSCE reform, the changes will be staggered, with a
timetabled rollout of subjects due for completion in summer 2019. For example, the new English language and literature AS and A Levels have been taught in schools since 2015, but the new mathematics exam programme will not be taught until September 2017. According to UCAS, the body that processes higher-education
applications, these changes could present significant challenges for secondary schools and colleges in deciding what range of subjects and qualifications to offer. Some may wish to review their programme of qualifications
once all the new exams are in place in 2017. In turn, the changes that will arise from the qualification reform will impact upon the advice given to young people about their choices post-16 and their subsequent move into further study at university.
School performance tables As a consequence of the assessment reform, the school performance tables, which have become a useful tool for families looking for a school (particularly those who are conducting their research from a distance), will need to be examined with an expert eye to gather a useful picture of the last few years of results. The attainment levels required of children at the end of primary school have been changed so many times that comparisons are difficult to make from year to year and from school to school. For secondary schools, the picture is even more complex. In
2015, the GCSE results represented in the performance tables were altered radically; schools were no longer able to list the results of resits, and the results of many of the vocational qualifications that were, until recently, considered the equivalent of GCSEs were dropped from the tables altogether. This resulted in a significant downturn in the percentage of students achieving five grade A*–C GCSE passes including maths and English, and an apparent dip in school performance overall. From 2016, the performance tables are changing again. The
government is introducing what is known as the Progress 8 measure, which has been developed to demonstrate the progress that children make from the end of primary school to the end of Key Stage 4 (GCSE level). The new measure will be based on students’ progress measured across eight ‘high-value’ arts, academic, or vocational subjects.
The role of the education consultant With the complex nature of the recent changes, it makes sense to bring in an expert to help relocating families to navigate
Educatus
relocateglobal.com | 61
Relocation Education
Consultancy
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68