Dear Parents/Carers,
Following our previous communication with you, I am writing to give some further information in relation to exams this year for Year 11 and 13.
What is different this year?
Examinations will not take place but students will still have the opportunity to produce work and their teacher will grade all pieces to gather an overall grade.
How will teachers make judgements on grades?
Teachers will use a range of evidence, such as coursework, mock exams, practice papers and classwork, to inform their decisions. Teachers will only assess pupils on topics taught. New topics will not be introduced at this stage but teaching will reinforce knowledge in prior learning.
What will mock exams look like this year?
We typically hold a mock exam week, however with our current circumstances the traditional approach isn’t appropriate. Instead students will complete shorter assessments within exam conditions in their classrooms for subjects where these are needed as part of the evidence for teachers to make grading judgements. These assessments will take place from the 26th of April to the 14th of May. A copy of the assessment timetable is attached with this letter.
How will we know grades are awarded fairly?
Teachers will award a grade based on the work they have seen which will go through a robust internal moderation process. As we are part of the Leigh Academies Trust, we also will work with other academies subject specialists to quality assure our grades. Exam boards have their own quality assurance process and they will check that our internal procedure is fair before processing any grades.They might also visit our school to review evidence from some subjects, and they may also request evidence of work to justify why a grade has been given. We will submit a declaration to the exam board confirming that we have followed the requirements for our internal quality assurance process.
Are students able to appeal grades?
The need for appeals will be limited as students should be confident in their grades due to a high standard of internal quality assurance both in determining teacher assessed grades based only on student evidence and ensuring that there are no administrative or procedural errors. Any appeals due to a suspected administrative error would need to go in writing to the school and be made by the student. If you appeal, we will carry out a review to make sure that we haven’t made a clerical or admin error only in your child/wards grade and If we do find a clerical or admin error, we’ll submit the revised grade to the exam board. If the board is satisfied, it will issue a revised grade.
What about vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs)?
If your child/ward is taking VTQs to progress to further or higher education, they won’t have exams. Grades will also be awarded based on coursework and unit work completed throughout the course. If you want to appeal the results, we can do so on your behalf following the process set out by the individual awarding organisation concerned.
When is the last day for year 11/13 pupils?
The last day that Year 11 and 13 pupils will attend Strood Academy is on Friday June 18th.
There will be a transition fortnight at the school in term 6 after this date for those Year 11 students who will be continuing their studies in our sixth form from September. Full attendance from these students will be expected from 21st June- 2nd July.
More information will follow in a separate letter regarding the transition fortnight and last day.
Where can I find further information about the Teacher Assessed Grade process?
Further information about this process is available by clicking on the link.
Results Day this year will be held on the 10th of August for A Level pupils and the 12th of August for GCSE pupils , we will share more details about this closer to the time. I hope this has helped clarify the current situation and I would recommend that you discuss this letter with your child to ensure that they remain focussed and driven.
If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact me
Yours faithfully,
Mr Christopher Simmons
Assistant Headteacher
christopher.simmons@stroodacademy.org
