1. KS4 parents’ forum
19 October 2016

2. Change in examination system
Last major change was in 1988 with change from “O” Levels / CSE to GCSE
No-one under the age of 45 will remember “O” Levels
Biggest change to the secondary school examination system in 30 years
Changing from a well understood A*-G grading system
To a 9-1 grading system with 9 being the highest grade and 1 being the lowest

3. A gradual introduction!
Just to complicate matters further…
In 2017, GCSE Maths & English will operate on the new 9-1 system
But all other subjects will retain A*-G
Then in 2018, almost all subjects will move over to the 9-1 system
Except for a few subjects including Technology, Business Studies, Astronomy
Then from 2019 onwards, all subjects will be on the new 9-1 system
So, whether your child is in Y10 or Y11, they will have a mixed economy

4. Why Change? That really is the million dollar question!
But proponents argue that in spite of year on year improvement in examination results, the UK was failing to make progress in international league tables
So, the DfE has taken the opportunity to reset the standard for a so-called “good pass”
This has always been a Grade C and in the common vernacular a C or better has been considered as a pass and a D or worse as a fail
Under the new system a “good pass” will be a Grade 5

5. The suggestion is that grade 5 will be the new “pass grade”, and that the standard will be internationally benchmarked so it corresponds to “performance in high-performing countries”.

6. Expectations for your child
Obviously to aim as high as he/she can
For entry into the 6th Form in 2017:
5 “good passes” at GCSE, including English & Maths, i.e. Grade 5s in English and Maths and at least 3 more Grade Cs
For entry into the 6th Form in 2018:
Likely to move more towards a points based system along the lines of a total points score of 50 points, including “good passes” in English & Maths

7. Higher expectations Undoubtedly, expectations will be raised
However, it is worth pointing out that last year almost 75% of our Y11 students would have hit this target
It is also worth pointing out that we will look sympathetically at students who have narrowly missed out
However, it strikes me that it would be remiss of us not to increase our expectations. Other schools will be doing precisely this in order to fulfil Government policy and it is probable that Universities will be expecting good passes in core subjects as part of their entry criteria
Furthermore, A Level specifications have also been revised and have been made more demanding in order to build upon these increased expectations
The good news is that our students are definitely capable of achieving this – but they are going to need to work hard and they are going to need your support – which is why you are here tonight!