Children are collateral damage as schools set up to fail to force academy conversion
http://blog.hargrave.org.uk/2012/08/children-are-collateral-damage-as.html
Tonight it appears that the 2012 GCSE English results have been deliberately manipulated by changing the grade boundaries at the last minute so that more children fail or get lower grades. The story began to emerge on the TES forums earlier today:
It gradually became clear over Twitter that this was national situation and speculation began that
deliberate political interference from the DfE was behind this. As teachers, pupils and parents began to worry about their own situation it became clear when the Telegraph publish a story entitled GCSE results 2012: 'failing' schools threatened with closure exactly what was happening.
It works like this:
1. Government put up the “threshold” for intervention in schools to 40% pass rate A-C in 5 subjects including Maths and English from 35%
2. Government manipulate the exam boards to change the thresholds so fewer children pass English
3. Hundreds of schools now eligible for “intervention” and are forced to become academies run by chains favoured by the DfE
Yes it really is that simple and blatant. The problem is Gove seems to forget that the collateral damage here is to real children. Whatever you think to GCSE exams moving the goalposts in the middle of the game seems a particularly cruel thing to do. Especially when the victims are our children.
More tomorrow on the GCSE results impact.
It gradually became clear over Twitter that this was national situation and speculation began that
deliberate political interference from the DfE was behind this. As teachers, pupils and parents began to worry about their own situation it became clear when the Telegraph publish a story entitled GCSE results 2012: 'failing' schools threatened with closure exactly what was happening.It works like this:
1. Government put up the “threshold” for intervention in schools to 40% pass rate A-C in 5 subjects including Maths and English from 35%
2. Government manipulate the exam boards to change the thresholds so fewer children pass English
3. Hundreds of schools now eligible for “intervention” and are forced to become academies run by chains favoured by the DfE
Yes it really is that simple and blatant. The problem is Gove seems to forget that the collateral damage here is to real children. Whatever you think to GCSE exams moving the goalposts in the middle of the game seems a particularly cruel thing to do. Especially when the victims are our children.
More tomorrow on the GCSE results impact.
