Scottish Exam Results
If you're a parent or a school student encountering exam results for the first time, I hope all went well and it's onward and upward for you. If you didn't do as well as you'd hoped, dry your eyes, talk to the school and decide if you want an appeal. If you do, good luck. If you decide not to appeal, get advice all the same and then move on.
Whatever you do, pay no attention to the media. Me, I'm hardened to it all. We've had decades of the media undermining young people and teachers on results day. They tell us:
- Results are too good.
- Results are bad.
- Too many disadvantaged pupils are getting poor results.
- Pupils at 'posh' schools do better.
No definition of what a posh school is and no mention of how hard all teachers work - every frickin one of them - to improve kids' exam results and thus their chances in life. We know there's a problem for learners in deprived areas of Scotland. We're working on it. One way is to give children a better start at nursery and primary levels - and we're doing that.
Anyhow, I started my day by watching a wee happy piece by Sky to camera at a couple of Glasgow schools (Do Sky journalists melt if they have to leave the big cities? Just asking). All seemed to be okay. They also interviewed Glasgow's head of education and that went well too. On BBC Breakfast later on, I was pleased to see proud parents on the scene, including one dad who boasted his daughter had done better than he ever had.
But by lunchtime, we were into the media's normal mode. The BBC Scotland website was running a piece entitled:
Then came the First Minister's lunchtime briefing. The FM and her Education Secretary came to talk to us on the BBC Scotland channel. It's always clear to me on these occasions that the press - apart from the man from the Times Educational Supplement - don't know what they're talking about. One journalist (was it the wumman from the Daily Mail?) claimed 'many pupils are upset they haven't got the grades they wanted'.
Whatever you do, pay no attention to the media. Me, I'm hardened to it all. We've had decades of the media undermining young people and teachers on results day. They tell us:
- Results are too good.
- Results are bad.
- Too many disadvantaged pupils are getting poor results.
- Pupils at 'posh' schools do better.
No definition of what a posh school is and no mention of how hard all teachers work - every frickin one of them - to improve kids' exam results and thus their chances in life. We know there's a problem for learners in deprived areas of Scotland. We're working on it. One way is to give children a better start at nursery and primary levels - and we're doing that.
Anyhow, I started my day by watching a wee happy piece by Sky to camera at a couple of Glasgow schools (Do Sky journalists melt if they have to leave the big cities? Just asking). All seemed to be okay. They also interviewed Glasgow's head of education and that went well too. On BBC Breakfast later on, I was pleased to see proud parents on the scene, including one dad who boasted his daughter had done better than he ever had.
But by lunchtime, we were into the media's normal mode. The BBC Scotland website was running a piece entitled:
<<Thousands of pupils have exam grades lowered>>
I'm sorry if this comes as a shock, but anyone who has worked in any area of education knows that these adjustments go on every year. Many schools set good prelims and mark classwork fairly.
Some are too strict and some are too lenient. The exam boards - all over the world - are there to ensure fairness. That mean inevitably, some results are adjusted upwards and some downwards.
One of the reasons schools advise young teachers to mark papers for the SQA is to get experience of the standard of marking expected. Much of the SQA marking is done by practising teachers. There are checks and balances at every stage of marking. That's what they mean by 'moderation.
Some are too strict and some are too lenient. The exam boards - all over the world - are there to ensure fairness. That mean inevitably, some results are adjusted upwards and some downwards.
One of the reasons schools advise young teachers to mark papers for the SQA is to get experience of the standard of marking expected. Much of the SQA marking is done by practising teachers. There are checks and balances at every stage of marking. That's what they mean by 'moderation.
Then came the First Minister's lunchtime briefing. The FM and her Education Secretary came to talk to us on the BBC Scotland channel. It's always clear to me on these occasions that the press - apart from the man from the Times Educational Supplement - don't know what they're talking about. One journalist (was it the wumman from the Daily Mail?) claimed 'many pupils are upset they haven't got the grades they wanted'.
Two points, sweetie: that happens every year and for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes pupils get into the wrong course or aim for the wrong level. The subject they loved in S1 and S2 turns out to be much harder than they thought. They have a bad adolescence and their devotion to school vanishes for a while. (Good news for parents, mostly they recover). A few turn out to be lazy sods and they get what they deserve!
Secondly, that's why we have an appeal system.
Finally, I hope my friend won't mind if I reproduce his comments on Facebook today:
<<I left school and went to uni to study media production. Left within 6 months and ended up in opencast mining training as a shotfirer 🔥 Moved from there to work in various jobs such as transport administration, marketing, grass cutting and office management. I finally found a job I loved with Yipworld. as a youth worker, which led me to a career in community development. I eventually graduated at the age of 29 with a first class honours. Spent 4 great years as a community worker and about to return to do a postgrad / masters in Primary Education. I will achieve my lifelong ambition of being a primary teacher by the age of 35 
#nevertooold
#nevertooold
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