Information for Parents on GCSE Controlled Assessments
Please read on for important information from Mrs. Mullins for parents of students undertaking GCSE Controlled Assessment.
Dear Parents,
I need to inform you of some important changes to our examination procedures which are being implemented during this term. You have a vital role to play in supporting your child to prepare for and attend examinations so please keep this information safe and go through it with your son/daughter to ensure that they are not in breach of these regulations. We have experienced some very serious breaches of examination protocol and therefore need to alert parents and students alike of the consequences for this.
G.C.S.E. examinations take place throughout the school year. Some are held in our Gym and New Halls while many are taken in the classroom during normal lesson times. Students in KS4 will have several of the latter (Controlled Assessments) each term. This is chiefly where problems have occurred. Several KS4 students have deliberately taken time off school to avoid these G.C.S.E. assessments and then expect the school to finance further opportunities for them to take the examination. On many occasions, parents have been unaware that their child has a scheduled examination, despite students being informed several weeks in advance. Each Controlled Assessment requires a series of preparation lessons – here again we have a number of students whose attendance is sporadic. Because they are absent for the examination preparation, clearly their performance suffers as a result.
In some subjects, controlled assessment is taking place continuously throughout the year due to it forming a substantial proportion of the final assessment. In these cases, sustained attendance is essential. Every lesson counts – please support us in ensuring that our students understand and respect this.
To ensure that ALL students follow examination protocols, the following steps will be implemented starting this term.
· If a student is absent from school when a Controlled Assessment is scheduled, we will ring parents to urge them to get their child into school for their examination. We will require a medical note if a child is too ill to attend.
· If there is a second occasion when a student misses any part of an examination, parents will be required to attend a meeting at the Examination Centre i.e. the school. We will not guarantee that we can offer another opportunity for the student to take the examination.
· The school has the right to withdraw any student from an examination course at any time if there is a failure to complete the examination work on time and to an appropriate standard.
· Students and their parents will be able to access advance notice of examinations on our website.
· Fines will be implemented for parents who book holidays/ remove their children from school during examination periods.
I trust that we have your full co-operation on these important matters. We strive to give our young people the very best chances to achieve examination success and cannot emphasise strongly enough that every student must prepare thoroughly and attend school regularly to ensure they will achieve their personal best.
P. Mullins.