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13 June 2017

New GCSE: Done!

Over the last couple of years we've all been working incredibly hard to deliver the new GCSE. It feels quite surreal that after all the uncertainty, nerves and excitement, the first sitting is now over and done with.

Most teachers felt that the exams were as expected, pitched at a similar level to the mock exams and providing good coverage of the full range of topics on the specification. We knew that the exams would be harder than the legacy GCSE, and they most definitely were. We knew that the hardest questions would allow us to better identify the very best mathematicians, and it certainly looks like that will happen. We knew that some students would find the exams inaccessible. We still have a long way to go.

Now we're impatiently waiting for results day! And we're continuing to teach our Year 10 classes, but with more resources, experience and certainty than we had this time last year.

Looking back over the last few years, there are some people I'd like to thank for their outstanding contributions to the successful delivery of the new GCSE across the country.

Mel Muldowney - JustMaths
Mel's individual contribution has been absolutely amazing. She has written blog posts providing detailed information and resources for new topics, she has represented the views of maths teachers in discussions with Ofqual, she has collated questions by topic (I used these almost every single day!), and she's done so much more. Mel has worked tirelessly to support the maths teaching community. She deserves a massive thank you for everything she's done.

The Exam Boards
I know it's their job to deliver the new GCSE, but kudos to the awarding bodies for the excellent support they've offered over the last two years. They've done a brilliant job of keeping us informed - I've been particularly impressed by their instant responses to queries on Twitter. They've also provided quality resources both for teaching and assessment. Special mention to AQA for their Teaching Guidance, to Edexcel for their new content resources and to OCR for their Check-In Tests. Our competitive awarding bodies strive to deliver excellent customer service and quality materials, and us maths teachers have certainly benefited from this over recent years.

The Resource Makers
This time two years ago I was worried that new GCSE topics were woefully under-resourced. But thanks to the hard work of teachers who generously share their resources for free, there hasn't been a single lesson in the last two years where I haven't used high quality resources. There are too many individuals to list here, but they know who they are! Social media has enabled maths teachers to collaborate nationally like they never could before. Thank you to everyone who has made that happen.

The Teachers
I know we're still waiting for results, but I really think that all maths teachers across the country deserve a pat on the back for delivering the new GCSE. We didn't ask for a new qualification, and we weren't happy about the rushed implementation. Admittedly, we've moaned a fair amount along the way. We've been anxious and uncertain at times, but we've gone into classrooms everyday and delivered maths lessons with expertise, professionalism and enthusiasm. Today we should take a moment to celebrate. Job done.


And now... let's do it all over again!





23 comments:

  1. and a big thank you to you too Jo, for gathering together great resources so that we could all do a good job in the classroom without having to spend hours trying to find what we needed :)

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  2. I am grateful for all the work you guys do. Legacy resits for me this year but next year I will feel equipped for the first resits. Thank you x

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  3. Echo your thanks to Mel who has been amazing - and also to you and all the other generous resource/ideas sharers who have been shining lights through the often murky pathways of the new GCSE. Cheers to you all!

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  4. How about a shout out for the army of tutors helping students and, indirectly, helping teachers deliver those results? About 50% of us *are* qualified teachers. There are also star tutors with degrees, Masters, PhDs in Maths, Engineering etc who may not have a teaching qualification but are obviously very highly qualified in Maths and doing a fantastic job for their students. As a tutor with 30 students a week (some have 50+), I've never worked so hard for my students as for this year! We have fewer resources than the teachers as we can't afford to be AQA and Edexcel subscribers, but still we do a sterling job for our students. We've been updating our tally charts of frequency of topics with each mock/practice paper we've seen (students bringing them home), have discussed the differences between exam boards (significant differences in the frequency of types of question) and have been sharing information generally on the Maths Tutors UK Facebook group, and particularly between the actual papers in order to come up with predictions for the next. We realise we will always have a cushier job than those at the chalkface, but do please recognise our contribution in helping a significant percentage of students every year and *particularly* this year get the grades they're hoping for.

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    1. I include tutors in the same category as 'teachers' - sorry that I neglected to mention tutors specifically. I suppose I was focusing on people who helped me personally.

      Well done private tutors! I'm sure your students are incredibly grateful - I bet you've worked extra hard lately. Good job. Time for a well-earned holiday!

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    2. Thanks Jo! I have been tutoring 7 days a week for a few months now, so I'll certainly have earned my holiday. It was so lovely to meet you at Christmaths2016 and I should confirm that you were very welcoming to the 3 maths tutors who turned up there. Myself, Debbie and Colin are part of Maths Tutors UK which is a group still in its infancy. A third of our members teach at schools, either full time, part time or supply. For the first time ever we are pooling together a community of previously isolated tutors together and we are learning the immense benefits collaborating brings.

      Getting involved with the teaching community is a natural step and I am hoping to bring more tutors to maths conferences. I am attending mathsconf10 later this month which would be my first maths conference. I have nothing but respect and gratitude for all the wonderful teachers out there like yourself who give their time and energy to building freely available resources.

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    3. That's fantastic that you've set up a network! Sounds excellent. Do encourage your members to join twitter and take part in the weekly chats. Everyone involved in maths education is welcome. I previously worked in a school where I felt isolated because nobody collaborated but as soon as I joined Twitter I felt like part of a supportive community. Networks make a big difference so I'm pleased to hear that your group is growing well. See you at mathsconf10!

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    4. Great, I've never joined the weekly chat on twitter before. Will join in and ask other maths tutors I know on twitter to join the party!

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  5. Well done and thanks to everyone. :)

    As a tutor who was a teacher I have to say there is no chance I will ever be back in school. I now earn more and have zero stress. I wasn't that good anyway.

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    1. My wife was an excellent teacher in a range of schools. Other teachers respected her and she was liked by her pupils. She worked part-time but her total hours were significantly more than those of full-time employees in other professions. Several years ago she resigned from her job as a teacher in a school. I was already tutoring so the transition for her from teacher to private tutor was straightforward. Since then the results of her pupils from Primary school to A Level have been amazing. This must come first, with the added bonus that she has very little stress and a significantly higher take home pay for less overall working hours.

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    2. Thanks both for the comments. I'm glad you've found happiness with your new careers. Congratulations on the significantly higher pay.

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    3. I wasn't that bad either, and as a tutor I'm excellent. My post was not intended entirely seriously.

      By the way, my reply was to a post that Jo removed so it is somewhat out of context.

      It's a shame this thread is becoming all about tutors. Sorry Jo.

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    4. Don't worry. I used to do a bit of tutoring myself, when I was on maternity leave and struggling to make ends meet. I didn't really enjoy it - I don't think I was particularly good at it, and I didn't like working in the evenings. We all have different preferences and priorities. Teaching in schools may be low paid and stressful, but it's also a joy in many ways.

      My post was meant to be positive so I'm sorry if I offended anyone by not mentioning them.

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  6. I combine tutoring with daily supply. There have been a number of Y11 Maths classes that I covered that did not waste their precious time. They had meaningful revision sessions even in the absence of their regular teachers. I wish I had an easier access to the new resources and teaching guidelines.

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    1. You could just ask and I'll send you stuff. Plenty of people email me to ask for documents and resources. It's no trouble.

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    2. Thank you! It is very generous of you!
      I am just thinking about the specifics of how a daily supply can choose and use a resource. The speed of search, access to any topic might be the key. We rarely know whom we teach untill just before we go into a class. A better cooperation between schools and supply is required. Up to date traning done by agencies or some school representatives is required.

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    3. The same is true for tutors -cooperation with the schools is crucial.

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    4. Ah, I see. Not being a Head of Maths, I have no idea how communications work with supply teachers. Interesting point. I think supply teaching must be incredibly challenging!

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  7. And also a big thanks to your blog for all the help! keep Posting!

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