Coronavirus: General discussion (see opening post for rules)

[StevieM]

Link: A-levels: Student foresaw exam crisis in winning story [bBC News]

 

 

I was going to post that yesterday, but didn’t get around to it. I did, however, take a look at her story on the Orwell Foundation website.

 

“You’re not even the one who should be stressing James. Just don’t worry about it.” I said, trying to reassure him, “I mean, Miss has been saying you should get Band 1 all year.”“It’s not about that anymore is it?”, he snapped, “Doesn’t even matter what Miss said, Mum still thinks I can be a doctor, she doesn’t understand how hard it is to get into Band 1 for people like us.”

“Yeah hard if you can’t afford it”, I replied, trying to lighten the mood. It was one of our inside jokes that we’d had since the university scandal a few years back – before they decided to change the system to make it more ‘meritocratic’.

Go, girl! I hope you get your place at St Andrew’s. x

[Simcfc73]

2 points - around exam time there are always loads of stories about those kids that get totally stressed by exams and hence do really badly - or just can;t do them

Those kids must be massively relieved

second point

if it wasn;t for all this fuss about predicted grades v moderation etc

then journalists would have been looking for school where the teachers had estimated higher grades than they normally get - especially if they could find 'posh' or 'independant' school that may be trying to fiddle it

Basically there is no perfect system to sort this and any system they use will have caused problems

I'm just glad I'm not a teacher (anymore) that has to work out fair and impartial marks for the students

It is far more complicated than it sounds!!!

Agree with this, if the predicted grade come out as a record for A-Level results then they will sniff blood again.

 

Doesn't take much to get another rally in London these days anyway

[6Foot2]

Link: Pupils get GCSE grades as BTec results are pulled [bBC News]

 

Hundreds of thousands of anxious teenagers are receiving their GCSE results, amid a fresh round of exams chaos, this time affecting BTecs.

 

Pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will get GCSE grades given by their schools, after a flawed algorithm was scrapped in a series of U-turns.

 

On Wednesday evening, exam board Pearson announced it would re-grade BTecs in line with GCSEs and A-levels.

 

This means BTec students will no longer receive their results on Thursday.

 

Pearson's 11th hour decision affects about 500,000 pupils, 250,000 of whom received their A-level equivalent qualifications last week.

 

The rest were due to collect their grades along with GCSE candidates this week.

 

In a statement, Pearson said their results "had been generally consistent with teacher and learner expectations, but we have become concerned about unfairness in relation to what are now significantly higher outcomes for GCSE and A-levels"...

[witch]

2 points - around exam time there are always loads of stories about those kids that get totally stressed by exams and hence do really badly - or just can;t do them

 

Those kids must be massively relieved

 

 

second point

if it wasn;t for all this fuss about predicted grades v moderation etc

then journalists would have been looking for school where the teachers had estimated higher grades than they normally get - especially if they could find 'posh' or 'independant' school that may be trying to fiddle it

 

Basically there is no perfect system to sort this and any system they use will have caused problems

 

I'm just glad I'm not a teacher (anymore) that has to work out fair and impartial marks for the students

It is far more complicated than it sounds!!!

@mikeprice APOSTROPHE VERSUS SEMICOLON MIKE - YOU ARE DRIVING ME MAD AND WILL END UP AMPHIBIOUS IF THIS CONTINUES

[jmak]

@mikeprice APOSTROPHE VERSUS SEMICOLON MIKE - YOU ARE DRIVING ME MAD AND WILL END UP AMPHIBIOUS IF THIS CONTINUES

Is there still a pedants' club in Edugeek? I'd like to join!

[elsiegee40]

@mikeprice APOSTROPHE VERSUS SEMICOLON MIKE - YOU ARE DRIVING ME MAD AND WILL END UP AMPHIBIOUS IF THIS CONTINUES

@mikeprice You really don;t want that to happen’ she appears a bit upset

[ICTDirect_Dave]

@mikeprice You really don;t want that to happen’ she appears a bit upset

 

I really couldn;t bear it' you;d make a rather unfortunate frog.

[Lister]

Are there any frog friendly keyboards that some one can recommend? Asking for a friend’ they;re going to be needing one. Edited August 20, 2020 by elsiegee40

[Ditto]

You're a wicked lot!

[6Foot2]

[mikeprice]

Is there still a pedants' club in Edugeek? I'd like to join!

 

I think it comprises of just about everyone judging by the comments at times!!

 

 

p.s. apologies to anyone annoyed by stuff

 

I really do check and correct a lot of mistakes

 

you should see some of the first drafts!!!!

[6Foot2]

Link:

[Text Tweet]

 

 

[stevejp]

Link:

[Text Tweet]

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]58905[/ATTACH]

 

 

Was there an English translation...?

[Rob_D]

Was there an English translation...?

I think I can help:

That is very funny. What punitive strategy would you propose, madam? Return them to their family domicile? %INDECIPHERABLE%

[6Foot2]

Link:

[Picture Tweet]

 

I genuinely spent several seconds wondering why Asda has “Bo Bo” written on the floor.

 

 

[stevejp]

Link:

[Picture Tweet]

 

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]58918[/ATTACH]

 

 

Ashamed to say that it took me longer than it should have, even having read your comment first!

[smurfomatic]

Link:

[Picture Tweet]

 

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]58918[/ATTACH]

 

 

Are Asda selling Bang & Olufsen stuff now?

 

[mikeprice]

 

Yeah - that'll be most of us I reckon!

[elsiegee40]

The only surprise is that this happened before Friday evening [emoji849]

 

Boris Johnson performs U-turn on advice not to wear face masks in schools

https://news.sky.com/story/boris-johnson-performs-u-turn-on-advice-not-to-wear-face-masks-in-schools-12056671

[Ditto]

The only surprise is that this happened before Friday evening [emoji849]

 

Boris Johnson performs U-turn on advice not to wear face masks in schools

https://news.sky.com/story/boris-johnson-performs-u-turn-on-advice-not-to-wear-face-masks-in-schools-12056671

This is a non-political position, but U-turn seems to be the 'go-to' phrase currently, both in the press and social media. Is another perspective that following WHO advice a few days ago, that the decision is a logical step as a result? I just fear the over use of U-turn can blunt the more detailed analysis and debate? Should I get the hard hat at this point?

[mikeprice]

This is a non-political position, but U-turn seems to be the 'go-to' phrase currently, both in the press and social media. Is another perspective that following WHO advice a few days ago, that the decision is a logical step as a result? I just fear the over use of U-turn can blunt the more detailed analysis and debate? Should I get the hard hat at this point?

 

No - seems reasonable - call it a u-turn if the message changes - no matter what the reason

 

 

Still think any school will have problem with masks - 'mask shaming' will become 'a thing'

 

kids will find it 'may cause spots' and refuse to wear them - parents will insist that the school ensures 'little Mary' wears her mask at all times but the little darling takes ot off as soon as the parents fly off in their helicopter - but it is the school's fault no matter what

 

little Jonny came home without his mask - school should have made sure he had one after some unidentified 'bully' STOLE his mask - actually he took it off in reg and forgot it so the teacher put it in the bin (quite correctly)

 

etc etc etc

 

sometimes I wonder if people ever went to a school

I mean - my school was hardly typical - but this would still be a difficult call even there!!!

The schools I have worked in would be impossible!

[elsiegee40]

This is a non-political position, but U-turn seems to be the 'go-to' phrase currently, both in the press and social media. Is another perspective that following WHO advice a few days ago, that the decision is a logical step as a result? I just fear the over use of U-turn can blunt the more detailed analysis and debate? Should I get the hard hat at this point?

 

I agree actually. In this case though, I think he felt forced to consider the WHO advice more quickly than he intended

[elsiegee40]

No - seems reasonable - call it a u-turn if the message changes - no matter what the reason

 

 

Still think any school will have problem with masks - 'mask shaming' will become 'a thing'

 

kids will find it 'may cause spots' and refuse to wear them - parents will insist that the school ensures 'little Mary' wears her mask at all times but the little darling takes ot off as soon as the parents fly off in their helicopter - but it is the school's fault no matter what

 

little Jonny came home without his mask - school should have made sure he had one after some unidentified 'bully' STOLE his mask - actually he took it off in reg and forgot it so the teacher put it in the bin (quite correctly)

 

etc etc etc

 

sometimes I wonder if people ever went to a school

I mean - my school was hardly typical - but this would still be a difficult call even there!!!

The schools I have worked in would be impossible!

 

They’re all going to have to wear them if they travel on public transport anyway. I suspect though that there will be gridlock as every parent decides to drive their child to school.

[stevejp]

This is a non-political position, but U-turn seems to be the 'go-to' phrase currently, both in the press and social media. Is another perspective that following WHO advice a few days ago, that the decision is a logical step as a result? I just fear the over use of U-turn can blunt the more detailed analysis and debate? Should I get the hard hat at this point?

 

No hard hat needed from me - and my political preferences and dislike of the current government are reasonably well-known, here! I would rather see a ‘U-turn’ for the right and necessary reasons than a stubborn and irrational digging in of heels. My contempt comes either when the opportunity for putting things right with a U-turn is refused purely out of stubbornness or an unwillingness to admit that the original decision may have been wrong (ref TBW “You turn if you want to...”etc) or conversely when a U-turn is made; not because it is the right thing to do, but as a blatant piece of electioneering or political opportunism.

[MrFlibble]

What are our rights here? Can we be forced to wear a mask? If we refuse, can they make us redundant or even sack us?

 

In terms of pupils having to wear them, I don't see how it can possibly be enforced by school staff; how are staff supposed to know who is covered by an exemption? Would the school have to have a list? and what could the punishment be?

 

Also surely this would make it difficult to recognise students, especially when relying on CCTV?

 

And how would you get to know the new Year 7s?

 

And would the school be able to, or required to, mandate masks of a particular design/colour? What if students come into school with a comical face covering? e.g. crazy teeth, a Joker, or Batman?

 

Would this not result in discarded masks around some school grounds if students wear disposable masks?

sometimes I wonder if people ever went to a school

I mean - my school was hardly typical - but this would still be a difficult call even there!!!

The schools I have worked in would be impossible!

I quite agree. It's utter madness.