Beyond the Numbers: A Generation's Remarkable Journey Through Unprecedented Challenges Towards Their Maths GCSE

A Story of Resilience and Adaptation

The story of these students is one of resilience, determination, and adaptation. Comfortable in a world of technology and connectivity, they found themselves abruptly cut off from the classroom, their friends, and the normality they once knew, spending much of year 8 and 9 in and out of government mandated “bubbles”.

Results in the Face of Uncertainty

As expected, the results fell in line with 2019 and the proportion of grade 4+ awarded in maths for 16-year-olds is 72.3%, much closer to the 2019 figure of 71.5%. This was the first year back to exams with no advanced information and students needing to be prepared to be tested on anything from the syllabus. Despite the return to pre pandemic grading, the proportion of students achieving 5+ remains higher than 2019 whilst a lower proportion of the lower grades (1-4).

Celebrating Diverse Achievements

As the results came in, the spectrum of achievements was broad – from the much-sought-after Grade 4 to the incredible feats of those securing Grade 1. Each student's story is a testament to their personal journey, their growth, and their determination. Let's not forget that for some, a Grade 1-3 is a monumental achievement, and we must celebrate it as such. This is something I have had to remind myself of over the last week, where students missed out on the next boundary or didn’t get the grade we predicted. That being said ultimately, I am proud of them all. I was proud watching them receive and celebrate their results knowing how hard they worked on getting to the next stage, whatever that may be.

Lessons Learned and Future Challenges

So, what do the results mean for the next year 11 cohort? What lessons could we carry forward from this experience? How do we adapt and improve? As a teacher in the North, I was acutely aware of the disparity in results, particularly at the top end. In London 28.4% of grades achieved were a grade7, whereas in the North East this figure is much less, coming in at 17.6%.

Addressing the Need for Resits

We also know that around 167,000 students did not get the required grade 4 and will need to resit. I refrain from calling this a “fail” because I know plenty of students for whom a grade 1-3 is a HUGE achievement, but I can’t help but worry about them now being on the resit wheel.

Challenges in Education System

We always tell our students year 11 is their best shot, with hours of lessons a week and interventions but as we know there will always be those that don’t meet the benchmark set and have to resit. Colleges are under incredible pressure to fund the resit classes and with little time to budget the increase in numbers, students and staff are in a very challenging situation.

Preparing for the Future

I always recommend the whole department attends exam board specific training in the Autumn term, to examine where students potentially lost valuable marks, particularly around the boundaries and the grade 4. We also need to analyse the data for our tier of entry decision and what impact this had, all things we can do over the coming weeks to inform our planning going forward.

A Journey Beyond Metrics: Remembering Our Purpose in Education

However, as we navigate these intricacies, we must not lose sight of our ultimate purpose. We do what we do for our students – the individuals who walk through our doors, each with their ambitions, challenges, and potential.

In the end, it's not just about the headlines or the accountability measures, although I would be lying if I said we don’t look at these and wonder if we could have done better by the students. It is also about facilitating growth, about fostering resilience, and ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed in their own unique way.

The world has changed, and education is adapting, but the heart of our mission remains the same – guiding students toward their best possible chance of success, whatever that may look like for them.

The Access Group's Commitment to Ignite a Love for Learning STEM

At The Access Group, we are on a mission to help schools ignite a love for learning STEM subjects and inspiring the next generation. As one of the largest software engineering companies, we understand the pivotal role that STEM plays in shaping the future of our society.

In alignment with our mission to inspire the next generation, we are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking initiative for the upcoming academic year. To help schools enhance their STEM offerings, we are providing free access to our comprehensive GCSE STEM curriculum content and assessments on GCSEPod. This platform will enable educators to access high-quality resources, engage students in interactive learning experiences, and ultimately foster a love for STEM subjects.