Comments on: Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009

Comment on Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009 by: Rod

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:00:27 +0000

PJD,
thanks for the comment, much appreciated.
There not rumours at all as I’m sure you’ll find out. Unquestionably a hand-picked group were invited in early and teachers also knew individual pupils results before they did.
I’ve had numerous confirmations of both and no denials
Cheers
Rod

Comment on Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009 by: PJD

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:57:42 +0000

ill ask some fellow students tomorrow that i believe will be part of the eight thirties group and see if they were invited in early. (i attended healing school and received my gcse’s this year) will be interesting to see if these rumours are fact

Comment on Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009 by: Rod

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:08:36 +0000

Tom,
many thanks - that’s double confirmation then - I’ve heard the same via email from another pupil.
I think it wold be fair enough to invite the paper back on another day to say look here are our 10 star pupils who all got A* in every subject or whatever - I’m all for celebrating achievement.

But inviting selected people in first simply doesn’t sit right - hence the original post.
Cheers
Rod

Comment on Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009 by: Tom C.

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:30:02 +0000

Interesting update on this front Rod… Turns out my geography teacher new my result before I did. Being lucky enough to have enjoyed dining out at the Harvest Moon with my Granddad and family etc I happened to see my geography teacher (Mr McCrae) working behind the bar. After the general banter that comes with placing an order for drinks and a meal, I was kindly congratulated in my achievement in geography. However, suprisingly he let slip that he’d known the results before me.

I think now it’s probably fair enough to presume their was no lack of haste in selecting the best achieving for that Grimsby Telegraph photo. That to me is slightly worse that gathering information and picking the presumptive best, slightly more manipulative.

Comment on Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009 by: Rod

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:10:56 +0000

but specific results are not made known much in advance as I understand it

The above comment makes sense in retrospect - however I have just been told . . .
that the results were not sealed in envelopes and were printed yesterday so anybody handling them at the school would in fact, if they chose to look, have been aware of individual results.

Comment on Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009 by: Annie Flinn

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:07:04 +0000

Schools face an uphill slog, at best, when working with adolescent students. With far too many students, education has never been stressed in their homes, so they try to cruise through with minimal effort. They have little interest in tests and their resulting results. To demonstrate their disdain, they often just fill in the blanks without reading the questions, nor without putting thought into their responses. Until everyone stresses that hard working, diligent effort, and personal respinsibility are all essential to securing a truly excellent education, student performance (or lack thereof) will continue to be a discouraging effort.

Comment on Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009 by: Rod

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:50:34 +0000

Simon,
thanks for the comment and welcome to the site - hope you’ll return.
Thanks for the inside griff and frankly it doesn’t surprise me - the depressing thing is where are all the ‘kids’ in this - we’re talking about the path the rest of their lives will follow !

Cheers
Rod

Comment on Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009 by: Rod

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:47:57 +0000

Tom,
thanks for that info - really appreciated. So we can say at least that only those deemed most likely to succeed were asked in !
Those select few will forever now be known as The Eight Thirties

I think I’d sooner have a good mind and common sense rather than a fist full of GCSEs any day.
I know somebody who can barely read and write and he’s making a fortune right now - bang in the middle of a recession !
I also know of somebody who has a degree and works on the checkout in Tesco - come to that I also know somebody who has 2 1st class degrees and works as a storeman !

All that said I do feel sorry for those who slogged their guts out to get really high pass marks and find themselves amongst a group of over a quarter of the school - they should be seen to be top 5% or 10%

Nothing’s more important the education and it’s criminal that it is even in a position to be mocked and derided.
All the best
Rod

Comment on Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009 by: Rhymin Simon

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:04:02 +0000

As a former hack I can confirm that this is a fairly common occurence, and it is to do with those pupils the school knows will do well, rather than knowledge of specific grades. I believe the schools are told what their percentages are, but specific results are not made known much in advance as I understand it. Furthermore there is a lot of cynical choice on the media’s behalf, regarding how photogenic the student is, so young Anna may have got straight A’s but if she’s obese,tatooed, cross-eyed, spotty or just plain ugly, she aint getting in the paper. The whole thing is disgusting.

Comment on Healing School GCSE Exam Results 2009 by: Tom C.

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:02:35 +0000

Hey Rod, it’s unfortunate to say, their is no conspiracy at all. The select few who got a personal phone call yesterday were all in the top set judged by their ability to take exams, not common sense (hense they were expected to get good results). G.C.S.E.’s are a bit of a joke, but that’s not really the fault of the students who have worked hard to earn their results. (BIG SMILEY FACE) Whilst G.C.S.E.’s are challenging to their merit, they are also unfortunately very unpractical. Who knows maybe a complete reform of the education system is needed? Oh well…

Product of a broken education system