It’s that time of year again when students will be waiting expectantly on their GCSE results to put plans in place for their future, whether it’s on to sixth form or starting an apprenticeship or traineeship.
We are in the midst of more change in the way results are marked and it’s important to note this when we get results through from schools next Thursday, August 25.
The main change with this year’s results is the Progress 8 measure, designed to measure students’ progress throughout their time at school. This will replace the 5 A*-C grades as a key performance indicator.
As the DfE’s headline main indicator of school performance, Progress 8 will potentially provide a more balanced view of school standards when comparing comprehensive and secondary schools with selective grammars, which have traditionally been top of performance tables for the number of pupils getting 5 A*-C grades including English and maths.
Progress 8 is designed to encourage schools to offer a broad and balanced curriculum and reward schools for the teaching of all their students.
It measures students’ progress over eight subjects from when they start school to when they leave – English, maths, three other EBacc subjects (sciences, computer science, geography, history and languages), and three other subjects (taken from the range of EBacc subjects or other approved high-value arts, academic or vocational qualification).
The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measure will continue to be reported. To fulfil the EBacc, a student would need A*-C in English, maths, two sciences, a humanities and a language.
The other measure which will be reported is the percentage of students who attain the expected grade i.e grade C in both English and maths.
As well as these changes this year, it’s a good time to reflect on further changes over the next year. The marking system will show some radical changes for GCSE results day next year.
From September 2015, schools in England have been teaching the new GCSEs in English language, English Literature and maths, with the first qualifications being awarded in August 2017.
Courses will be taken over the full two years, rather than by modular assessment.
One of the main differences with these GCSEs will be the grading system. No longer will these qualifications be graded A/B/C – in 2017 students will receive a grade between 1-9, with 9 being the highest grade awarded.
Students this year will still be awarded GCSE grades, but from 2017 they will be awarded the new number grading in maths and English, with letter grades in other subjects until 2018. From this point they will receive number grades in the majority of subjects.
It’s anticipated that roughly the same number of students will achieve a grade 4 and above as currently achieve a grade C and above, while those who achieve the equivalent of a grade A and above, will get a grade 9.
A Grade 5 (equivalent to a low B or high C) will be the new benchmark for a “good pass” required by league tables, where currently the required grade is C. The Government have said this will bring the country in line with some of the top performing education systems around the world.
The aim of this change is to make sure there is greater differentiation between the grades of higher performing students.
Schools are busy taking these changes on board and we are working with them to ensure they understand the different way the results will be marked and how the results will be produced.
It means there will be no like-for-like comparisons for school performance this year as there has been in recent years, when it was the case of a simple comparison with previous year’s performance based on the same marking criteria.
Whatever the changes, schools are continuing to provide excellent support in giving young people every chance to fulfil their potential. Good luck to all students with their results – we wish you every success for the future.
Matthew's career has been in education. He is a qualified teacher, senior school leader and taught at St Hugh's School in Grantham – now the West Grantham Academy Trust St Hugh's. He moved to Nottingham to work as a consultant before becoming a regional adviser for national strategies. He joined CfBT, the county council's school improvement partner, 5 years ago and has held the post of secondary education lead adviser for the last 2 years.
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A new family-run restaurant and takeaway serving authentic Greek food has opened in Lincoln city centre, and The Lincolnite went to check it out.
Spyridon Tsichlis and his wife Marisofi Kiourtzidou came up with the idea for The Greek Brothers and opened their first restaurant and takeaway in Mansfield in February 2021.
After visiting Lincoln Spyridon said he loved the city and the “beautiful atmosphere” and an opportunity came up to purchase the lease of the building next to Wilko off the High Street on Waterside South, formerly occupied by JayDees and The Fish King.
The Greek Brothers serves a variety of Gyros including chicken, pork, halloumi, and burger. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Souvlaki is another Greek favourite on the menu. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Spyridon bought the lease with his father-in-law Dimitrios Kirtikos and, after a lot of work inside including renovating the kitchen, The Greek Brothers welcomed its first customers on Monday, May 9.
The Greek Brothers takeaway and restaurant is open seven days a week between 11am and 7pm, and Spryidon said he is hoping to extend these hours in the future. Customers can also order authentic Greek street food from the takeaway, including via Deliveroo.
Gabby Kennedy and Spyridon Tsichlis from The Greek Brothers in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Take a look inside! | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The new takeaway and restaurant has created four new jobs, with an additional six to be hired in the future.
See the rest of our photo gallery below:
Gabby Kennedy and Spyridon Tsichlis from The Greek Brothers in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
We are investigating a serious assault after a man has received multiple stab wounds.
We received a call to reports that a man had been found with serious injuries in Mareham Lane, Sleaford, at around 3.30pm on Sunday 15 May.
The victim, who is in his 30s, was taken to hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
We have arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of grievous bodily harm (GBH). He remains in police custody.
We would like to hear from anyone who may have captured CCTV, dashcam or Go-pro footage in the location at the time the incident was reported, or in the few hours before hand.
Detective Inspector Remy Simon said: “We are carrying out investigations in this area and you may see an increased police presence while we do that. We know this might be worrying, and we would like to reassure you that we believe this to be an isolated incident. There are a number of lines of enquiry we are following up on.
“The victim was found near a busy road and there is a good chance that our local community may have information or footage which could help our enquiries, so we would encourage people to check their dashcams, Go-Pros or CCTV as soon as possible and share anything which may help with us. We’d like to hear about, or view, anything you may have, no matter how small you think it is, as every piece of information could prove vital.”
There are a number of ways to get in touch:
By calling 101 quoting incident number 262 of 15 May.
By emailing force.[email protected]putting incident number 262 of 15 May in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
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