Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Mock Exams and GCSE Grades
Firstly, again I wanted to thank year 11 for their continued hard work and engagement with remote learning.  Our staff have continued to be impressed with the focus and effort of our students.
I am writing today to confirm final arrangements for the mocks that begin in two weeks’ time, and to share the latest information about how year 11 grades will be awarded this summer. 
Before we get into the details, I would like to reassure our students upfront that the mock exams will be only one part of evidence used to inform grades.  We recognise the challenges of learning remotely, and we will consider a broad range of evidence about students’ performance when we come to decide on grades.  So, prepare well but please do not assume that your final GCSE grade hinges entirely on your mock exam performance.

Mock Exams
I can now confirm that the mock exams will proceed in the two weeks of Monday 15th March to Friday 26th March.
All exams will take place in normal lesson time and normal classrooms, as shown on the schedule below.   
Year 11 will by now be familiar with the revision material on the website and will have continued to work on relevant topics during remote lessons to prepare for the mock exams.  The exams are the same papers that students will have sat in the original exam period scheduled for January, and full details are on the website:
https://www.brookfield.hants.sch.uk/exammock11.php

You will notice that the two Maths exams will extend beyond the normal finish time of the school day, and you may also notice that some students will sit English exams when they would normally be taught Science and vice versa.  This is to allow all students to sit those exams at the same time, and teachers will explain exactly how this will work when we return to school next week.

Mock Exam schedule

GCSE and Vocational Grades
Undoubtedly you will have seen in the media that students’ final GCSE grades, and grades of all other qualifications offered at Brookfield such as Cambridge Nationals, will be decided by teachers.  We are pleased with the decisions the Government has reached on the back of the recent consultation, and I provide a short summary of key information below.

• Grades for all qualifications at Brookfield will be decided by teachers.
• There will not be a Government algorithm involved in calculating grades.
• Students will only be judged on what they have been taught if the full content for a course cannot be covered in time.
• Teachers will use a range of evidence to decide on students’ grades, including mock exams, internal assessments from the duration of the course, ongoing classwork and homework including work completed remotely, any complete or partially complete Non-Examined Assessment (NEA) work, and any work completed between now and the time that grades must be decided, which is the 18th June.
• Exam boards will produce extra assessment material for schools to use if they wish to after Easter.  This will not be compulsory.
• Schools must finalise grades as late as possible so that students have as much time as possible to continue learning and to complete Non-Examined Assessment (NEA) work.
• Results day will be 12 August, and students will have the ability to appeal their grades after this date.

We believe this is an excellent outcome given the circumstances.  As I have said before, we know our students well, and we have excellent records of assessment results and classwork from the duration of the courses, as well as the information that mocks will provide and the additional weeks of teaching ahead of us to assess any remaining content and skills required.
Please also be reassured that the process of deciding students grades is not new to us.  Last year, with significantly less time to prepare, our teachers, learning leaders, directors of learning and senior leaders worked together to ensure students were awarded the grades they deserved.  Over 98% of our year 11 students went on to the college courses, apprenticeships, or employment they planned to.   

We are very much looking forward to having year 11 back in classrooms.  The key focus between now and the summer should be to continue to engage fully in class, to complete Non-Examined Assessment, and in the short term to prepare for mocks.

Thank you for your continued patience and support.

Mr Pease
Deputy Headteacher