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Thursday August 25th, 2022
Welcome to your August issue. I hope you’ve been having a glorious summer. With temperatures in the UK edging over 40 degrees for the first time ever, we’ll take a look in this edition at the first bill written by children on climate education. We’ll also summarise the results day round-up and look ahead to a new school year.
First, some heart-warming news from our summer school students. Ukrainian refugee children staying with host families in the UK have said their time at summer school this year was the best experience they’ve ever had. During July and August, we placed around 20 Ukrainian children in summer schools, who kindly offered places at no cost to families. Parents were immensely grateful for the fantastic experiences made possible for their children. We’d particularly like to thank Dusemond summer school. And the British host families were also amazing, helping to drive children to the summer schools and picking them up afterwards.
Students received their A-level results in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Thursday 18th August, the first cohort since 2019 to have their grades based on formal exams. Although the proportion of people awarded A* grades dropped as predicted, almost twice as many A* grades were achieved than in 2019.
Concerns had been raised about competition for university places. The drop in top grades notwithstanding, would the higher-than-usual numbers of deferred places from 2021 mean more people missing out on their first choice in 2022?
The Education Secretary reassured students that the number of deferred places only accounted for a small percentage of overall applications. In addition, the number of university courses on offer had increased, so he hoped to see most students securing their institution of choice. And indeed, UCAS confirmed that near-record numbers of students were accepted into their first or second choice university this year, with 425,830 pupils receiving the grades they needed for their firm or insurance choice, only a 2% drop from last year’s all-time high.
As with A Levels, a drop in the proportion of pupils gaining top grades at GCSE was predicted. But it wasn’t as marked for GCSE pupils as it was for their A level counterparts last week. Whereas top A level grades were down 8.4 percentage points on last year’s results, GCSE results showed only a 3 to 4% drop. In real terms, that means around 75% of pupils achieved a pass (grade 4) this year, and more than a quarter secured top grades of 7 or more.
According to Ofqual (England’s exams regulator), nearly 2,200 16-year-olds in England got grade 9s across the board – including 13 students who took 12 GCSEs.
In terms of optional subjects, business, food preparation and nutrition, modern languages (especially Spanish), social sciences and geography proved the most popular with this cohort. But, given the future careers ideas we’ve been discussing in previous blogs, it’s interesting to note that boys hugely outnumber girls in computing, with girls accounting for only 20% of Computing GCSE entrants over the last few years. Anna Brailsford, CEO of Code First Girls, says if that ratio continues, there’ll only be one qualified woman for every 115 roles in the tech job market by 2025, when – in the UK alone – it’s predicted to be worth £30bn.
If you have any concerns about results and next steps – including resits, 2023 exams, A levels or other options – please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Students share their top tips and practical advice to help you prepare.
1. Do the washing up once in a while! This isn’t just a trick to get you to help out at home – it’s to prepare you for the fact that not all halls of residence will have a dishwasher!
2. Practise washing and drying your clothes. Again, not a trick – just a practical tip to help you save time once you’re at uni. Some halls of residence will have washing machines and drying rooms. Others might have on-site launderettes (where you can wash and tumble dry clothes in bulk). Make sure you have the necessary washing stuff and know where to put it!
3. Get ahead with online shopping. To save time and energy, make sure you know how to order groceries and household items online. If you won’t spend enough on a weekly basis to qualify for delivery, you could club together with friends or hall mates to do a weekly online shop together.
4. Rediscover a routine. Since exams ended, your days have probably been less structured and more relaxed. And why not? But now’s the time to start scheduling again – so you don’t get a shock when you get back to studying!
5. Read up on your course. It might be a while since you looked through the details of your course and the options available. You might have modules you can select, as well as core modules you must complete. It’s worth getting a feel for what’s on offer, although you might not decide for definite until you’ve begun your studies and have a clearer idea and direction.
6. Connect with course colleagues and hall mates in advance. Many universities have Facebook pages or groups to help hall mates connect before they move in. Some may have similar pages for courses, or undergrads might have created their own, unofficial groups that you can request to join. Once your place is secured and your accommodation’s been confirmed, why not see who you can get to know before you go thanks to the power of social media?
And, of course, the all-important packing. There’s a great list and tool to personalise your own packing list at savethestudent.org. From clothes to kitchen utensils and electrical equipment – as well as the important documentation you should take with you – this is a pretty exhaustive list, with tips to help you budget, pack and prepare too.
Following a UK summer of unprecedented temperatures, triggering wildfires in urban and rural areas, this news feels particularly topical right now. Teenagers are campaigning for significant changes to the curriculum, so that the causes, effects and mitigation of climate change are taught in every subject. At present, pupils in Year 7 to 9 learn about the causes of climate change in their science lessons. But only those opting to study geography at GCSE (circa 43% in 2019, according to the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) will learn about potential impacts and how we can mitigate them, as well as how we can tackle the problem at source by reducing, for example, greenhouse gas emissions.
18-year-old Scarlett Westbrook worked with Labour MP Nadia Whittome (the youngest Member of Parliament at age 25), to create the first student-written bill for Parliament to change the Education Act. Scarlett believes that, because climate change is affecting every part of our lives, it should be taught across the curriculum. The changes would mean all state-run primary and secondary schools must teach climate change in vocational courses, such as business, engineering or social care, as well as the core curriculum subjects.
Scarlett says the way climate change is taught now isn’t preparing children to live and work in a warming world. And a (narrow) majority of teachers agree: in a survey by campaign group Teach the Future, 51% of teachers said climate change wasn’t being addressed or taught in their subject in a meaningful or relevant enough way.
Experts agree that teaching climate change across more subjects will not only reduce young people’s climate anxiety – but also build their confidence and ability to tackle the issue – which can only be a good thing.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we wish you all the very best as your children embark on a new academic year next month. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any queries or concerns about any aspect of your child’s education.
Until next time…
“ Regency Education helped all three of our boys get into a wonderful school where they now thrive. ”
“ REGENCY EDUCATION WAS ABLE TO HELP US WITH EVERY STEP OF THE SCHOOL APPLICATION PROCESS ENSURING THE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF OUR CHILDREN. AN INVALUABLE SERVICE. ”
“ REGENCY EDUCATION WAS ABLE TO HELP US WITH EVERY STEP OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS ENSURING THE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF OUR CHILDREN - AN INVALUABLE SERVICE. ”
