It can feel like there aren’t many silver linings in the dark clouds over Year 11 and 13 students at the moment. They are understandably worrying about how they are to be awarded grades and what this will mean for their futures. And this means it can be hard to keep them motivated.
GCSEs and A levels: Keeping your students engaged without exams
But there are some messages that can help to keep them engaged:
‘Exams haven’t been cancelled, they’ve been replaced’
The problem with the talk of exams being cancelled is that it forms a narrative of something being taken away from students. I find it more useful to communicate the message that exams have been replaced with a new method of awarding grades.
This means that we can explain to pupils that, from their perspective, nothing has really changed. They are still going to learn and revise for their subjects as they otherwise would have. What they will do for the rest of the academic year is the same and the outcome will be the same. It’s just the method of awarding a grade that has been replaced.
‘This is a marathon, not a sprint’
Summer is still a long way away. Students don’t need to be thinking about what evidence teachers have about them or what grade they will be awarded. As hard as it may feel, they need to focus on the work their teachers have set them now rather than what is going to happen in a few months’ time.
‘Your teachers will give you the information you require’
Inconsistent government communication can feel overwhelming, and this can be compounded by speculations leaked to newspapers every week.
Students need to have confidence that their teachers will ensure they have all the information they need to succeed. As tempting as it is, they do not need to follow every government announcement or leak on Twitter. They need to focus on the work set for them, and trust that the school will keep them up to speed with what they need to know.
‘The school will support you with your next steps’
There may be a lot of worry about in terms of what the next steps will be in their education. This is a particular issue for Year 13s, wondering what the implications will be for university places. The amount of uncertainty around this makes it hard for us to offer clarity, so try to reassure students that whatever happens, the school will be there to offer support and guidance.
They are not alone and no matter what the implications are, they will be helped to make the best decisions for their futures.
‘Your education is about so much more than your grades’
While grades are undoubtedly important as a passport to the next stage of their life, they are there to show what has been learned rather than the end in itself. It is in the joy of learning and the wonder of our subjects that the magic in education really happens.
This is not wasted time and it is not all about how work can be used as a portfolio of evidence. If students choose to study your subject in the next stage of their education, then what they are learning now will assist them in this endeavour. If they go in a different direction, the knowledge they now have will help them to become active citizens in the world. There is no such thing as wasted knowledge.
Yousuf Hamid is a business and economics teacher at a high school in London
