ACT - The Association of Christian Teachers

Students who achieve the very top grade in their T-level qualification will have the equivalent of three A*s at A-level, it has been announced.

University admissions service Ucas says a starred distinction will be worth 168 Ucas points - the same as three A*s, each worth 56 points.

Those who are awarded a merit will have the equivalent of three Bs at A-level.

The government says the "size and rigour" of the new T-level course is comparable to studying three A-levels.

The two-year qualifications are being brought in England in next September

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Position Vacant at Cooloola Christian College

Cooloola Christian College provides a safe, caring learning community, reflecting values and ethics explored through a Christ-centred and Biblically-based curriculum. The College's vision statement is 'Supporting families to educate their children for a Christ centred life'.

The College is located in Queensland near the Sunshine Coast and half an hour north of the pristine beaches around Noosa.

We are seeking a Secondary Physics / Chemistry Teacher

Full-time starting Term 1 2020.

Leadership opportunity will be available for suitably experienced applicants.

Applications close 30^th September.

For further information contact Admin +61754811000 or email admin@ccc.qld.edu.au

Visit our Website to download an application form www.ccc.qld.edu.au

With A-level results day come the countless pictures of jubilant students leaping in the air. But despite those jumping for joy, results day can also be a nerve-wracking time for those waiting to see if they got the grades needed to get into their first choice university.

It’s generally accepted that going to university plays a significant part in shaping lives, and the skills gained there help to sustain a thriving society. So it seems odd that at the heart of this process is guesswork – with the bulk of university offers based on predicted grades. 

Indeed, Labour has announced plans to replace offers based on predicted grades with a new “fairer” system of post-qualification admissions. Under Labour’s plans, students would apply for their higher education place after receiving their results instead of the current system of predicted grades – which the party says penalises disadvantaged students and those from minority backgrounds.

The plans also look to curb the rise in unconditional offers and bring an end to the clearing process – which the party says can be an “incredibly stressful and worrying time for students”.

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The proportion of students achieving the top grades at A-level has fallen to its lowest level for more than a decade, this year's results show.

This year some 25.5% got an A grade or higher - the lowest level since 2007 when it was 25.3%.

Girls narrowly reclaimed the lead from boys, with 25.5% achieving A* and A grades compared with 25.4% of boys.

The overall pass rate remains the same as last year at 97.6% for students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The figures, released by the Joint Council for Qualifications, also show that - for the first time - the number of girls taking sciences has overtaken boys at 50.3% compared with 49.6%. There has been a big push to increase the take-up of sciences among girls.

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The summer ritual of A-level results day is so well known it's easy to forget the thousands of students receiving their BTec National results.

So, who is studying for the qualification and why do they take what is often seen as an alternative to A-levels?

Who takes BTecs and why?

Provisional figures suggest just under 250,000 students completed BTec Nationals in 2019, compared with about 300,000 who sat A-levels in 2018.

BTec Nationals can be sat by any age group - in fact, most are taken by those over the age of 22, as they develop practical skills for their careers.

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Labour says it would scrap the system of university places being offered on the basis of predicted grades and bring in a system of applying after results.

The party says the allocation of places on predicted grades is "deeply unfair".

But universities and schools say any changes would be complex and could mean an overhaul of the school calendar.

The proposals come as students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland prepare to receive their A-level and BTec results this week.

Research by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills in 2011 found 51.7% of all predictions were accurate, with 41.7% being over-predicted and 6.6% under-predicted.

Black applicants had the lowest percentage accuracy with only 39.1% of grades accurately predicted, while white applicants had the highest grade prediction accuracy at 53%.

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Details of A-level grade boundaries for all papers set by two exam boards have been leaked on social media a day before the results are published.

The documents reveal that A-level maths candidates needed little more than half marks to get a grade A in papers set by both Pearson/Edexcel and OCR.

Exam boards send marking schemes to schools in confidence ahead of the results to help them prepare students.

They said confidentiality was usually respected.

A-level students are due to get their results on Thursday.

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The founder of a multi-million-pound marketing company who went undercover as a classroom support worker has revealed his shock at the funding pressures on schools.

Paul Rowlett, who only passed one GCSE but went on to found EverythingBranded.co.uk, spent six weeks at Haileybury Turnford School in Herfordshire for Channel 4’s The Secret Teacher series, which starts this week.

At one point, he joined a Year 11 lesson in which the head of English had to teach two classes together because of staff shortages.

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Brexit is causing poorer children to fall further behind in learning foreign languages, says the British Council.

Parents in disadvantaged areas are telling teachers languages will be less useful after Brexit, it says.

It warns that GCSEs and A-level languages in England are seen as being hard subjects in which to get a good grade.

The government said the overall picture for language learning in England was improving.

This is a snapshot of the state of language learning in England from the organisation that promotes British culture abroad.

It warns of growing concern that GCSEs and A-levels in modern foreign languages are seen as harder than other subjects.

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The number of teachers being referred to the disciplinary watchdog for alleged misconduct rose by more than 10 per cent last year.

According to the Teaching Regulation Agency’s annual report, published today, the agency received 985 teacher misconduct referrals in 2018-19.

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