Following on from yesterdays post about UK primary pupils and their results, it really needs to be said that the same applies to secondary schools with about 40% of their pupils failing to gain the magical 5 ‘C’ or above grades at GCSE level.

Difference between primary and secondary kids is that primary kids have five more years to try to put things right while secondary kids are just told that they don’t match up! Could be teachers fault, could be kids fault, could be subjects fault – but it certainly isn’t the Governments fault!

How stupid to have a GCSE grading system from A* right down to G and then say that for statistical purposes and in the eyes of parents and employers and the general public (and your mates) the only grades that count are ‘C’ grades and above!

Motivating eh? Sure is!

I know young people who have worked their socks off to get a few Grade G results at GCSE and yet society in general (as well as one or two people in person) tells them that such grades are virtually no use.

Motivating eh? Sure is!