Well said Derek J

 

 

 

This has been as interesting thread to watch!

 

 

 

For me, after 20 years working in a University as an exams officer or as a head of registry with exams officers working for me, I can say the change this year after moving to FE was startling.

 

The job in FE exams is so much harder than in HE; the responsibility is higher, the expectations are higher, there is external scrutiny that is not there in HE, the hours are longer, the demands of curriculum are higher, the changes to data are greater, more wide ranging and later, and the pay for doing all this is much lower.  Quite simply, and my former colleagues will not thank me for this, but HE exams are easy in comparison.

 

There seems to be general recognition within the college of the work that is done, and appreciation from colleagues which is always welcome.  However, there does seem to be a lack of professional recognition not just in exams but throughout the FE management and administration.  HE moved a few years ago to not just calling themselves ‘professional services’, but demanding and receiving professional training and qualifications as such, and demanding recognition and reward as the professionals they are.  FE, it seems to me, appears to still be struggling with that, keeping the support staff as ‘just admin’ and not valuing the expertise, knowledge and dedication required to do the job well.  This is not an individual college issue (I have no particular issues with my own) – I see it in all the emails here from many places.

 

There is a job to do in FE to raise the bar here, and I’m too new to the game to know how to do it, but from my experience it is not done by fighting or demanding, it is by talking and using all the avenues open to us collectively.  I do think that FE institutions are too small to do it individually, however.

 

 

I shall get off my soapbox now.  Maybe I’m wrong and too new to FE to know what I’m talking about, but this is how I see it.

 

 

 

 

Regards,

 

 

Derek.

 

 

 

 

Spot on Joe, I think a cultural shift more than anything else.  And for me it’s about flagging that it’s not reasonable and that we don’t have to follow like sheep.

 

 

 

It’s so reassuring to hear these experiences as I was worried that I was alone!

 

For our GCSE Maths exam we had to room between 50-60 different rooms due to access arrangements. As a relatively small/medium size college, I am amazed at how other larger colleges seem to manage. I absolutely agree that the level of complaints has escalated with, in my opinion, weak reasoning for each one. We are obviously keen to address each one and see what we can do to resolve for next year but does anyone feel as though this is becoming a cultural change rather than circumstantial?

 

 

 

Steve is there a centre anywhere that manages to room exams separately??!  I am amazed by the things people manage to complain about or see as a problem. It’s like some science fiction nightmare that everyone wants to exist in isolation in their own little bubble.  Sounds like your tutors are getting swept up in a load of nonsense……. I’d tell them to wake up and smell the coffee.

 

Possibly not a helpful response to you, Steve, apologies…ive not had my morning Frosties J

 

 

 

Hello Paul

 

Just to pick up on one point in your e-mail, I have had some grumbles from students about having 3 or 4 exams in the same exam room – they don’t realise that we have a limited amount of rooms available.

 

This is now being picked up by some tutors as an issue…

 

Has anyone else had complaints about having different exams taking place in the same room?

 

 

 

Jayne, we’ve had a similar problem.  One complaining mother on the phone to me followed by a written complaint.  Then another candidate pops up and states she was also disturbed (although not claiming spec cons!).  However, although the first one was at the front, and there is no argument that a ‘one question, one answer’ conversation took place between two invigilators, the second candidate was half way down the hall!  It appears she was a friend of the first one….  We think the claim is vexatious, as the first candidate is a Cambridge applicant, and perhaps struggled with the paper.

 

This has gone to our VP to investigate, as we’ve had talking invigilator disturbances before although I’ve asked them since to be more discreet, etc.  The VP has talked to nearly all the invigilators now, and is in the process of talking to other students in the exam session – there were three or four exams taking place.  Needless to say, this has caused a lot of angst amongst our team, and although I will apply for spec cons as requested for the first candidate, I will await the outcome before I word the application, so that if the invigilators are exonerated there is no blame attached to them in the spec cons claim.

 

Regards

 

 

 

Lots of clashes here too, lots of spec con apps, lots of ‘anxiety’ and ‘I need a separate room!’ last minute requests – too many need to get a grip and live in the real world who need to realise they won’t be provided with everything they want when they start work in the big bad world.

 

Can I ask your opinions of what you would do if you had received a written complaint about 2 invigilators talking throughout the exam and disturbing the exam?  As it is a formal written complaint from a parent, I can’t exactly say that her daughter is ‘exaggerating’ but not sure how to proceed with this.  Mum wants me to apply for spec con!

 

Jayne

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jayne Harris
NCLT Trust Examinations Manager

T: 01977 802821
W: www.nclt.ac.uk 
A: Park Lane, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 4QR

 

From: The FE Exams Network mailing list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Katie Hill
Sent: 18 June 2018 17:42
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: This horrible awful exam series!!!!

 

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