Year 11 learners across Rhondda Cynon Taf have been receiving their GCSE qualifications results today (Thursday, August 25).
Among those congratulating the successful students and school staff was Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Youth Participation and Welsh Language, Councillor Rhys Lewis, along with the Council’s Director of Education and Inclusion Services, Gaynor Davies, and senior officers from the Education Directorate. They are visiting a number of schools across the County Borough on Thursday, to pass on their best wishes in person as learners collected their results.
Councillor Rhys Lewis, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Cabinet Member for Education, Youth Participation and Welsh Language, said: “On behalf of the Council, I would like to pass on our congratulations to all students receiving their GCSE results today. Well done to all on their academic achievements, and for their perseverance and resilience despite the challenges they have faced during the 2021-22 Academic Year.
“We wish you all well as you now embark on your future studies or employment opportunities. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our education staff across the County Borough, as well as all parents and carers for their support.”
Qualifications Wales confirmed that approved GCSE qualifications would be assessed via examinations and non-examination assessments as normal, but with adaptations, in the summer 2022.
In order to mitigate lost teaching and learning as a consequence of the pandemic, WJEC made adaptions to NEA units and/or examined units for these qualifications, alongside contingency arrangements should examinations not be possible.
This led to the streamline of the content subject to assessment in 2022, the reduction of non-examination assessment (NEA) requirements and the introduction optionality to assessments either via a choice of units or a choice of questions within a unit.
School leaders and staff have worked tirelessly to ensure all these requirements have been instigated to the highest quality for our learners in order for the learners to gain the grades that reflect their potential and to enable them to move along their future pathway into higher education, employment, apprenticeships and training.
As in 2021, Welsh Government has continued to relax the reporting of performance data and still continues to enforce the statement that qualification awards data will not be used to report on attainment outcomes at a school, local authority or regional consortium level and must not be used to hold schools to account for their learners' outcomes.
All schools and post-16 providers will continue to be required to undertake effective self-evaluation to support continuous improvement. This will involve schools, with support from local authorities and regional consortia, using the learner level information they have on attainment and other outcomes to reflect on and improve their existing arrangements.
Despite the many disruptions faced during the last two academic years, this is an important day for our Year 11 learners, as it marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in their lives.
Posted on 25/08/2022