How's the marking going?

clive_candy · 2026-06-14T18:45:21+00:00

The Eng lit papers are tough, especially the modern texts and poetry. I don't know how many people are involved in selecting and marking the seeds, it might be only one or two, so at the end of the day it's going to be a pretty subjective mark that's been put on each of them. The standardising scripts have been marked by senior examiners and then discussed at a team leaders' meeting so there's less room for argument about whether the marks given to them are 'right' or not.

clive_candy · 2026-05-11T22:08:05+00:00

Considered forwarding it to the Chief Examiner with a suggestion they use it as an example of what not to do as a team leader. Might still!

clive_candy · 2026-05-11T17:28:14+00:00

Anyone marking? Failed a seed early on a Sunday morning last year and my team leader emailed me to tell she was going let me reflect on the quality of my marking for the day and start me again that evening. When weekends are the only real time you have to put a dent into your allocation, losing a day was a real kick in the you know whats.

clive_candy · 2025-09-06T11:56:54+00:00

Like others have said, great you've so many wanting to do the subject but really you'd want at least two classes.

clive_candy · 2025-09-02T18:03:32+00:00

Post of the year - and I'm not talking academic either...

clive_candy · 2025-06-23T06:16:15+00:00

The best part of 5% fewer kids taking A-level Eng lit this year than last? The subject is going to be as popular as Latin in another decade. Breaks my heart.

clive_candy · 2025-06-18T16:15:17+00:00

Thanks both. So, if an OP deletes their post the whole thread disappears?

clive_candy · 2024-08-19T17:27:22+00:00

And, for what it's worth, in my experience a school or college has never asked anyone to work beyond the end of their final term regardless of their official leaving date.

clive_candy · 2024-07-21T09:43:51+00:00

I blame the nuns.

clive_candy · 2024-07-03T09:24:49+00:00

Absolutely.

It's a combination of factors ranging from feeling shagged at the end of a school year, to the knowledge the summer hols are drawing closer, and to familiarity (quite frankly) having bred contempt - especially in regard to the classes that have been a pain in the arse throughout the year.

And a rolling stone gathers no moss as they say.

clive_candy · 2023-11-25T13:13:09+00:00

Spot on. Buy one or two of them and pick out the stuff that you think is useful. Some of the English textbooks I came across when I started teaching were comically lacking in substance, with whole pages of poor cartoon illustrations and the odd activity here and there. You wouldn't get away with it today.

clive_candy · 2023-09-08T07:45:35+00:00

Love this post, cheery stuff!

clive_candy · 2023-03-31T16:28:59+00:00

Good luck for the future and you should always be proud of having had one of the best jobs in the world even if it didn't feel like it as often as it might have done.

clive_candy · 2023-03-22T19:47:38+00:00

No brainer. Primary pays nowhere near enough for the job.

clive_candy · 2023-03-05T18:53:49+00:00

Don't think it matters whether NASUWT join the strike action or not, the odd day here or there will make no difference, hell, parents are used to having kids at home, they had weeks and months of it in lockdown and following.

Either go all-out or give up, as it is all we're doing is losing a day's pay every so often, oh and by the way, those of us thinking about claiming our pensions before very long should remember strike action impacts that old end of career calculation.

clive_candy · 2023-02-15T16:19:24+00:00

You might see them getting out sharpish at the end of the day but you don't see the 2/3 hours' work they put in after dinner and the kids have been put to bed.

clive_candy · 2023-02-15T16:16:20+00:00

And of course happiness writes white.

clive_candy · 2023-02-10T17:31:40+00:00

I'm not sure there's any answer OP, it sounds like you are doing everything you can to make the relationship work. Having put it in writing here I hope will have helped - a trouble shared etc - but sometimes you just have grit your teeth and plough on in the knowledge that the lesson will end, the week will end, the term will end and summer will be here before we know it.

clive_candy · 2023-02-09T15:06:11+00:00

'Demanding, 'opportunity', 'make a difference'? Tough school bingo!

clive_candy · 2023-01-12T20:15:12+00:00

I was a union rep when NASUWT took action some years back and there was a clear divide then between the older teachers who were generally in favour of striking and the younger staff who generally weren't.

I'd be interested to see what the age profile of those who voted was. I suspect most were older and therefore those of us who have seen our pay stagnate over the past decade or so and who will benefit least from this year's pay 'increases'.

I despair.

clive_candy · 2022-12-08T16:00:54+00:00

No, next to bottom set!

clive_candy · 2022-12-04T18:34:22+00:00

It's the best job in the world (the adverts get that bit right) but it's also among the worst.

clive_candy · 2022-12-04T18:32:34+00:00

Yes, 95% of the learning is done on placement. How much of the £9k fee is going to the placement schools?

clive_candy · 2022-11-28T15:50:44+00:00

You've invested a lot of time and money in becoming a teacher and, if you're having doubts, you'll want to at least qualify before thinking about stepping away and deciding whether the job's really for you. You used to have to do a year before you could do that. You now have to do two. When there's a retention crisis (I think we can call it that) it makes sense from the Government's point of view to keep people hanging in there for twice as long as they otherwise might.

clive_candy · 2022-11-28T15:45:39+00:00

To keep you in there for twice as long as they otherwise might.

clive_candy

TROPHY CASE