Results Day: A Teacher’s Perspective

Students and families wait anxiously for their GCSE results. But what is it like for the teachers? Mrs C, a maths teacher describes the pressure.

The clock ticks 12, a long 8 hours wait. The day draws near…

The summer holidays have been sheer bliss but as time ticks by the fear and a sense of nausea increases – GCSE results day is nearly HERE!  It’s more nerve wrecking than my own results day where I was only anxious about letting down my own parents. The anxiety of letting down my students, their families, and my colleagues.

So I set an alarm after weeks of relaxation and attempt to sleep. Over the years I have become all too familiar with these feelings that affect my sleep. Worrying and wandering about all the horrible scenarios – what will Ofsted think of the results? Where will we place in the league tables? How much progress have we made? Tossing and turning I finally doze off.

The next morning awaits a steady drive into school, full of dread. Parking the car and taking a minute to breathe before I meet and greet colleagues and students after weeks. Their faces show unknown and angst for what is sealed in each brown envelope will determine the fates of us ALL!

All the hours of interventions, data trolls, parental support meetings. A distant memory of the words “progress and attainment” ringing in my head. To think it all boils down to the letter next to Maths – one letter to change the course of the rest of our lives.

One by one as they open their results I become a nosy parker or a humble bragger (the A’s the A*). Relief floods through me as I check the data on my whole class. Pleased, proud and annoyed at the one student who makes you say “I told you so!” Now checking the data for rest of the department – 3LP percentages, 4LP percentages, Maths and English joint percentages.

All is good and we have improved so this year maybe there is hope for less meetings, less paperwork and even less intervention. One can only hope! Maybe society will change its attitude again where parents blame their children for their results rather than the teachers!

So, from the perspective of secondary teacher, I will make the most of the rest of the holiday knowing I did and am continuously doing a great job! Good luck to all my leavers for the future!

Mrs C (An extremely proud teacher)