Top Education Expert Warns of Impact From Covid-19 For GCSE Students

Murray Morrison is one of the UK’s leading education and revision experts and has over 20 years experience of being a trusted voice of authority at the forefront of the education sector.

Murray Morrison is currently warning parents of how the Covid-19 virus may impact UK schools and children in the lead up to their GCSEs as we are currently in ‘cramming season.’ The first GCSE will be sat in less than two months time on 11th May.

Due to the below (Murray is not involved with this petition but including it for reference)Parliament will now be looking into what more they can do and are being forced to look into this in more detail due to the volume of signatures.

Link: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300403 .

The below is a guide to what Murray believes parents need to be asking schools and teachers NOW to ensure their child’s education and exam performance won’t be impacted should there be more school closures due to the Covid-19 virus which is now looking more and more likely.

School closures could take place with little notice therefore it is essential both students and their parents are prepared and armed with knowledge and support during this highly stressful time.

Murray Morrison Q&A

How likely is it that schools will close down because of the coronavirus?
It’s certainly a concern - headteachers are discussing between themselves, but given the incredible level of disruption that mass schools closure will cause, it’s a decision that will not be taken lightly at any level. Closing a school down probably means that it will be shut for several weeks - possibly months. Not only does the pandemic need to pass, but also the schools may need a deep clean, which could hold up their re-opening for a while longer.

If my child’s school does get shut down how will they revise for their GCSE’s without their teachers?
Doubtless a scenario that leaves students to their own devices and then sees them sitting high-stakes terminal exams will have a massive impact on many students’ grades. Since results are graded ‘on a curve’, if most perform less well than they otherwise should have, those who prepare well will be able to boost their grades by some considerable margin.So there will be a huge advantage to any students who are able to revise and practise effectively at home and under their own steam. Also, families who can afford extra tuition will be buying their children a good leg up.But it needn’t be an arms-race with extra paid tuition - just getting into a habit of spending time each day on steady practice, quizzing and using resources online will make far more impact than a tutor.

If schools were shut down how can I help and not hinder my Childs revision and learning in the final weeks before their exams?
If your child’s school is shut down - and, fingers crossed, nobody in the house is directly affected with the virus, I’d recommend you do what you can to get a solid revision plan in place - make the most of the extra time to do loads of retrieval practice, quizzing, and build up to past papers. But first, use the resources available from the exam boards, text books and school knowledge organisers to really map out what needs to be done.Organising and planning aren’t usually a teenager’s strong suit, so parents can make a big contribution when it comes to mapping out the required revision work, breaking the time down, and checking that they are making good progress through their revision.

My child performed badly in their mocks. If GCSE’s were to be cancelled would the mock mark be the mark they are given for their GCSEs?
Please check with your school to see what their policy is on this, but it’s certainly a possibility. The question will be whether the schools is willing to make any modification if your child has shown significant improvement since their mocks. But it’s unlikely that schools will be able to accept many appeals on grades.

What questions should I be asking my child’s school now in case of closure due to the coronavirus?
Bear in mind that that a closure will create untold stress on the school too, and that the staff are at just as great a risk of illness and absence as the students, so please be understanding of the strain they are under… but that said,Ask what their policy is on predicted grades submissions in the case that the GCSEs are cancelled completely.Ask what home-learning support the school is able to provide in terms of quizzing/practice software, knowledge organisers or other resources.Find out whether they are setting up any provision for remote tutorials or classes - if students are able to talk to teachers over video conferencing and, if so, whether they are

How can parents prepare for the possibility of their child’s school closing down?
The first thing is to consider how you can manage your child being at home. Talk to your work to see what provision can be made for you to work from home while your child’s school is closed.It may be a case of getting a few families together to have a rotating revision club/hang-out, so that other parents can continue to work on other days. If that can happen, then a shared plan of revision and other work might really help - if everyone can be doing the same exam question at the same time, they can mark them together and increase the benefit of the practice and feedback.See also whether you can make any private arrangements with a few teachers - there may not be a clear policy from the school, but you may be able to talk to staff about supporting revision: having a teacher look through a past paper that your child has completed, or the odd phone conversation to check in on what they’ve been doing may be a possibility… though it really does depend on the individual.

ENDS

For more information please contact:
Lauren Lunn Farrow at The Expert Agency
Mobile: 07810 443 781
Email: Lauren@TheExpertAgency.co.uk
Website: www.TheExpertAgency.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Murray is available to provide quotes for news stories as well as appear on broadcast for interviews.

Murray Morrison is the founder of edtech learning programme Tassomai.com which is one of the most widely used learning programmes within UK schools. To date UK students have completed over 1 billion questions and over 1 million questions are completed daily by students within schools.