I am a HOD in a boys grammar. Numbers for Art have never been great, things have steadily been getting worse for the last 4 years, when I started there the results were bad and they have improved, but the numbers have dropped at GCSE, partially due to the harder work the boys are having to do, higher expectations etc - but generally subjects that aren't 'academic' are suffering a lot anyway. We have just been told our numbers at GCSE are 24 for for next year, the lowest ever, and the A level takeup as a result is getting worse - 5 students last year, 7 this year...
So got told today that our only choice is to pull the course at A level or teach it after school, 8 hrs between two teachers over a fortnight. This apparently means that I would get 2 hrs free during the day - but I know in practice this hasn't happened in other departments where they have had to do this, some teacher shave had 6-7 hrs straight teaching a day. The reasoning was 'you are always here late anyway'...
FFS, I just feel so fed up on so many counts - the unpopularity of the subject, the prospect of the GCSE and A level being dropped if it doesn't get better, then thats my job..
Also I am now looking at one night a week having to teach, when I am only just keeping on top of things doing as much work as I can at school till 5ish, 6 some nights, one night going on time and then another hour or two every night at home.., plus the odd weekend of a few hours of marking around this time and holidays of course - I have a young DD and we are TTC - I just can't see how this is going to make life any easier for us at home.
Looking for practical ideas to get the boys interested in doing the subject (and parents! who seem to think there is no future in it - they are wrong!) and just to have a rant really....
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So fed up...Arts takeup at GCSE and A level is dismal..having to teach 'Twilight sessions'
9 replies
missmakesstuff · 21/03/2013 20:27
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