It seems like just yesterday I was picking up my GCSE results, the fact that its been 10 years is actually quite terrifying.
Those tests and those results were daunting because of the pressures school and society placed on them. It felt as though the letter I received in relation to those tests not only defined my intelligence but also my identity and how my life would turn out.
Safe to say with hindsight and life experience the grade from a test, in and of itself, is no scale by which to measure a person.
It's the common misconception, people who get As are more intelligent and harder working than those stupid and lazy people who only managed Es & Fs.
If you sat your GCSEs and got A*s and As galore a sincere well done to you. If you sat your GCSE and got a D when you were predicted an F. An equal amount of praise is deserved. No? Surely?! While the grade may not be as impressive the work ethic and study deserves significant and equal praise to an A does it not?
To achieve a D or an E, or to even just turn up to the exam is a massive achievement for many young people who have received their results today. It's not cheesey and its not an "everyone's a winner" mentality. It's just the reality of it. A young person should not be made to feel that the letter they receive from a GCSE is a indication of their character.
In society and in the education system this is not promoted. Many young people are made to feel that they should define themselves by their grades. A sad view in my opinion.
I am am advocate of hard work, of resilience, of fortitude and of perseverance. Which is why I am so immensely proud of the young people who I work with today. These are the characteristics that myself and my amazing colleagues seek to instill and promote on a daily basis and our young people have shown them in abundance.
If you were to cast your eyes down the results spreadsheet you would see more Es than you'd see at a house rave! But these Es are a huge achievement because these learners weren't even supposed to make it to the exam hall.
One of my learners got a D! She came to us 2 years ago on an F. Has had her ups and downs, suffers from depression, alcohol and drug misuse but has worked so hard and achieved a D. The smile on her face this morning was infectious.
Another young girl is the primary carer for her mother and also cares for her younger siblings. She also secured a D despite attendance being below 70% due to family commitments.
One young man, had been removed from 2 schools and a PRU (Pupil Referral Unit) before joining us. Today he received a B. Highly deserved amidst his battle to get out of a lifestyle of gangs, violence and negative peer groups.
GCSEs are useful. I am not discrediting them. They serve a purpose no doubt. I push every learner to try their best and apply themselves. But they should not be used as an indication of who a young person is. Or what they will become.
The biggest test these young people and indeed we all face is life itself.
My favourite verse is Job 23 v 10 "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."
As a Christian it's a great comfort to know that my life with its ups and downs is in the hand of God. That he will give me nothing I can't handle and that in difficult times I can call out to Him to help me through. In the good times I can praise Him for his goodness to me.
My identity as a Christian, is not in my GCSEs, my A-Levels or my job. It's in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour.
Amen!!
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