GCSE Information for Candidates – 2023

GCSE candidates must read and understand the information on JCQ website

How do I make an appeal?

For all appeals, please complete this form and hand it into the school reception for the attention of the exam officer or email it to examsofficer@northlondongrammar.com

What are the deadlines for appeals?

Please ask the school exam officer for the appeals deadline.

For more information about appeals please see JCQ guidance

What will be the outcome of an appeal?

During the appeals process, a student’s grade may go up, down or stay the same. When placing an appeal, the student will have to sign a declaration accepting the outcomes. There is a charge for appeals if your result stays the same or lowered.

GCSE Appeal

Year 11 Grades and Appeals 2021

How were grades calculated this year?

Grades this summer were based on Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs). TAGs were submitted to the exam boards by a holistic assessment of students’ performance in a subject, following a rigorous assessment process, moderation and quality assurance.

These grades have been approved by the relevant exam boards, following external quality assurance checks.

All evidence and records on which a student’s grade is based, including copies of the student’s work and any mark records, is retained safely.

What do I do if I’m not happy with my / my child’s grade?

All students have the right to appeal their grades if they meet the eligibility criteria as listed below.

It is important to note that an appeal may lower, confirm, or raise the original grade awarded.

Students also have the option to resit GCSEs in the autumn, which may be preferable to some. The design, content and assessment of these papers will be the same as in the previous GCSC examinations series.

What are the grounds for appeal?

There are four main grounds for appeal, as dictated by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). They are:

  • Administrative error: for example the transposing of grades for students with similar names.
  • Procedural error: for example, the existence and consideration of mitigating circumstances at the time of an assessment
  • Academic judgment on selecting evidence was unreasonable: evidence used to calculate final grades were not reasonable.
  • Academic judgement on the grade given was unreasonable.

What does ‘unreasonable’ mean?

In this context, ‘unreasonable’ is a technical term that means the teacher’s exercise of judgement will not be considered unreasonable simply because an alternative practice of judgement would have resulted in a more or less favourable result for the individual student. The teacher’s judgement will be considered unreasonable only if it is such that no teacher acting reasonably could have reached the same decision.

Furthermore, independent reviewers will not remark or grade students’ evidence. Instead, they will consider whether any teacher acting reasonably could have arrived at the same grade.

What will be the outcome of an appeal?

At either stage of the appeals process, a student’s grade may go up, down or stay the same. When placing an appeal, the student will have to sign a declaration accepting the outcomes.

What should I do before appealing?

Parents/guardians and students must read the JCQ Student and Parent guide before appealing,

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/JCQ-Guidance-for-Students-and-Parents-on-Summer-2021.pdf
https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/JCQ-Student-Appeals-Guide-2021.pdf

We may not be able to offer as much advice and guidance on the likely success of an appeal this summer as we would usually do, as we have already moderated and quality assured all the grades ourselves.

What are the two stages of an appeal?

All appeals must first go through a centre review.

Phase one: At this stage, we will check for administrative errors and check that our policies and procedures were followed correctly. The exam boards have already approved our policy.

Students who wish to appeal their grades for any subject can do so from Friday, August 13th at 9 am. A form will be available on the school website for students to complete and submit. Any appeals received will be processed, and an email of confirmation will be sent to students.

The outcome of the centre review will be communicated to students. If we find that a grade should go up or down at the centre review stage, we will ask the exam board to change it. They will then consider this request.

Phase two: Following the outcome of a centre review, students may still choose to pursue an awarding organisation appeal. They must fill in the form below, which we will then send on their behalf to the exam boards. Students and parents cannot send appeals directly to the exam board themselves – it must come from us.

How do I make an appeal?

For all appeals, please complete this form and hand it into the school reception for the attention of the exam officer or email it to examsofficer@northlondongrammar.com

What are the deadlines for appeals?

The deadline for submitting a centre review is September 3rd, and the deadline for submitting an awarding organisation appeal is September 10th.

Franchising

As a result of our growth and success over the years NLGS has been able to branch out and open schools outside of the UK. At present, we have agreements to open in branch schools in three countries: China; Myanmar; and Kazakhstan.

In the UK our school has been graded outstanding by Ofsted in all categories, something which is only achieved by the top 15% of independent schools. Here are some of the things highlighted by Ofsted that demonstrates the quality of our school:

  • The leadership team has built on the school’s previous strengths. As a result, the school provides its pupils with an outstanding education.
  • Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable. They work diligently and with determination to succeed. They value diversity and respect all people no matter what their culture, faith, or lifestyle.
  • Pupils make substantial progress from the point at which they join the school. This is because leaders adapt the curriculum to meet their needs, and teaching is highly effective.

NLGS is open to further partnerships that would allow us to work with reputable organisations in order for us to spread the NLGS ethos of excellence, knowledge, and teaching around the world. We are looking for established partners who share these values.

NLGS works closely with our partners in the process of franchising new schools. NLGS will provide intellectual property including curriculum, lesson plans, examination etc. NLGS will also require regular visitations to franchise schools before and after the opening of the school in order to ensure a high standard of teaching and facilities. NLGS will also organise training sessions for teachers and administrators in franchise schools to replicate as best as possible the NLGS standard of quality.

Interested parties are welcome to contact our Business Manager (businessmanager@northlondongrammar.com) in order to discuss partnership opportunities.

Terms of Use

Welcome to our website. If you continue to browse and use this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern North London Grammar School’s relationship with you in relation to this website. If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, please do not use our website.

The term ‘North London Grammar School’ or ‘us’ or ‘we’ refers to the owner of the website whose registered office is Wisdom School Limited (trading as North London Grammar School) at 110 Colindeep Lane, Colindale, London NW96HB. Our charity registration number is 1142914. The term ‘you’ refers to the user or viewer of our website.

The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:

  1. The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
  2. This website uses cookies to monitor browsing preferences. If you do allow cookies to be used, the following personal information may be stored by us for use by third parties: Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Facebook. For more see our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
  3. Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
  4. Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
  5. This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.
  6. All trademarks reproduced in this website which are not the property of, or licensed to, the operator are acknowledged on the website.
  7. Unauthorised use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence.
  8. From time to time this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).
  9. Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales

Privacy and Cookie Policy

How we use pupil information

Why do we collect and use pupil information? We collect and use pupil information under the Education Act 1996. The EU general data protection regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) will take effect in May 25 2018 including Article 6 ‘lawfulness of processing’ and Article 9 ‘Processing of special categories of personal data’

https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools

We use the pupil data:

  • to support pupil learning
  • to monitor and report on pupil progress
  • to provide appropriate pastoral care
  • to assess the quality of our services
  • to comply with the law regarding data sharing

The categories of pupil information that we collect, hold and share include:

  • Personal information (such as name, unique pupil number and address)
  • Any relevant medical information
  • Special educational needs
  • Exclusions and behavioural information
  • Assessment information
  • Characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, nationality, country of birth and free school meal eligibility)
  • Attendance information (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence reasons)  

Collecting pupil information

Whilst the majority of pupil information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is provided to us on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, we will inform you whether you are required to provide certain pupil information to us or if you have a choice in this.  

Storing pupil data

We hold pupil data for 6 years following a student’s last entry.

Who do we share pupil information with?

We routinely share pupil information with:

  • schools that the pupil’s attend after leaving us
  • our local authority
  • the Department for Education (DfE)
  • School nurse

Why we share pupil information

We do not share information about our pupils with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.

We share pupils’ data with the Department for Education (DfE) on a statutory basis. This data sharing underpins school funding and educational attainment policy and monitoring.

We are required to share information about our pupils with the (DfE) under regulation 5 of The Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013.

To find out more about the pupil information we share with the department, for the purpose of data collections, go to https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools.

The Department has robust processes in place to ensure the confidentiality of our data is maintained and there are stringent controls in place regarding access and use of the data. Decisions on whether DfE releases data to third parties are subject to a strict approval process and based on a detailed assessment of:

  • who is requesting the data
  • the purpose for which it is required
  • the level and sensitivity of data requested: and
  • the arrangements in place to store and handle the data

To be granted access to pupil information, organisations must comply with strict terms and conditions covering the confidentiality and handling of the data, security arrangements and retention and use of the data.

For more information about the department’s data sharing process, please visit:

https://www.gov.uk/data-protection-how-we-collect-and-share-research-data

For information about which organisations the department has provided pupil information, (and for which project), please visit the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-requests-received

To contact DfE: https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe

Requesting access to your personal data

Under data protection legislation, parents and pupils have the right to request access to information about them that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, or be given access to your child’s educational record, contact

You also have the right to:

  • object to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing, damage or distress
  • prevent processing for the purpose of direct marketing
  • object to decisions being taken by automated means
  • in certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed; and
  • claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the Data Protection regulations

If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, you should raise your concern with us in the first instance or directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/

How We Use Cookies

In some special cases we also use cookies provided by trusted third parties. The following section details which third party cookies you might encounter through this site.

This site uses Google Analytics which is one of the most widespread and trusted analytics solution on the web for helping us to understand how you use the site and ways that we can improve your experience. These cookies may track things such as how long you spend on the site and the pages that you visit so we can continue to produce engaging content.

For more information on Google Analytics cookies, see the official Google Analytics page.

From time to time we test new features and make subtle changes to the way that the site is delivered. When we are still testing new features these cookies may be used to ensure that you receive a consistent experience whilst on the site whilst ensuring we understand which optimisations our users appreciate the most.

We also use social media buttons and/or plugins on this site that allow you to connect with your social network in various ways. For these to work the following social media sites including; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, will set cookies through our site which may be used to enhance your profile on their site or contribute to the data they hold for various purposes outlined in their respective privacy policies.

Disabling Cookies

If you would like to change your preferences and disable cookies from our site, you can Opt Out here.

To clear all of your browser cookies, please clear your browsing history and ensure the “cookies and other site data” is checked.

More Information

If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact us here.