It’s tough being a student these days

In the last few weeks we have reported the quite amazing results recorded by students at our local schools and colleges in their GCSEs and A Levels.

And I was delighted this year that we escaped the usual baloney from people claiming the results are purely down to the fact exams are easier than they were “in their day”.

Those people should remember they probably went to a school where there were straight A students.

They should also take a look at the sheer amount of course work that goes into gaining those grades while bearing in mind that getting an A in history is not simply a matter of writing five or six 200 word essays in two two-hour exams as it was when I was sitting my exams.

Once they have borne all that in mind, they should then think about something else.

If it is indeed the case that the examination system is easier – although I doubt that very much – then it is not the fault of the teachers or students.

The professionals can only deliver the courses they are told to and the students can only do the coursework and sit the exams in front of them.

With that in mind, why don’t we just celebrate every single passed exam rather than query its validity?

And it does not look like life is going to get any easier for students as they head back to school – or even start for the first time.

The new curriculum includes some eye-watering prospects.

Apparently by the age of seven, children will all be able to write a basic algorithm – something I had to look up in a dictionary to have any understanding of.

By the age of 11, pupils will have to “design, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems”.

I have used a computer for almost half my life and don’t understand a word of that ... which really makes me happy I am not going back to school!