In line with the 14-19 educational reforms, OCR has revised subject criteria for GCSEs, for first teaching in September 2009 (with the exception of Maths, English and ICT, which are being revised for first teaching in 2010). The changes reflect OCR's commitment to provide relevant and engaging content and encourage development of personal learning and thinking skills in students.
To support the changes, OCR is running four free events in June and July as part of OCR's programme of high-quality, dedicated support offered to teachers going through the current changes to GCSE specifications.
OCR's Expo events will provide teachers with:
* Access to information about the changes within each subject area
* The opportunity to meet subject specialists
* The opportunity to speak with publishers and other support partners
* Receive the new specifications on CD
* Receive information on further free training events for each subject and region
* The opportunity to discuss the changes to GCSEs and the support that OCR offers
* The opportunity to hear updates on all qualifications relevant to their teaching
The EXPO events will be held in:
* Newcastle on Tuesday 24 June 2008
* Manchester on Friday 27 June 2008
* Coventry on Tuesday 01 July 2008
* London on Friday 04 July 2008
Parool Patel, Head of GCSE Project at OCR said: "It's essential that teachers have the support they require to implement the new syllabus with as little disruption as possible. The four GCSE Expo events give teachers across the UK the opportunity to get important updates about the changes to GCSEs and meet subject specialists and support partners in their field."
OCR recently launched its range of 43 draft specifications, giving teachers greater choice in the GCSE assessment process. Available to download at http://www.gcsechanges.com/, the revised specifications are designed to make the assessment process more manageable for teachers and subjects more interesting and engaging for pupils, while offering flexible assessment methods that allow teachers to choose the best learning approach for pupils.
OCR estimates that more than 5,100 schools and education centres will start teaching the redeveloped GCSEs from September 2009, with approximately 625,000 pupils benefiting from a more bespoke approach to assessment. The new subject specifications also see the introduction of controlled assessment to replace coursework for those subjects continuing with this assessment method. OCR has worked with teachers, students, subject associations and employers to redevelop existing GCSEs and introduce a selection of new qualifications that meet the requirements outlined by both teachers and their students.
OCR has launched www.GCSEchanges.com as an information portal and a regularly updated guide for teachers and those making specification decisions for their school or college. User-friendly and packed with knowledge, the site offers practical support for those needing immediate access to the facts.
In addition to the Expo events, OCR will support those involved by:
- Showing draft specifications one year ahead of first teaching to allow plenty of preparation time for teachers to decide on teaching OCR courses
- Offering a series of FREE nationwide ‘Get Ready' training events from June 2008
- Offering a range of OCR support materials, including schemes of work and sample assessment materials
- Making OCR's publisher partner resources - tailored to the new specifications - available in 2009
- Providing e-communities - online networks of subject specialists to share knowledge, views and ideas.
