deni.gov.uk General Certificate of Secondary Education GCSE Grading consultation 2015 Northern Ireland : Department of Education

Organization : Department of Education
Type of Facility : General Certificate of Secondary Education GCSE Grading consultation 2015
Country: Northern Ireland

Website : http://www.deni.gov.uk/general-certificate-of-secondary-education-grading-2
Online Response Form : https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/

General Certificate of Secondary Education :

General Certificate of Secondary Education GCSE Grading consultation 2015:
The Department of Education is inviting comments in relation to General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Grading.

Related : Department of Agriculture & Rural Development Register For DARD Online Services Northern Ireland : www.statusin.org/9267.html

This consultation is intended to seek views on a potential change of grading from the current alphabetic grades A* to G, to numeric grades 9 to 1 for GCSE specifications produced by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).

A new grading structure is being put in place for GCSEs in England. This will be a numerical system running from 9 at the top end to 1 at the lower, and will be introduced with the first batch of reformed GCSEs (English language, literature and mathematics) in England from first teaching September 2015. More subjects will follow from September 2016. The first new qualifications will be awarded in summer 2017.

The Welsh Government has made a decision to retain the A* to G grading.

An open qualifications market operates here. This means that GCSEs developed for use in England and Wales are available for use in our schools. It is important, therefore, that full consideration is given to any impact that the GCSE grading changes in England might have on schools and/or pupils here. This consultation will inform the consideration process.

Consultation documents:
The consultation documents can be accessed via the link above:
** Consultation document
** Consultation response form

How to make a complaint against the Department :
Stage 1: Informal procedure
** Our aim is to resolve any complaint quickly and you are invited initially to bring any matter of concern to the attention of the Departmental Official with whom you have been dealing. However, if you still feel dissatisfied after this approach, you may initiate a formal complaint in writing.

Stage 2: Formal procedure – level 1
** You should write to us giving full details of the complaint. We will arrange for your complaint to be investigated and we aim to provide a full written reply within 15 working days of receiving it. If a full reply cannot be given within this timescale, you will be advised of progress and told when you can expect a full response.

** You can contact the complaints team in writing, by email or by fax Complaints team

Stage 3: Formal Procedure – Level 2
** If you are not satisfied with our reply you can contact the Department’s Complaints Team again giving full details of your complaint and why you remain dissatisfied. The Complaints Team will arrange for the matter to be reviewed by a senior manager and for a response to be issued within the timescales as set out in Stage 2.

Our standards :
In all cases the Department will :
** acknowledge receipt of your complaint (normally within 2 working days of receiving your complaint)
** carry out a thorough investigation

** aim to provide a written reply to your complaint with a full explanation of the outcome of our investigations within 15 working days and, where this is not possible, let you know when a reply can be expected

** apologise if we have made a mistake or if a problem has been caused by us
** let you know what we have done or will do to put things right

Making a complaint about top management in the department :
** If you are a member of the public or an external stakeholder and your complaint is about a staff member in top management of the department, there is a different procedure for making a complaint.

** Top Management in the NI Civil Service and its agencies means the Head of the Civil Service, Permanent Secretaries and anyone in a Grade 3/Deputy Secretary position (or equivalent level).

Hard copies should be submitted to:
Assessment & Qualifications Team
Room G11
Department of Education
Rathgael House
43 Balloo Road
Rathgill
Bangor
BT19 7PR

Email: aqt AT deni.gov.uk

Please contact the Assessment & Qualifications Team if you require these documents in other formats (such as Microsoft Word, large print, Braille, on audio cassette, easy read or on computer disk) and/or other languages using the address or e-mail address above or by any of the following methods;

By telephone: 028 9127 9543
By text phone: 18001 028 9127 9543
By fax: 028 9127 9100

All responses must be received by 19 June 2015