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Mock exams: How to cut the workload

TES | January 05, 2019

It’s fair to say that there’s probably never a good time to have to mark mock papers. That said, in lots of schools there seems to be some kind of sadist who calendars mock exams at particularly cruel times.Maybe you found yourself marking mocks at the end of last term – the misery of which is compounded by the darkening nights and the festive spirit of your non-teaching friends, who are buried in mince pies and mulled wine instead of exam scripts.Or perhaps you have been saved the treat until after Christmas? This may seem kinder, but now you’re fat, skint, taking a break from the booze AND having to mark mock papers…Whenever they’re calendared, most schools have two or more sessions of mock exams each year. This can represent a huge workload demand on teachers. The question is: how can middle leaders make mock-marking both meaningful and manageable for their teams? Here are my tips.With tightening budgets this is not an option for every middle leader. However, if you have the means then outsourcing the marking of mock papers can be a very good investment and not just because it’s a workload win.

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Independent schools and national education goals

All nations benefit both economically and socially from having a well-educated and skilled population. Independent schools in Australia, through their high quality and their diversity, make a significant contribution to the national interest in having an educated and responsible citizenry. In a geographically dispersed and culturally diverse nation such as Australia, Independent schools play an important role in promoting social cohesion and harmony, by allowing families from different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds to choose schools which enable them to maintain their communities, within a frame of common social values.

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Spotlight

Independent schools and national education goals

All nations benefit both economically and socially from having a well-educated and skilled population. Independent schools in Australia, through their high quality and their diversity, make a significant contribution to the national interest in having an educated and responsible citizenry. In a geographically dispersed and culturally diverse nation such as Australia, Independent schools play an important role in promoting social cohesion and harmony, by allowing families from different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds to choose schools which enable them to maintain their communities, within a frame of common social values.

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