Wey Education Share Discussion Threads

[netcurtains] 21/3/2020 09:45

8:45am BBC Radio 4 news item:
Announcer said: Some schools are pressing on with iGCSE and i-A Level exams this year.

Not sure how they can sit the exams but I guess if they were skyped and recorded then examiners could look to see if any obvious cheating (not that cheating helps much as the time wasted reading cheat sheets is time you cant use to answer the questions) . I guess in times of national emergency on-line exams do make some sort of sense.

I guess it would be relatively easy to make percentage of the questions really fast rapid fire so no time to cheat (for A* Grades).

You might wonder why this is relevant to WEY. It is because InterHigh teach iGCSEs (and I guess i-A levels) both here and for its students in other countries.

[garth] 20/3/2020 15:47

Net,

news just now is that the exam situation will be pretty much as I suggested earlier - grades awarded based on teacher predicted grades from mocks and other work with students given an opportunity to sit exams if they feel those grades are too low. Those will be when schools re-open and again the following summer.

I have no idea what examination work students do directly with A21 and IH on which teachers will base/evidence grades for awarding authorities. Might be useful to find out.

G.

[qs99] 20/3/2020 15:10

blimey, that is what they are saying, that's nuts.

[netcurtains] 20/3/2020 14:43

bdh1: It is worth noting that it is also world wide (WEY do have many overseas students too)

[bdh1] 20/3/2020 14:16

Worse case would be until a vaccine is available. That might be 9 months. Agree though economy couldn’t cope with that and less probable. Gavin Williamson said 5m will have exams cancelled. That’s a huge number to impact and if only a fraction are unhappy with their grades / uni options afterward if only a percent or so took up with InterHigh it would be material. They’re on a growth trajectory anyway and all people are doing is talking about online schooling

[netcurtains] 20/3/2020 13:58

News Headlines (this lunchtime) - SOCIAL DISTANCING

[thefartingcommie] 20/3/2020 13:58

re...Not sue what this means for schools ...

right time for Wey...
....a lot of social 'habits'...how many things used to be done will,I think,be changed permanently....on line learning will become the accepted alternative.

[qs99] 20/3/2020 13:54

All year? surely that is just speculation 9 months would destroy the economy, would never work.....

[netcurtains] 20/3/2020 13:52

BBC radio 4 (this lunch time) said Social Distancing measures will most likely be here ALL YEAR.
Not sue what this means for schools - its all up in the air.

[qs99] 20/3/2020 13:44

Agreed, few decent updates and no reason why 40p couldn't be breached.....online learning platform will be in demand I should think....DYOR

[ny boy] 20/3/2020 13:41

A nice bear trap the other day and now the breakout! Looking good for 40p later in the year

[netcurtains] 20/3/2020 11:53

Its only just reached the price of the float to raise the £5M - so one assumes, theoretically there is more to come - and that was before the virus. But not at all sure. Its all guess work at present.

[cookie dough] 20/3/2020 11:49

A solid couple of days. About time this went on a decent run. Hopefully strong news soon.

[qs99] 20/3/2020 11:38

moving ahead nicely

[qs99] 20/3/2020 11:14

well looks like a few are stocking up ahead of possibly further positive updates especially with the likely home learning requirements!

[bdh1] 20/3/2020 10:43

Agree. At the moment it’s no further ahead of where it was post “ahead of market expectations” trading update pre coronavirus. With all the tailwinds towards online schooling should have considerable further headroom.

[adorling] 20/3/2020 09:53

Looks like we are hitting breakout territory so next target 26p +38% - WEY is such a strong share to hold in your PF IMO.

[garth] 20/3/2020 08:36

For students in post-16 I think that is fairly clear - use predicted grades from the UCAS system. One of my kids had some uni interviews lined up - those are now being done as a video conference.

I think for students in year 11 it is less clear. Examination boards have previous;y said that target grade methodology would not be used. Some had offered their November window. I suspect that over the next few days we will hear that boards have to retract earlier stance. In fairness to students though, November series should be offered to young people who feel that can achieve in excess of their stated target grade. That is assuming that we have a vaccine by then and are not entering a second wave of Covid.

G.

[netcurtains] 20/3/2020 08:27

garth: correct. But I think Cambridge Exam centre (for their OWN courses) remains open so far - so its bit unclear. I guess its academic as there will be LOADS of vancancies in univerisities as hardly ANY international students in September -the universities will probably let most kids in so they can get the MONEY otherwise they might go bust.

[garth] 20/3/2020 08:23

Net,

You may want to look at the IB and see what they are doing. Exams are cancelled in certain regions, going ahead in others.

My understanding of the InterHigh and Academy21 model is that they do not currently offer an examination centre, so student have to sit exams in a traditional school. The UK government has said the UK examinations are cancelled. The schools used as examination centres are closed. You would need to have someone willing to open a new examination centre and go against government advice.

G.

[netcurtains] 20/3/2020 08:14

I would be interested to know, if iGCSE exams are cancelled and Cambridge/oxford international A levels how are InterHigh going to grade their pupils?

Gosh there are so many ifs and buts and problems and market just exploding too. What is everyone going to do? I'll just have to be glued to their twitter feed for a few days. If anyone knows these answer please post. Thanks

Gut feeling they might do (or have done) mock exams on-line

Their public twitter feed:

[netcurtains] 19/3/2020 18:46

I think, not 100% sure, but igcse and international A levels etc etc are still taking place which I guess might be good news for WEY. (WEY do igcse) . Early days:

[boadicea] 19/3/2020 14:08

Perhaps we should remember that ramp-ups, especially accelerated ones, cost money and the returns can lag some way behind. Sometimes the apparent need evaporates before there are any significant returns at all.

Fortunately, WEY is adequately calitalised for now and current sentiment in its field is clearly favourable. On-line education already had great future potential before the current crisis based, inter alia, on its low-carbon footprint. So we are seeing the reinforcement of an existing trend and although the urgency may decline in due course, the trend will doubtless continue.

The attractiveness of the space will generate more competition and the company needs to avoid mistakes. A sound but not explosive track record of turnover (from ~£1.5 to ~£6M over the 4 years 2016-2019) is a reasonable start and the recent appointment of Dr Sara de Freitas with her links to Sunderland University, which is notably active in the on-line field, could be viewed as a significant event.

[napoleon 14th] 19/3/2020 13:30

Why fret & worry?
This well managed business is in a sweet spot.
SP says it all - a panic moment took it down & it came straight back up.
Results, whenever they are ready/due will confirm.
I suspect that, like most good results, they'll be out asap & as appropriate.

I wish the rest of my PF was like that!

GLA