Exams Officer Of The Year

[00:00:23] Now no one has ever called me a witch before.

[00:00:27] I've met Gemly, not just a couple of years ago.

[00:00:38] You're a department head.

[00:00:39] There is no other department in my school that says big as the way up.

[00:00:43] Even if you forget the huge budget that we spend on exams,

[00:00:47] but if you look at all the people that I employ in, and the recruitment of you

[00:00:51] will be virtually six up so much time.

[00:01:04] OK, Sophie, start up season two, but we're not marking about.

[00:01:08] We're no long introductions.

[00:01:09] We're just going to crack straight on with the important stuff, aren't we?

[00:01:12] You're a competition time.

[00:01:14] Well, we established it's not really a competition.

[00:01:16] You can do much.

[00:01:17] If you listen to our trailer episode last week, then you'll know that we're doing our first ever give away.

[00:01:23] And so we are going to have two prizes.

[00:01:27] The first prize is available only for people who work in schools,

[00:01:32] and that prize is going to be a year-long subscription to exam screen.

[00:01:38] So if you're a school that doesn't already use exam screen, then you can get a subscription for free.

[00:01:43] If you are already using it, then that will mean that your renewal for the next year will be given away for free.

[00:01:50] And also we don't just want to give a prize, a prize to you for your school.

[00:01:54] We want to give you something so there will be a box of goodies, locally sourced produce from around Brian and Sussex

[00:02:01] that will be sending to you as well.

[00:02:03] The second prize is available to anyone, so you don't have to work in a school to win this prize.

[00:02:08] And that is going to be also a box of local delicious yummy goodies, which we're going to be sending to you.

[00:02:23] We're very pleased that one of the exciting treats in the prize boxes is going to be a bottle of lovely wine from a absolutely gorgeous vineyard near to us in Sussex

[00:02:36] called Beacon Down.

[00:02:39] Yeah, and we're really excited to share that with winners.

[00:02:41] Yeah, it's a wonderful place.

[00:02:43] If you're ever in Sussex, then please pay them a visit.

[00:02:46] The website is working on check out a beautiful website.

[00:02:49] It is BeaconDown.co.uk.

[00:02:52] So family run vineyards wine is amazing.

[00:02:56] Obviously if you're working schools, where he examines your London standard value of wine.

[00:03:01] So yeah, so we're really excited to be able to offer in our prizes some of their amazing produce.

[00:03:17] Okay, we're now going to explain how you can enter this very exciting giveaway.

[00:03:21] I know myself well enough to know that I will do an absolutely botched job of explaining this.

[00:03:27] So I'm going to hand it over to Sophie, who will give you the details.

[00:03:31] Literally just by reaching it off a piece of paper.

[00:03:33] Okay, so to enter go to where you get your podcast and make sure you hit the follow button on the exam man podcast.

[00:03:41] Make sure it is ours.

[00:03:43] Then take a screenshot and email it to us either at Sophieatthigsamman.com or Johnatthigsamman.com.

[00:03:50] If you're already following us, well done.

[00:03:53] Take a screenshot that shows this and email it to us.

[00:03:57] When you email us, you must make sure that you include your full name.

[00:04:00] And if you work in a school, let us know the name of the school so that we can enter you into both price rules.

[00:04:06] Can I just say so that I am going to be keeping a telly of how many people email Johnatthigsamman.com and how many people email Sophieatthigsamman.com.

[00:04:17] So yeah exactly so that I can set a one for all the the pages on in here about who is the most popular presenter on this podcast.

[00:04:29] So as Sophie said, get your entries over to us by email.

[00:04:33] We're going to set a deadline of 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

[00:04:37] So that's Wednesday for September. So you've got a couple of days basically to get your entries into us.

[00:04:42] And we will then put your entries through a like a random generator to pick out a winner for the first prize and a winner for the second prize as well.

[00:04:53] And we're going to announce those winners on our next podcast, which will be on Monday the 9th of September.

[00:05:00] So please listen out there as well to see if you have struck it lucky.

[00:05:12] And very pleased to report that we've got a really exciting interview for this episode too.

[00:05:18] And the first lead is from Ciorgio and how's Tim started?

[00:05:22] Yeah I mean it has started now yeah yeah for like it always is just like in full swing before you know it.

[00:05:30] So so yeah so obviously we had results days a few weeks ago.

[00:05:37] So I'm sort of dealing with a lot of the kind of aftermath of that.

[00:05:41] So we have things like reviews of marking and lots of different inquiries.

[00:05:46] You're pretty dramatic results.

[00:05:48] Yeah well dramatic might be over saying it but we had some on our GCSE results.

[00:05:55] We had some problems with internet connectivity which can cause.

[00:05:59] Which wasn't your fault?

[00:06:00] It wasn't my fault. No the council were digging up the road outside the school to try and fix the problem while we're all in a mad panic.

[00:06:06] But it did get resolved. We were able to get the results downloaded and.

[00:06:12] And issued to the students it was just a little more for them maybe.

[00:06:17] I would have preferred it to be.

[00:06:20] How did the results take over so I was that good?

[00:06:22] Yeah so so I always quite like results days.

[00:06:26] I think they're a really positive thing someone actually said to me this year is like I wouldn't it just be easy if you could just email all the students there results.

[00:06:34] And of course you can we could actually do that. We have the facility but there's something about results days that I think the in person results days that I think are really really valuable.

[00:06:43] Obviously you've got quite a lot of students who have done well and that doesn't just mean getting the top grades that come in just to really proud of their results and they want to celebrate with the people that have helped us and thank them and things like that.

[00:06:59] So that's lovely to see that is really really really nice.

[00:07:03] But also you know for students who maybe haven't got what they wanted or need help and guidance about what to do next it means that they can come in and experience people there.

[00:07:12] People they know really well people they know well people who know what they're talking about who are able to give them help and guidance and and I have seen it and plenty of occasions where a student has you know seemed like the desperate

[00:07:27] They don't know what to do and by the time they leave they've got a really clear picture about what they're going to see next well the next steps are so I just think results days are like whatever happens in terms of you know digitization blah blah blah.

[00:07:42] In person results days are a fantastic thing that should remain because they are they are so beneficial for everybody in the school community.

[00:07:51] I can see that.

[00:07:53] So we really wanted to get an exams officer on today didn't we?

[00:07:58] We did we did so obviously this on this podcast we try and do a range of different things then we talk to different people but our bread and butter is always speaking to exam officers and getting the

[00:08:10] Colva's view about working in this area so we are really really excited this week to speak to no ordinary exams officer.

[00:08:19] So we spoke to Kirstie Wilson who is the exam manager at Churwell School in Oxford and she has the extremely coveted title of exams officer of the year.

[00:08:35] She won this award at the end of the summer term so we spoke to her a little bit about how she won that award what it means and how she's going to use it over the course of the year to benefit other exams officers and really promote the profession and the work that we do.

[00:09:01] We actually finished Wednesday lunch time but I am today is my last day so because I'm going to take it just a bit of toil for the last day in a half.

[00:09:11] And my family live in Spain so I'm going to go out and see them so it's always nice to get that extra day of where it's just slightly cheaper.

[00:09:20] So we've got to be back in time for exam results which is always eaten to you some holiday quite a lot.

[00:09:28] Are you going to stay out in Spain for the whole time until we've got no.

[00:09:34] No I've got two weeks and then that gives me time when I get back to make sure everything is ready and process ready for results days and things.

[00:09:43] Yeah there's a lot to do with it that's they give people thinking you're kind of done because it's absolutely.

[00:09:50] I don't think you are done and obviously you always always take we work laptop with me anyway because you always go like.

[00:09:57] Now practice things come through and there's always something that comes through whilst you're away I don't think there's ever.

[00:10:04] I think there's ever time off as a Christmas so that you're awake.

[00:10:07] I think there's always Christmas is quite a good everything that's really does stop for Christmas.

[00:10:14] Christmas day.

[00:10:16] Yeah so you get quite frustrated with me don't you because I'm always saying like oh it's nearly over.

[00:10:22] Just just just just just never quite.

[00:10:25] Never seems to quite.

[00:10:26] No never seems to.

[00:10:28] I've finished off Friday because we were just like everything seems to be going right up until the end there wasn't any.

[00:10:36] There's never any sort of feeling of like oh we'll just wind down now do you know.

[00:10:39] No well we finished doing mocks on Thursday so yeah.

[00:10:43] Why don't you wind that?

[00:10:45] Yeah we do it we do two weeks of 12 soon two weeks has turned straight after the main exams so yeah we finish.

[00:10:51] I see the longer the first time.

[00:10:53] Yeah yeah yeah yeah.

[00:10:55] We're quite big school.

[00:10:57] Yeah it's just looking at the school one and just having a little Google.

[00:11:02] Yeah yeah you are quite big and you got six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six or six.

[00:11:05] It's massive so we've got 350 people in our year 13.

[00:11:10] Yeah and then at the same in year 12 and then about 300 in each year group of other months so it's really big isn't that?

[00:11:17] And do you have a team around you or is it just you?

[00:11:20] It's me I have an exams assistant.

[00:11:24] Okay Hillary she's fantastic and yeah we were saying it like we we we're like an old married couple really.

[00:11:30] It's quite sad so um where is she sometimes gets really bogged down in detail.

[00:11:36] I'll try and look at the big picture and sometimes I'll look it's so it works it works really well so I've got her but I also have amazing

[00:11:42] and great and great.

[00:11:43] And I've got about 40 individuals and my lead and

[00:11:46] regulators are brilliant and they've been with me for five or so years and so they have and they are brilliant at training the other

[00:11:54] and regulators that come along so I have a really good core.

[00:11:58] I think you've laid that aside a team though don't you?

[00:12:01] Yeah we feel.

[00:12:02] Yeah you said it five years and because to go to the amazing one I'll ask you but how you came into the role and how do you

[00:12:08] do you have a really good school?

[00:12:09] Yeah it's been really interesting.

[00:12:11] Yeah it was so I started in vigilating and my children were really little so I just did the

[00:12:17] operative and vigilating like that fitted in around what they did and then the nice sort of

[00:12:24] concentrated on this one school because I was doing two different schools and then the exams

[00:12:28] assistant left and I ended up taking on that role from being lead and vigilator.

[00:12:33] I did that for two years and then the exams officer left and I was adamant that I was

[00:12:38] not going to take on this job.

[00:12:40] There was no way.

[00:12:42] So I was doing a course in personal training at the time as well so I'm like no no I'm going to drop my

[00:12:46] hours I want to go back to invidulating because I just want to take up my job as a personal trainer

[00:12:50] and I want to do this and I was very very adamant that I was not going to be an exams officer

[00:12:55] and then we went through so many interviews like rounds cycles of interviews and

[00:13:04] trying to get someone to take the role on and it just wasn't working and eventually

[00:13:08] they said look we'll just take on someone that can do admin and you can train them up

[00:13:12] to be your exams officer.

[00:13:14] I just seems ridiculous I'm not doing that.

[00:13:18] So yeah so then I just took it on that thought I'll see how it goes and then here I am five years later

[00:13:24] that's interesting because quite a lot of the people who spoke and so I think have like

[00:13:28] they've sort of fallen into the role without really knowing what it entailed

[00:13:32] which was a bit like that was kind of my reason for you actually.

[00:13:36] I really knew what I was doing.

[00:13:38] I was just no way I'm doing that stress.

[00:13:40] I was a way too stressful.

[00:13:43] I think you're one of the few people that we spoke to actually.

[00:13:47] Yeah, yeah.

[00:13:48] Yeah, that's what I was doing.

[00:13:50] It's nice so it means I do understand where the invigilators come from.

[00:13:53] I do get what they do and which is why I tried it and I think Hillary said that was

[00:13:58] one thing that when she filled out the formers to how exams

[00:14:01] officer over the year that she put in that I do really try and fight for the rights of my

[00:14:05] invigilators.

[00:14:06] Whenever trying to when the school sends out this survey of that survey as like can I get my

[00:14:11] invigilators involved in that as well?

[00:14:13] And I get my invigilators involved in lots of other things around the school they help because we're

[00:14:17] so big they help out with the administration and sick form.

[00:14:22] They help out with various things in the office and sick form just trying to get them a bit more

[00:14:26] involved because with 40 you obviously get really quiet times of the year where they want

[00:14:31] to be involved and so they could that way they can do bits and bobs as well and it keeps them happy

[00:14:36] and I realized that our school was playing them less than other schools in the area.

[00:14:42] So I sort of dealt with a academy and tried to get that raised up.

[00:14:47] So I think it's really important to try and see where they're coming from as well and try to

[00:14:52] to simplify with them because one of some of them can be frustrating.

[00:14:57] Yeah, but we have to understand where they're coming from.

[00:14:59] I mean obviously you get with a big team like that as well you can have such a diverse

[00:15:03] group of people aren't you? So you've got a lot of different characters and personalities and

[00:15:09] and back to the reasons for originally you know as well as what else they're doing.

[00:15:13] I think that's such a good point. I mean we did, I think when we talked about COVID I said this

[00:15:18] that we did quite a lot during COVID of getting our invitulators more involved

[00:15:23] in the school and starting to feel like part of the stuff and actually one of the things

[00:15:26] I think made a massive difference for us was we gave them all a school email address

[00:15:31] so that they would get if they wanted to look at them they would get like the whole

[00:15:35] staff emails and the bulletin at the start of the week and things like that.

[00:15:39] You know just things that make you feel like your part of the staff and kind of

[00:15:43] separate to everybody else.

[00:15:45] Yeah, that is something I'm looking into. I've had a bit of pushback against it from

[00:15:49] some of the imagulators because they've got one or two whatever however

[00:15:52] and the emails they have but I do think it's really worthwhile thing to do and going

[00:15:57] forward I think that's something that I would try to get them to because also we're

[00:16:01] very Google based school and it would just make life a lot easier because sometimes

[00:16:06] it doesn't like talking to other email providers does it so yeah I think that's a very

[00:16:11] valuable point. Can you tell us a little bit what you love about the job because obviously

[00:16:16] you've done it for five years now so it's quite a long time but also some of the challenges

[00:16:20] that you really have about being an exams officer?

[00:16:23] I think what I love about the job if you can call it Love No.

[00:16:26] I do.

[00:16:30] Someone did refer to it it's a bit of an adrenaline sport because when you actually are in that

[00:16:35] phase and I think it is and I like the problem solving it.

[00:16:40] I like the fact that I have this overview over such a massive machine that

[00:16:44] that you've trolled along that people just instantly come to you and I

[00:16:50] amazed myself sometimes that you can just instantly answer all these questions and

[00:16:54] that you know the details of some of the kids and there's like oh yeah no

[00:16:57] they're in that room and they're in that room and they're in that room and they're in that

[00:17:04] you have that big information.

[00:17:07] Now no one has ever called me a witch before.

[00:17:11] I meant generally that's just a little bit of a

[00:17:16] stuff having just had that a bit I really love of it.

[00:17:21] If the examples could stop making changes right up to just before the exam

[00:17:27] start. I mean, AQA was a classic without this year the fact that their

[00:17:31] PDFs didn't work with computer readers had a massive impact on us.

[00:17:36] There were so many kids and so many different roles having rooms trying to

[00:17:40] then get their computer reader system working.

[00:17:43] That it's that kind of a last minute tweaks and the whole what was the

[00:17:49] IT problem? The crowd strike IT problem that has been going on and the fact

[00:17:54] that they didn't test their latest version of events.

[00:17:59] I just think maybe some of the examples could have a thing about that.

[00:18:04] I think some of those new systems aren't they could be a lot more

[00:18:09] thoroughly tested definitely before they were implemented.

[00:18:13] That's definitely true.

[00:18:14] I can see as well because you have to in your roles so much planet planning ahead

[00:18:21] of the game.

[00:18:22] It's been writing for anything that kind of comes in last minute because you're working

[00:18:25] with large numbers of children.

[00:18:27] Yeah, it's going to have that.

[00:18:28] Then have in last minute changes.

[00:18:30] It must be incredibly stressful because you work in so hard.

[00:18:34] If we continue to see, don't you?

[00:18:36] Something that comes along you just like, wow, I could never have seen that.

[00:18:41] No, no.

[00:18:42] I mean, I do wear my running shoes and I literally sprint around the school.

[00:18:46] I lose to everyone just finds a hilarious sight.

[00:18:48] They're going to get me a Wonder Woman like cape.

[00:18:51] I'm just like, it's not so true.

[00:18:53] I'm just literally just run around room and for the computer reader that did mean I was

[00:19:01] just running from one room to another to another just put the little code in that you needed

[00:19:05] for each of the papers and the owner.

[00:19:09] So your step count goes up quite well.

[00:19:11] That's quite yeah.

[00:19:12] Don't need to go run into much.

[00:19:13] Yeah, it's a common feature of a lot of our interviews.

[00:19:15] It's been like exercise basically.

[00:19:19] I was reflecting on that because I actually, I was saying so far found this year quite physically

[00:19:25] quite hard.

[00:19:26] I think it'll be that I haven't before and I'm just sort of thinking.

[00:19:29] Just get lost in our business.

[00:19:31] That was a nice giveaway.

[00:19:34] Physically, you know, and it's getting properly perpetraining.

[00:19:37] Yeah, let me know.

[00:19:38] You know, hopefully.

[00:19:42] So could you curse the obviously you are now officially exams officer of the year?

[00:19:47] So I was wondering if you could talk us through a bit through the process that by which

[00:19:52] you got to get an award and how that worked.

[00:19:57] Well, I don't really know.

[00:19:59] I mean, I saw the emails come out from the exam surface, asking,

[00:20:04] and I'm not one for bigging myself.

[00:20:06] I'm not one of the top things that I just delete the emails.

[00:20:10] My exams assistant, who is fantastic for to do it to my line manager,

[00:20:15] who is really involved.

[00:20:16] I have a really good support network here.

[00:20:19] So he, he then filled out and there are other exam officers that I kind of help out

[00:20:26] that are in nearby schools.

[00:20:28] And I think one of them particularly used to work here.

[00:20:31] She used to be our exams access coordinator.

[00:20:33] And she went off to be exams officer somewhere else.

[00:20:37] And I think she filled it out about me as well.

[00:20:40] So that's, that was really, that was really fun.

[00:20:45] Yeah, it was really lovely.

[00:20:47] And so they submit something then on your behalf and then,

[00:20:52] do you know what the process is from there?

[00:20:55] No, no, so they just, well, sort of, so they submit something on my behalf

[00:21:00] just about things that they recognize that I've done and how that has affected

[00:21:05] lots of other things and who I've supported, that sort of thing.

[00:21:09] That goes then to the exams office.

[00:21:12] They look at it and then they, I think they bring it down to a certain number

[00:21:17] and then that number goes out to the exam boards and then the exam boards read all the applications

[00:21:24] and then they decide.

[00:21:26] And then I have to say since I became exams officer, I've even had people from different

[00:21:31] examples like phone meet and congratulate me.

[00:21:35] And last year's winner, phone meet.

[00:21:37] So he was from Cyprus.

[00:21:40] So he phoned me and that was really lovely as well.

[00:21:44] So it had, yeah, I've had a few people just going to tell me,

[00:21:46] oh my gosh, I've seen that your exams officer and yeah, it's been really, really lovely.

[00:21:51] And when I, so I did, did everyone in your school know about it as well.

[00:21:55] Did you get a message response there?

[00:21:57] Well yes, so my line manager I've seen you about it because when they tell you your top 10

[00:22:02] and they email out the people who voted for you as well.

[00:22:05] So they are involved in that which was nice.

[00:22:08] And then when I won it they were emailed as well.

[00:22:11] And I have since, I've spoken to my line manager.

[00:22:13] The thing is I think they're planning on presenting to me in our end of term thing

[00:22:19] but I won't be there.

[00:22:21] No, of course.

[00:22:22] But I know, but the lesson my line manager is getting a frame for me to put my certificate up

[00:22:28] in a proper frame because at the moment it's just dropped in up to my wall.

[00:22:31] Oh, yeah, it's lovely.

[00:22:33] No, no, it's so nice isn't it?

[00:22:34] When it's, when it's testimony or some people, you know, inside the school.

[00:22:38] Well, I'm low to you.

[00:22:39] Yeah, definitely.

[00:22:41] Lovely.

[00:22:41] Yeah, it's nice.

[00:22:41] Now, carefully, you're obviously in a very modest person.

[00:22:45] But I was going to ask you if you kind of know what some of the things that

[00:22:50] was said about you that may have led you to gain in this award.

[00:22:55] Just so that we can get a feel for what they might be looking for.

[00:22:59] Well, I did ask my assistant to forward me what she wrote in.

[00:23:04] Yeah, yeah.

[00:23:05] Clearly she took some sort of online thing about how to do some really good creative writing.

[00:23:12] That was my only opinion.

[00:23:14] But yeah, she did write about how I support their invigilators and how I

[00:23:19] have fought to get their pay increased.

[00:23:22] What else should she put about how I support other exams officers and I try to make myself available for all that?

[00:23:29] And that's actually something that I want to use the exams officer title to do really.

[00:23:36] It's just a hot train help with jugging in the exams office.

[00:23:38] Try to build the role of the exams officers,

[00:23:41] and that's a lot of things that I can't obviously wear a massive school,

[00:23:43] but we're also part of a massive group of schools as our academy.

[00:23:48] So if we can get like a head office or it's just a point of call of one

[00:23:55] exam officer that oversees everything because obviously I have a lot of knowledge.

[00:24:00] And as to an I don't think we're special.

[00:24:02] Yes, we're a massive school, but we're not special.

[00:24:04] Every school has their own problems in their school.

[00:24:08] And as far as I know, you can see that there's a lot of things that you have to try to overcome when you're doing this job.

[00:24:14] And it would be really nice if there was someone that has an overview of the schools within your area

[00:24:20] that can help advise people and be there and be perhaps part of that contingency

[00:24:25] when an exams officer leaves or what have you there is someone who understands the problems in that school

[00:24:31] and then can help train the next person.

[00:24:34] So I think those kinds of things that other sort of things that she wrote in

[00:24:40] that I would really like to develop the role and I'm keen to help other people

[00:24:43] and that's all thing in a very quiet kind of way.

[00:24:47] I think it's really amazing because it is such a full-on role that I see with John and Montalquid

[00:24:55] to obviously all the exams officers who use exams screen

[00:24:58] and I think that the fact that you still make time to help other exams officers

[00:25:06] is, and things like fighting for invigilators pay that does take a lot of time

[00:25:13] and I think it's a great idea.

[00:25:16] I think it's as well.

[00:25:17] I've said I think before on this that I think exams officers are quite well networked

[00:25:21] so it's almost like you kind of pushing it a bit of an open door I think with that stuff

[00:25:26] as well it just needs to happen, doesn't it?

[00:25:28] Yeah I think so.

[00:25:30] People want to be in those networks they want to share experience.

[00:25:33] Yeah and Shibras practice, but you do hear about so many new exams officers who just

[00:25:39] come in and it's too much and they have to leave and I think that's a real shame

[00:25:44] isn't it because there is so much expertise and so much support there

[00:25:48] and so much understanding amongst exams officers about how hard the role can be.

[00:25:55] There is so much support out there but I don't think people necessarily know how to access

[00:25:59] that.

[00:26:01] And the exam like network groups that I see are do and there are, and it's important even

[00:26:07] the face of the groups are good and a better the exams officer.

[00:26:12] There are support networks out there but yeah as I say there are a lot of people

[00:26:16] that just don't know where to go for help and it would be good if there was something

[00:26:20] better in place.

[00:26:21] It's getting there it's a better now than I think it used to be so I think we're getting

[00:26:26] there.

[00:26:27] Yeah that's brilliant that's brilliant.

[00:26:29] Fantastic.

[00:26:30] I think that's a good thing to have you in that role.

[00:26:31] Yeah yeah yeah and so could you just tell us what you think are because obviously

[00:26:39] being in exams officer isn't fit for everyone I don't take you know it's not.

[00:26:43] I'd be terrible as I said before.

[00:26:45] So what do you think are the kind of the main skills and characteristics that will help

[00:26:55] you to be a really good exam officer?

[00:26:58] Get some really good trainers.

[00:27:00] That's a good one.

[00:27:03] I think as much as being in exams officer you really need attention to detail but you also

[00:27:08] do need to look at the bigger picture.

[00:27:11] Sometimes attention to detail isn't always what you should be concentrating on.

[00:27:14] You actually need to provide the whole thing so it's this big monster and you need to be able

[00:27:19] to control it.

[00:27:20] So having that ability to overview everything that's going on is really important.

[00:27:28] I do every day in the summer season I write a little blog.

[00:27:34] So at the end of my day when I've really had enough I try to reflect on it and try to

[00:27:39] put a positive spin on what's happened during the day and I send that out to everybody in the

[00:27:45] school.

[00:27:46] So all the teachers, all the sports staff see that but I think getting them to understand

[00:27:51] the extent of what you do is really important.

[00:27:54] So just the communication because otherwise if you're doing your job even vaguely well

[00:27:59] they won't see what's going on.

[00:28:02] They would just see this one but you're paddling away and so getting them to

[00:28:07] understand a little bit without going to and then there's quite a short blog but there is just

[00:28:11] a little bit of a summary of what happened today.

[00:28:13] What's going on tomorrow is quite if I can pick on someone discreetly then I'll do that

[00:28:18] as well but I mean try to just my point is for me it tries to make me look at the

[00:28:23] positive sides of what we've done and if I can make when people get into work

[00:28:27] the next day if I can make someone smile and just have a bit of an overview of what we do

[00:28:32] then that's I think communication communicating with people is really important.

[00:28:36] But that I think it's amazing because I think a lot of us do and I'm probably guilty of this

[00:28:40] at times are probably complain about the fact that people don't understand what we do.

[00:28:45] But then you have the ability don't you to go out there and explain it like you don't have to sit there

[00:28:51] in the park.

[00:28:51] That was part of the reason for the podcast.

[00:28:54] Yeah, yeah.

[00:28:55] What we've been doing as well is like trying to you know we obviously I think you know exams

[00:28:59] officers listen to this but I hope as well that people more broadly

[00:29:03] and schools and things will listen to it and get a bit more of a flavour of what actually

[00:29:07] goes into this role because it is very complex as it is very

[00:29:11] It is hugely complex and so many people say to me what do you think you do I mean you're a

[00:29:16] counter for a few weeks what do you do all the rest of the time and I think

[00:29:20] maybe my husband has a vague idea of what he is so do but I don't think so many people

[00:29:27] know so I think yeah that's that's a really good tool so you certainly being able to communicate

[00:29:32] and talk to people and let people know is but I agree there's a lot of frustration

[00:29:38] that people don't understand what you do so my little blog is and it gets quite stressful

[00:29:43] because so many people say I can't wait for your blog to start again

[00:29:46] oh no the pressure

[00:29:48] oh we know that

[00:29:52] yeah and that's absolutely brilliant yeah yeah

[00:29:56] and what about the sort of broader kind of like personality traits do you think there's anything

[00:30:01] that's particularly helpful in terms of how you get front situations

[00:30:08] yeah I think it's really easy to get very frustrated all the changes last minute

[00:30:14] changes with rooming and access arrangements it's really easy to get very frustrated with

[00:30:18] it all so I think if you set somewhere if there's ever a choice of whether you're going to

[00:30:24] laugh or cry just laugh because you have to find the funny side of it and I think if you

[00:30:29] have you know if you can try to make everything a bit of a positive and I think as I said

[00:30:34] about the blog China look at what happens that's positive out of it always try to look at

[00:30:39] China to get frustrated try to be a positive, positive outlook on things

[00:30:45] I think that's the only thing that can really get you through at a lot of times

[00:30:49] because you hear so much frustration and so much disappointment

[00:30:52] but I mean I am lucky as well because we have a very supportive network

[00:30:56] but how much of that is meant that it's something that I've managed to create

[00:31:00] in the room yeah that would be good to know but yeah you just got to be positive

[00:31:06] yeah I think it's like there's that perspective and I guess that gets a bit easier when you've

[00:31:10] done it for a while as well doesn't it because it's absolutely nice? I've seen this before

[00:31:14] and now it doesn't end in disaster it's just one of those things

[00:31:19] but I think also accepting in your first year it's going to take you at least a year

[00:31:22] to work out what it is you're doing and then by the time you do it the second year

[00:31:25] you went from member to half of what you did in the first year anyway

[00:31:28] so you need to do a couple of years on to you about before you even have a fake

[00:31:32] concept of whether you know what you were doing or not

[00:31:35] I wonder if some of that as well is to do with expectations so because the role is sort of

[00:31:40] undersold a lot of the time in terms of what it means someone new coming into it

[00:31:44] is not expecting to have to deal with these difficult situations and

[00:31:49] no absolutely stress is and so it comes as a shock doesn't it I think a lot

[00:31:53] the amount of responsibility and exams also has it is huge

[00:31:58] and when it's sold as just an admin role it's it's unfair really is unfair

[00:32:04] and when they said to me when they were recruiting before I said I do the job

[00:32:08] and that they're just going to give it from someone from admin

[00:32:11] that's you can't do that

[00:32:14] yeah absolutely

[00:32:15] sort of our big observations about the other reason why we wanted to talk about it

[00:32:19] but because it just yeah it definitely doesn't explain it

[00:32:24] does it just in the name itself so yeah it's great that

[00:32:28] it's so successful this idea of it like the exams officer being the wrong name for

[00:32:33] it because it it sort of suggests a role that's very kind of like you just kind of

[00:32:38] you're just following orders following a process kind of thing and it's exactly right

[00:32:42] and again flexible than that don't you in the room yeah

[00:32:46] and again Jackie's trying to change that as well but I mean I've signed off mine as exams manager

[00:32:51] you're a department head I mean there is no other department in my school that's as big as

[00:32:56] we are even if you forget the huge budget that we spend on exams but if you look at all

[00:33:02] the people that I employ in and the recruitment of invitulates takes up so much time

[00:33:06] yeah and the training and the troubleshooting that you're doing

[00:33:10] you know in many ways in schools equivalent to you know

[00:33:16] certainly a middle leader but at some times definitely

[00:33:20] it's easily doing terms of making decisions on the you know yeah exactly yeah

[00:33:26] you know when you were trying to recruit Kirstie before you took the role on

[00:33:30] what was the issue in finding somebody what was what was not working

[00:33:36] what was not happening I think when they were first recruiting because they were recruiting for an

[00:33:42] exams officer and actually there aren't there's not a huge pool of exams

[00:33:46] officers are there so it would take someone within your area because most people don't want to

[00:33:51] compete commute too far we're on that outskirts of Oxford and Oxford traffic is horrendous

[00:33:56] like it is in most places so nobody wants to for the the amount that you get paid do not

[00:34:02] going to commute and long distance and know some people do but especially the hours that you work

[00:34:07] so I think because it was being aimed at trying to recruit another exams officer it didn't work

[00:34:14] and they weren't enough people applying or you get people applying who have hardly any

[00:34:21] experience even in a school let alone doing an every role or anything so you get a weird

[00:34:26] mix of people then applying who then didn't meet the criteria so unless there's someone

[00:34:33] available at that point you're not going to meet that so I think that's yeah that's problem

[00:34:38] yeah well that's why it's so great dealboard that you got because it is just reasoned

[00:34:42] profile that is about what the role is and what it really involves and I think yeah the more

[00:34:48] the more voices I do I do you know approaching it as well as like your like it now an ambassador for

[00:34:54] the role for the year yeah yeah I'll go for it yeah yeah well obviously you know like time

[00:34:59] allowing and all that sort of stuff that we all have to to deal with but it sounds like you've got

[00:35:03] great attitude towards it's wonderful yeah thank you and again Jackie's trying to so the people who

[00:35:10] the top 10 nominations he's trying to get involved in a focus groups with JCQ and that's sort of

[00:35:17] things so it I mean yeah it would be really good to just think that within a year the hopefully

[00:35:22] something's kind of improved whilst the 10 of us are sort of top 10 still then then yeah hopefully

[00:35:29] we can pretty much see as well isn't it which is always always exactly no different perspectives

[00:35:35] in different schools and different areas exactly so me going to be a good thing yeah absolutely fantastic

[00:35:40] I'm super fabulous fabulous I think we've got three yeah it's a anything else you'd like to

[00:35:45] include at all is there anything else you'd like us oh no I was so good thank you so much

[00:35:54] I hope so it's just a chance I was worried when we got on the call but before hand that you were

[00:36:03] just gonna say well I didn't really know much about this award I didn't I don't really know what

[00:36:07] it means but it's brilliant that you know that you've been through this like process and

[00:36:14] and that it's actually a thing that you kind of the fact that I found you last year from last

[00:36:19] yes we're so close to the end even when Jackie announced it so he announced it

[00:36:26] leads so the conference and he announced it right at the beginning of of the day where there's

[00:36:33] later workshops going on during the day and I was wearing quite a bright colored top which I think

[00:36:38] then I stood out for the whole of the rest of the day and I know everyone came out to me

[00:36:42] I'm walking back to Rachel's and I take your email address so that I can ask for advice and things

[00:36:47] like that so yeah it was really lovely because I guess this is always a risk like with stuff like that

[00:36:51] you don't know how people react to it as well no thank you the fact that people are really

[00:36:57] nice really positive about it yes that's great isn't it yeah it's not each other's roles don't

[00:37:02] yeah yeah they know everyone know how much of a great job you must be doing if your school

[00:37:09] and local exams officers had you know rated you so highly yeah to send in a it's not just

[00:37:16] it does show this like there is a like a sense of community as well well we need to

[00:37:22] support us we need to do through exams great people contacted you know we do that that's why

[00:37:27] we're just because we knew that and I think anything more that brings everyone together

[00:37:33] and everyone's talking about it and raising the profile is amazing yeah it's brilliant yeah

[00:37:38] it's fabulous yeah stay in touch and as we say anything anything we can do to help while you're

[00:37:44] the role then thank you so much for listening to the exam and podcast we really really

[00:37:59] appreciate your support remember that you can access it on all the major podcast platforms

[00:38:04] give us a rating give us a follow and we will catch you next time