Preparing for success, Summer 2017.

Progress 8 … a changing context!

5 A* to C (including English and Maths) This traditional measure/benchmark is no more. This change will impact on your child’s future.

Progress 8 Schools and students will be judged on their performance across 8 GCSES or approved equivalencies from Colleges and universities will in time expect more from school leavers in order to access higher level courses.

Raised Expectations Strengthened examinations. Linear Examinations. More emphasis on accuracy of SPG. Limited coursework/controlled assessment elements to all subjects. More emphasis on ‘traditional’, ‘academic’ subjects like Science, Humanities, Languages

Raised Expectations from 2017 English and Maths will be graded on a 1 to 9 scale from 2017 Most other subjects will follow in Alphabetical grades will finally be removed by The new GCSES and vocational courses will be more challenging than existing qualifications. In turn, A Levels and Further Education Courses will also increase in difficulty. In turn, entry requirements will increase.

Your support and guidance is crucial!

Minimum Study Requirements for KS4 2 hours per evening. 4 hours at weekend. The Easter Holidays will be crucial.

Support for your child Dedicated teaching staff. After school revision sessions, including weekends and holidays. Breakfast club. Homework clubs. ‘How to study effectively’ lessons and programmes. 17 th March – second support session for parents.

Working together…. Helping your child with revision Presentation for parents MARCH 31st 2016 Ideas and techniques to help you support your child to achieve their potential

Is year 10 too early to start revising? Clear the decks for revision as early in your course as you can. Make things easier for yourself and avoid too much stress, panic and lower grades by beginning to prepare for GCSE and BTEC exams in Y10.

What is revision? It means actively looking over work on an on-going basis: 1.To remind you of things you have forgotten 2.To make links with other learning so that you have the bigger picture 3.To reinforce learning 4.To identify what you don’t know 5.To check understanding

Resources to revise Help provide the right resources for your child to revise actively: – Pens, pencils, paper, a ruler, glue, scissors – Post-it notes – Felt tips – Highlighters – Dictionary – Revision guides and podcasts – Food and drink!

What? How? Does your child know what they need to do? What will be actually tested in the exam? (Revision list) What day is the exam? (Exam timetable) When does the exam start and how long is it? Do they have the materials to do it? Exercise books, textbooks, folders… Revision guides Access to internet (websites) If there are any gaps, encourage them to ask their subject teacher….

Get them in the zone!

Help them work out how much time they have – be realistic Don’t forget to factor in a bit of play time! Get them to take into account their ideal time/ day of work – work out when they will revise Break it down into manageable “chunks” e.g. ‘revising characters in ‘Of Mice and Men’’ sounds more manageable than ‘revising for GCSEs’ Where to start? When to do it?

Blood from the stone! Ask the right questions: When is your exam…? What are you likely to be tested on…? What do you need to take on the day…? What strategies are helping you most..? You’ve been studying…What can you teach me…? What support do you need…?

So, you're a visual learner then?! You learn best when you see pictures, diagrams and writing. You use information from textbooks to good effect. You work well by yourself. Strategies: Use colour to highlight your notes and connect topics together. Make notes of notes to help you revise and learn facts. Make flash cards of ideas that need to be remembered. When learning a list of items, colour each item a different colour and learn the colour to help you remember the list order.

So, you're an auditory learner then?! You learn best when you hear information. You are good with group discussions. You find using tapes a good way of learning information. You often memorise words and facts by speaking them out loud. Strategies: Work with someone else to run through what you have learnt in a lesson. Say things out loud when learning, but only when you aren't going to disturb others! Make your own recordings of your notes and play them back to yourself. When learning in pairs, test each other out loud.

So, you're a kinaesthetic learner then?! You learn best when you are 'doing'. You like to be active when learning. You like practical demonstrations. Strategies: Make short notes and put down key ideas. Move around when learning. Make a model or a poster of the thing you are learning about. Use flash cards and put them into order to represent a process. Type ideas and notes on a computer. When learning new words, see if you can turn the word into an action and physically act it out to help you remember it.

Freddie’s Family Values Be our BEST: Belonging Engaging Succeeding Together