Year 12 Parents’ Information Evening R.Elmes Assistant Principal/Head of 6th Form 15th September 2016

The A-level mindset “There is a growing body of research that suggests that successful students approach their studies with a specific set of behaviours, skills and attitudes and that despite not differing cognitively from their peers they can significantly outperform them. In short, academic success can be as much about character as it is about intelligence”

11 Things A level students wish they’d known

11 Things A level students wish they’d known Use past papers, specimen papers, answer schemes and examiners’ reports Make lots of notes (and re-read them in between lessons). Start revising early Be prepared to work at home. Look ahead at what is to come and teach yourself. Get organised (lever-arch files, dividers, poly pockets) Treat it like a job (phone to advise of an absence) but try to get in. 6. Respect your deadlines – do your hwk. as soon as you get it 7. Make sure you understand each topic – aim to teach it to someone else or seek help 8. Don’t panic! Everyone finds it hard at first. 9. Don’t forget to have some fun. Take time off and make new friends 10. Don’t waste your free periods 11. Get some sleep

BALANCE BETWEEN ACADEMIC WORK, LEISURE AND PART-TIME WORK Very important to get this right You will enjoy leisure more if you have faced up to your academic commitments Too much part-time work affects academic performance: More than 9-10 hours a week is probably too much

Advantages Money!! Meet new friends New experiences New responsibilities (Importance of reliability/punctuality) Learn new skills (teamwork) Broader outlook on life outside school Insight into business or industry (valuable work experience)

Disadvantages Time taken from school work making it difficult to meet deadlines. Lose focus on what is your REAL work Get overtired and lose concentration in school Not enough leisure time

THERE IS DEFINITELY A COST Research at the University of Durham has compared A level students who do part-time work with those that do not. 0-9 hours part-time work a week, students on average half a grade down More than 9 hours, one grade down When matters: 2 hours after school is sensible. Long stretches in the evening or before school affect academic performance

STRIKE A BALANCE Organise your life in a balanced way with time for academic work, time to relax and a sensible amount of part-time work to boost your income Draw back from part-time work, work fewer hours, at academic pressure points especially around the Summer exams Above all, be clear what your own priorities are in order to achieve your personal goals. You cannot do it all

Distractions that will affect your grades Boyfriends/Girlfriends Social life (and discussing it on Facebook/Twitter!) The 6th Form social area Part-time work Computer games in and out of school Alcohol The ease with which I passed my GCSEs

My aims Consolidate this 6th form as an outstanding centre of academic excellence Pursue excellence in every aspect of a CCS 6th former (conduct, dress, attitude to learning, attendance, punctuality, aspirations and student outcomes) Pursue excellence in the quality of teaching Pursue excellence in personal development and well-being Pursue excellence in data tracking, monitoring and intervention Celebrate your efforts every week in assembly

Year 12 Monitoring, reports and Parents’ evenings 2016-17 Ongoing with the SIMS points system Reporting schedule - you will receive 3 data reports, commencing 20th October and then 16th December and 3rd March 2017 plus a full report on 17th March. Mock exams – 23rd January 2017 Parents’ evening – Thursday 2nd March Any other time that is convenient/necessary

ALPS targets ALPS target setting methodology uses students’ prior attainment in nationally assessed exams to calculate aspirational targets at the appropriate level. The target grades given are based on the achievements of students with similar prior achievement profiles. This allows us to generate targets which are challenging while still being achievable. Students receive a target which is based on the performance of all other students nationally.

ALPS indicatives ALPS target setting methodology uses students’ prior attainment in nationally assessed exams to calculate aspirational targets at the appropriate level. The target grades given are based on the achievements of students with similar prior achievement profiles. This allows us to generate targets which are challenging while still being achievable. Students receive a target which is based on the performance of all other students nationally.

6th Form dress code Dress for male students:   Formal jacket or blazer to be worn at all times Long or short shirt sleeved shirt Tie V necked jumper (optional) Tailored trousers Black, brown or navy shoes or boots Dress for female students: Long or short shirt sleeved shirt / top Jumper (optional) Tailored skirts or dresses close to the knee NOT ACCEPTABLE:   Maxi or mini skirts Leggings, cropped trousers or shorts of any description Strappy tops or cropped tops Denim of any sort Trainers or flimsy footwear Ugg-type, slouchy boots Visible facial/body piercings or tattoos Hats inside the building

Microsoft Office 2016 The students can have a copy of Microsoft Office 2016 (Word Excel, PowerPoint etc) for free while they study here (Saves £350 on the full version). To download they just need to click the big advert on the front page of COLIN and then click the "Install" button. If asked for any usernames and passwords, these will be their school usernames and passwords which they all should know.

My reminder to students as to why you do what you do as parents………..