Year 10 Information Evening WELCOME Jonathan Russell, Deputy Principal Dan Burgess, Assistant Principal Martha Gregg, Head of Turing House David Hunt, Head of Earhart House This presentation will be available on the school website.

Programme 6pm General Information: key dates, GCSE changes, reporting, homework, pastoral support 7pm Talk 1: subject focused - English, Maths, Science, IAG 7.20pm Talk 2 repeat of talk 1 7.40pm Talk 3 repeat of talk 1 7.55pm Talk 4 repeat of talk 1

Our aims Build skills, understanding and knowledge in readiness for Year 11 GCSEs/BTECs so that pupils fulfil their potential Develop pupils’ confidence, resilience and independence Develop leadership, creativity and employability skills Prepare for post-16 ensuring all pupils will progress into education, apprenticeships or jobs with training Provide an exciting range of enrichment opportunities Support well-being and respect for each other and our place in the community

The year ahead (autumn) December 1st PSHE Day: Young Enterprise development of employability skills December 4th Progress report issued December 8th Work Experience Information Evening (6pm) December 10th Meet the Mentor (3.15pm-4.45pm) December 15th 16th Young Enterprise Christmas Trade Fairs

The year ahead (spring) January 30th Young Enterprise Trade Fair, Grafton (11am) February 11th History trips: Berlin, Naples February 26th Progress reports issued March 10th Parents’ Evening (4.00pm-7.30pm)

The year ahead (summer) April 18th-22nd Year 10 exams May 10th/12th GCSE Drama devised performances May 13th Exam results reported June 6th-17th Work experience June 24th Full reports issued

New GCSE Grades 9-1 and Changes to Reporting Mr Daniel Burgess, Assistant Principal, dburgess@sawstonvc.org

How are GCSE’s changing? The government are bringing in new GCSE’s and a new GCSE grading system. They will be graded 9-1, where 9 represents the highest grade and 1 the lowest. There is not a one-to-one correspondence between 9-1 and A*-G, as there are only 8 different grades under the current grading system. The government have given advice on key grades that should be comparable. The new GCSE’s are being rolled in over 2 to 3 years. Your child will only sit the new style GCSE in English and Maths and will therefore be graded 9-1 for those subjects but A*-G for all other GCSE’s.

New GCSE grades 9-1 Grades 9-1 and the new GCSE will be phased in with first teaching beginning for Maths and English in September 2015 and most other subjects in September 2016.

New GCSE grades 9-1 Broadly the same proportion of pupils will achieve a grade 4 and above as currently achieve a grade C and above. Broadly the same proportion of pupils will achieve a grade 7 and above as achieve an A and above. The bottom of grade 1 will be aligned with the bottom of grade G. The top 20% of pupils currently achieving an A and above will achieve a grade 9. This means that 9 is roughly the same as the top 40% of those pupils who used to achieve an A*. The government are planning to make the new benchmark grade a 5. It is unclear how Post-16 centres will respond to this at this point.

Changes to the Maths GCSE There will be an increased rigour and greater emphasis on problem solving for the Maths GCSE. There is some additional content included in the Maths GCSE. Please be aware that previous revision guides will not, therefore, include the whole syllabus. There were still be two tiers of entry for Maths going from grades 9-4 and 5-1.

Changes to the English Language GCSE The new English Language GCSE will encourage students to read a greater range of challenging literature and non-fiction texts (from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries). The new English Language GCSE will have a greater focus on making sure that students are able to write clearly and accurately, with an emphasis on spelling, punctuation and grammar including the use of vocabulary. Tiers will be removed from GCSE English Language. This means that specifications and question papers will have to cover the full range of abilities. All English GCSEs will have terminal assessment with no controlled assessment.

Minimum Grade This is the grade that your child is aiming to meet or exceed by the end of Key Stage 4. The Minimum Grade gives an indication of how your child should progress compared with similar pupils in high performing schools like Sawston Village College.

Estimated Grade This is the level that the teacher believes your child will achieve by the end of Key Stage 4 based on their current performance and assessments.

How will the report look?

How will the report look?

Attendance & Punctuality 17 days missed = 1 grade less Expected attendance is > 95% Intervention measures Ms Linzell, Student Support Officer Reporting absence: 712623 or attendance@sawstonvc.org

The house system/pastoral support Mentor Time Mentors Heads of House How to get in touch Leadership opportunities

And now… 7.00-7.15 Talk 1 7.20-7.35 Talk 2 7.40-7.55 Talk 3 8.00-8.15 Talk 4 Each talk lasts 15 minutes and is repeated four times. We have allowed for movement time between rooms. If the room is very busy, we politely ask that you choose a different talk. Miss Weller, Special Needs Co-ordinator, will be available in the Octagon should you have any questions about SEN, extra time in exams, etc. Mr Hunt and Mrs Gregg will be available in the Henry Morris Hall should you wish to discuss any specific issues or any aspect of pastoral support. Feel free to take a tea or coffee with you to any talk. Drinks available outside. Walnut Maths G1 Science G4 Young Enterprise, work experience and post-16 intro G5 English