Year 7 Information Evening October 9 th 2013

The school is very commendably avoiding any hint of complacency to ensure it continues to be at the forefront of best practice – Ofsted November 2011

Students were observed to be making outstanding progress – Ofsted November 2011

Topics to be covered… > Key Stage 3 curriculum > Home Learning / School Organiser > Extra-curricular activities > Reporting, APs and Target Setting > Working with parents/carers

> Year 7 students come from over 20 feeder primary schools > It ranges from 3-5 students from each year per tutor group. The vertical system includes students from Year 7 to 11. > Tutors see their tutor groups daily and are the first point of contact for parents/carers > House system Tutor Groups

Maths, English, Science IT Technology – Resistant Materials, Textiles, Food. History, Geography, RE Spanish Art Music PE Year 7 Curriculum

How does the curriculum change? German or French Drama

The schools unrelenting focus on improving teaching and learning has paid off – Ofsted November 2011

Selection Criteria Key Stage 2 level and position, CAT test data, internal assessment data, end of key stage 3 target data Sets 1 and 2 – students working towards level 7 and 8 Set 3 – students working towards level 6 and 7 Set 4 – students working towards level 5 and 6 Set 5 – students working towards level 5 Setting - Mathematics

> Recording of homework > Homework timetable > Should be homework every week - students should spend between minutes on each subject per issue > Home/School contact –Signed by tutor and parent/carer Home Learning Policy

Uses: for students to record homework for parent/carer to communicate with tutor for tutor to communicate with parent/carer Should be: signed by parent/carer each week signed by the tutor each week School Organiser

> Lesson times can be found on the notice board in the music department > Cupboards in the music department are available (and big enough) to store musical instruments > Y7 will be eligible to join various ensembles – the list is available on the music corridor – this information is also in the Handbook Music Lessons

Details of the PE clubs can be found on the school website and in the PE department P.E. Clubs

W/b 18 November - MagnaTrip and Nottingham Mosque & Synagogue trip W/b 2 June - English Trip to Harry Potter Studios W/b 23 June - Lincoln & Gainsborough and Dovedale visits Trips

All lost property is stored at Student Services. It is very helpful if uniform, PE kit etc. has a name tag on it Lost Property

Parents/carers will receive the report from their child. There will also be a reply slip with a section for parents/carers to write any comments or concerns they have. This information is then collated by myself and any concerns or questions raised will be passed onto the relevant member of staff or I contact parents/carers directly. If you require more than one copy of the report please inform your childs tutor. Year 7 Reports

> Supports identification of students preferred learning styles – helps teachers to plan lessons > Helps identification of strengths and weaknesses in particular core skills, for example literacy and numeracy CATS Tests

> Reading age > Spelling age > Leads to support to remove barriers via Learning Support, such as Lexia Reading and Spelling Tests

> Targets based on prior attainment at KS2 in English, Maths and Science > Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs) – verbal; non verbal; quantitative > Target levels set to end of KS3 in core and foundation subjects; milestones in Y7 and Y8 > APs will use sub-levels to communicate the level at which your son/daughter is currently working at > Two APs and one full report a year Target setting and reporting on progress

Attitude to Learning This grade gives a description of your son/daughters approach to his/her learning. The grade given is an indication of the types of attitude he/she displays. It is a best-fit model and your son/daughter may not display all of the characteristics in the category.

There are four categories: 1 – Outstanding 2 – Good 3 – Requires Improvement 4 – Unacceptable In some cases there may be a code attached to indicate specific areas of concern: Behaviour (B), Contribution to class (C), Organisation (O), Home Learning (H), Punctuality (P). Attitude to Learning

Progress Outstanding If students sustain their current level of commitment they could expect to exceed their target level at the end of Year 7 Good If students sustain their current level of commitment they could expect to achieve their target level at the end of Year 7 Requires Improvement If students sustain their current level of commitment they could expect to achieve 2 sub levels below their target grade at the end of Year 7. Unnacceptable If students sustain their current level of commitment they could expect to achieve more than one whole level below their target grade at the end of Year 7.

AP1 example

AP2 example

AP3 example

> AP1 – ATL > AP2 with report (Attainment, ATL, Progress, Target Level) > AP3 - Attainment, ATL, Progress, Target Level > CATS and reading test results are communicated to parents/carers this term Assessment Points

Attending school is a legal requirement. For every 17 days absence from school, a student can drop one GCSE grade. Only 10% of students with poor attendance achieve 5 A* C grade GCSEs compared to 58% of students with good attendance. 21% of students with very poor attendance leave school with no qualifications compared to 3% of students who have regular attendance. Equating attendance with performance

The huge central atrium has become a relaxed meeting place at all times of the year – Ofsted November 2011

The MSPTA Committee meet on a monthly basis to plan and organise social and fundraising activities throughout the year as well as organising voluntary help for the school. MSPTA

> Form tutor > Week beginning 14 October – tutor contact week > AP1 issued – Friday 29 November > Year 7 Parent Forum – Thursday 5 December > Reports (and AP2) issued – 21 March > 7CR Parents Evening – 3 June > 7TW Parents Evening – 12 June > AP3 issued – 18 July > eNewsletter > Parent/Carer Handbook > Schoolcomms Involving Parents/Carers

Questions….