Year 11 information evening 13th September 2018

GCSE Results 2018 Best ever set of results under the new Progress 8 system Massive improvement in the performance of the students Best results in subject areas One of the most improved schools in the country

GCSE - Progress 8

Sixth Form numbers

The Year Ahead Mr M. Eaton Associate Assistant Principal Year 11 Director of Studies

Results day

Year 11 information booklet Aim – To support your preparation. It begins with the years calendar and then has a page per subject providing course information including; Exam board and exam code Course overviews Recommended texts Examination breakdowns and dates Online resources

Year 11 calendar Year 11 is a misnomer – it is two terms! 3rd October – Rewards trip to Blackpool 4th October – First data point (Attitude to learning scores collected only) 17th October – PGS Post 16 open evening 19th November – Start of trial exams 27th November – Year 11 Christmas Carol trip (Evening) 13th December – Second data point (Trial exam results and ATL scores) 19th December – Fancy dress party.

Year 11 Calendar 10th January – Year 11 parents evening – 4:30pm February half term – timetabled after school revision sessions begin 4th March – Start of trial exams (Core subjects only) 7th March – Year 11 Macbeth event 28th March – Year 11 parents evening (Revision and exam support) Easter holiday – structured holiday revision sessions Easter to June – Maths and English Saturday masterclasses for selected students 20th May – GCSE exams begin

New grading system Most courses moved to the new GCSE grading 9-1. (Not business, media or Product design) Grade 7 or better = A or better Grade 4 or better = C or better

I really am so proud of her. She’s done so well. You can be successful! We bought all the revision books that were suggested and she wrote a lot of revision cards. Her bedroom was floor to ceiling in revision notes. She stayed behind after school every day and studied, particularly in English and Maths. She attended all the holiday sessions put on. We had day trips out for photography-(so much fun), I asked her to do ‘A’ level. A lot of research went in to artists for her art as she felt this helped her draw a clearer picture as she understood the artist. I was at the stage where I stopped her revising as it’s all she did. I really am so proud of her. She’s done so well.

School DOES NOT shut at 2:40pm! Independent learning School DOES NOT shut at 2:40pm! Year 11 students will ALWAYS have work to do! English (Wednesdays) and Maths (Thursdays) interventions will be starting in the next few weeks for a small group of selected students. These are targeted interventions. All other subjects – A timetable will be released showing which subjects take place on which evenings. The majority of these will begin after the February half term

What is good attendance? 90% attendance = losing half a day a week will drop all a students’ GCSE grades by 2 grades 80% attendance = losing a full day each week will drop all of a students’ GCSE grades by 4 grades 97% or better is a good attendance rate

Parental Involvement Children have two main educators in their lives, their teachers and their parents. Pupils achieve 15 – 17% higher in Maths and English if there is significant parental involvement. This is regardless of the educational background of the parents.

Study Skills and Revision Advice Mr J Study Skills and Revision Advice Mr J. Rand Assistant Principal Raising Student Achievement

PGS website

Flash cards

Revision walls Environment again – just about keeping things visible at home and taking every opportunity to revise.

Manage “hobbies”

Understanding a progress report JRD to insert sample data sheet Predicteds means… Currents means… Targets mean.. ATL mean… As a parent you can use it to...

GCSE English Mrs C. Gregory Assistant Principal Subject Leader of English

How is my child assessed? English Language • Paper 1 1 hour 45 minutes 50% • Paper 2 1 hour 45 minutes 50% English Literature •Paper 1 1 hour 45 minutes 40% •Paper 2 2 hours 15 minutes 60% Non-examination Assessment: Spoken Language

How Can I Support My Child In English (continued) Help them to complete past papers/ essays under timed conditions*. Buy revision/work books. Help them to learn key quotations and plan essay questions. Ensure that they reread the set texts. Help them to practise annotating unseen poems. In addition to normal lessons, we will run after-school sessions on Wednesdays.

How Can I Support My Child In English (continued) Help them to create revision materials on characters, themes and setting: flashcards, post-its, mind maps. Websites eg. ‘MrBruff’ A watch Highlighters Encourage them to read a variety of texts: both non-fiction and fiction. Come along to the subject-specific evening next term.

GCSE mathematics Mr P. Tierney Assistant Principal Curriculum Lead

GCSE Mathematics Tuesday 21st May AM :Paper 1-Non Calculator 1h 30min Exam Board Edexcel Tiers of Entry Higher Tier : Grades 9-4 Foundation Tier : Grades 5-1 Dates of examinations Tuesday 21st May AM :Paper 1-Non Calculator 1h 30min Thursday 6th June AM :Paper 2 -Calculator 1h 30min Tuesday 11th June AM :Paper 3 -Calculator 1h 30min Each paper is out of 80 marks, total for 3 papers is 240 marks.

Homework Expectations – Do at least 2 hours a week homework. Consisting of: Online homework using Past exam papers and exam paper questions Revision booklets Homework will be put on

How can I support my child in GCSE maths? Use school website for exam papers to revise from Hegarty Maths to practise different topics. After Year 11 mocks there will be detailed video answers to every question. Use notes and worked examples in Blue exercise book. Practise, practise, practise.

Equipment Ensure they have a scientific calculator – casio fx-85GT plus is used in school. Ensure they have correct maths equipment.

Practical Support You Can Give Mr M. McKelvie Principal

How Do You Get Better Results? Beliefs – behaviours - results

Fixed mindset Believe intelligence is fixed (‘I’m rubbish at...’) If you are smart, you shouldn’t need to work at something Making mistakes reflect poorly on who you are as a person

Growth mindset Effort is the only way to improve Making mistakes is the key part of learning

Classcharts app Monitor homework being set Monitor your child’s attendance rate (97% is good)

Summary - practical tips Provide a quiet area to study Support them in buying revision materials Check Classcharts and ask how they are getting on with their homework Encourage the use of the school website to access key revision resources and past papers.

Summary - practical tips Get involved – memorising quotes and formulae Remind them that getting things wrong is a key part of learning Ensure they attend every day Make sure they get the balance right Support them to aim high