Welcome to Oakgrove School Year 10 Information Evening 2019 Excellence – Innovation - Respect Welcome to Oakgrove School Year 10 Information Evening 2019

Information Evening Excellence – Innovation - Respect 1 - Key People 2 - Key Dates 3 - Work experience 4 - Attendance 5- Exam advice 6- Subject specific support

Year 10 Excellence – Innovation - Respect Year 10 team Mr Robinson– Head of Year Mr Booth - Assistant Head of Year Mr Boon – Senior Assistant Head Teacher (Behaviour and Safety) Miss Warwick – KS4 Intervention

Year 10 Excellence – Innovation - Respect All GCSE and equivalent courses have started. Attendance is crucial. Start thinking about the future – what do you need for your next step? At the end of Year 10 ALL students will go on Work Experience placements for 2 weeks

Key Dates for this Year: Excellence – Innovation - Respect Key Dates for this Year: Date Event 5th September School Opens 25th October School Closes for Half Term 4th November School Opens After Half Term 29th November Inset Day 20th December School Closes for Christmas 6th January School Opens After Christmas 14th February 24th February 9th March 3rd April School Closes for Easter 20th April School Opens After Easter 8th May Bank Holiday 22nd May 1st June 17th July End of Academic Year

Key Dates for this Year: Excellence – Innovation - Respect Key Dates for this Year: Date Event 26th September Information Evening January Interim Report Issued 16th January Parents’ Evening Start of March Interim Report Issued prior to TfL Day 10th March TfL Day (KS4&5) 27th April Year 10 Exam Week 3rd July Annual Report Issued 6th July Work Experience Fortnight

Work Experience Excellence – Innovation - Respect Last 2 weeks of Year 10. Monday 8th July. School will “finish” Friday 5th July. Not specific career training – more an insight into workplaces. All students are entitled to a work placement from the school. Own placements can be arranged by your son/daughter Mrs Sharpling is our School Contact for Work Experience

Attendance Excellence – Innovation - Respect 96% and above is the school’s expected attendance figure. 5 minutes late every day equates to almost 10 school days lost over a year. 15 minutes late every day historically means almost two grades dropped on average.

Excellence – Innovation - Respect Attendance Try to avoid holidays in term time – controlled assessments happen throughout year 10 and 11 in a number of subjects. Holidays will be marked unauthorised.

NEW GCSE grading structure Excellence – Innovation - Respect NEW GCSE grading structure New Grading Structure Previous Grading Structure 9 8 7 A* A 6 5 4 B C 3 2 1 D E F G U Good Pass 5 and above = top C and above Awarding a (standard pass) 4 and above = bottom of C and above Current Oakgrove Sixth Form requirements are 7 Grade 4 or higher including English and Maths. Link to 6th form for this year – 7 4-9 grades – subject specific criteria (english and maths at least 4 to get re-sit 5 did not need to)

Exam Advice Excellence – Innovation - Respect Most subjects will be assessed through end of year exams in Year 11. Marks are often lost through lack of exam technique, hence the introduction of Private Study sessions. Preparation is key. Very strict rules apply A student who is too ill for an exam (very extreme circumstances only) will require medical evidence. This is then submitted to the exam board and they will decide on the outcome.

Supporting at Home Excellence – Innovation - Respect Take an interest in what they are doing. Digital dead-zone. Not everyone revises in the same way. Check planners for homework and encourage swift completion.

Revision Excellence – Innovation - Respect Start early. Little and often. Cover all areas/subjects – create a plan. Be organised. Make and look after revision notes. Use techniques that work for you. Speak to subject teachers

Private Study Excellence – Innovation - Respect New half hour slot on timetables. Currently learning about revision techniques and how they can be implemented. After the October half term students will be applying the new revision techniques to the subjects they study.

Subject Specific Support: Excellence – Innovation - Respect Subject Specific Support: Understand the format of papers. Some very good websites, including the exam board sites for past exam questions and advice. Can buy or order revision guides – but make sure you get the right one!

100% Exam based subjects Excellence – Innovation - Respect English Regular testing in class and mock exams at the end of year 10 and year 11. English Maths Science Trilogy Science - Synergy Biology Chemistry Physics Business Studies (GCSE) French Geography History Religious Studies Sociology

Exams with Controlled assessment Element Excellence – Innovation - Respect Exams with Controlled assessment Element Controlled assessment throughout the 2 year course and an exam at some point during the course. Art & Design Business (BTEC) Child Development Computer Science Design Technology Drama Film Studies Food Prep & Nutrition iMedia Music (GCSE & BTEC) Photography Sports Studies

Study Supports Excellence – Innovation - Respect Staff will enter students for study support sessions if they are behind target with controlled assessment or exam work. Please encourage your child to attend. Students who are on track and want to study independently can use E23 on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday from 3:00-4:00.

GCSE English Excellence – Innovation - Respect In Years 10 and 11, students will be following the AQA English Language and the AQA English Literature courses, resulting in two separate qualifications. Both courses are now assessed on 100% examination and there is no coursework or controlled assessment option. For English Language, there are two exam papers worth 50% each. Both papers include Section A: Reading and Section B: Writing. Paper 1 focuses on reading Literary Fiction and producing descriptive or narrative writing. Paper 2 focuses on reading Non- Fiction and writing to present a point of view.

GCSE English Excellence – Innovation - Respect English Literature, there are two exam papers. Paper 1 is worth 40% and Paper 2 is worth 60%. Paper 1 focuses on a Shakespeare text and a C19th novel. Paper 2 covers a modern text, pre-prepared poetry and unseen poetry. Both exam papers are closed book which means that students cannot take the texts into the examination. GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature will be assessed on a new grading system, starting at 1 (the equivalent of a ‘G’ grade) and going up to 9 (a top A* grade). A ‘5’ will be equivalent to a top ‘C’ grade. Please note there are no longer different tiers of entry in GCSE English Language or GCSE English Literature and, as a result, all students now sit the same exam papers.

Three exams at the end of Year 11 at either higher or foundation tier. Excellence – Innovation - Respect GCSE Mathematics OCR Mathematics (J560) Internal exams throughout the course of Years 10 and 11, and mock exams in Year 11. Three exams at the end of Year 11 at either higher or foundation tier. We will review the progress of all students regularly ensuring correct sets and levels are maintained

GCSE COMBINED SCIENCE SYNERGY (AQA) Excellence – Innovation - Respect GCSE COMBINED SCIENCE SYNERGY (AQA) All students will cover the following topics across Year 10 and Year 11:  1. Building blocks 2. Transport over larger distances  3. Interactions with the environment  4. Explaining change  5. Building blocks for understanding  6. Interactions over small and large distances  7. Movement and interactions  8. Guiding Spaceship Earth towards a sustainable future This qualification is linear which means that students will sit all of their exams at the end of year 11.   Paper 1: Topics 1-4 (100 marks - 25% of GCSE – 1hour 45 minutes) Paper 2: Topics 1-4 (100 marks - 25% of GCSE – 1hour 45 minutes) Paper 3: Topics 5-8 (100 marks - 25% of GCSE – 1hour 45 minutes) Paper 4: Topics 5-8 (100 marks - 25% of GCSE – 1hour 45 minutes)

GCSE COMBINED SCIENCE TRILOGY (AQA) Excellence – Innovation - Respect GCSE COMBINED SCIENCE TRILOGY (AQA) All students will cover the following topics across Year 10 and Year 11:  Biology Chemistry Physics 1. Cell biology 8. Atomic structure and the periodic table 18. Forces 2. Organisation 9. Bonding, structure, and the properties of matter 19. Energy 3. Infection and response 10. Quantitative chemistry 20. Waves 4. Bioenergetics 11. Chemical changes 21. Electricity 5. Homeostasis and response 12. Energy changes 22. Magnetism 6. Inheritance and evolution 13. The rate and extent of chemical change 23. Particle model 7. Ecology 14. Organic chemistry 24. Atomic structure   15. Chemical analysis 16. Chemistry of the atmosphere   17. Using resources   This qualification is linear which means that students will sit all of their exams at the end of year 11.There are six papers: two biology (paper 1 units 1-4, paper 2 units 5-7), two chemistry (paper 3 units 8-12 and paper 4 units 13-17)and two physics. (paper 5 units 19, 21, 23 and 24 and paper 6 units 18, 20 and 2)

GCSE SCIENCE TRIPLE (AQA) Excellence – Innovation - Respect GCSE SCIENCE TRIPLE (AQA) All students will cover the following topics across Year 10 and Year 11 (in more depth than those taking Trilogy):  Biology Chemistry Physics 1. Cell biology 1. Atomic structure and the periodic table 1. Forces 2. Organisation 2. Bonding, structure, and the properties of matter 2. Energy 3. Infection and response 3. Quantitative chemistry 3. Waves 4. Bioenergetics 4. Chemical changes 4. Electricity 5. Homeostasis and response 5. Energy changes 5. Magnetism 6. Inheritance and evolution 6. The rate and extent of chemical change 6. Particle model 7. Ecology 7. Organic chemistry 7. Atomic structure   8. Chemical analysis 8. Space 9. Chemistry of the atmosphere   10. Using resources   These qualifications are linear which means that students will sit all of their exams at the end of year 11.  Biology Paper 1: Units 1-4 and Biology Paper 2: Units 5-7 Chemistry paper 1: Units 1-5 and Chemistry Paper 2: Units 6-10 Physics paper 1: Units 2, 4, 6 and 7 and Physics Paper 2: Units 1, 3, 5 and 8

The Future Excellence – Innovation - Respect Sixth Form? College? Apprenticeship? Work placement? Volunteering? Think ahead- it is not set in stone but a starting point What do you do that will make your application stand out? All students in KS4 will receive a 30 minute careers appointment.

Final Points Excellence – Innovation - Respect If you have any queries or concerns then contact tutors, subject teachers, Mr Robinson or Mr Booth. Make every lesson count. Be organised and prepare in advance. Continue to support students with revision and encouragement to try their best. Encourage attendance to study support sessions.

Thank you for all of your continued support. Questions? Excellence – Innovation - Respect Thank you for all of your continued support. Questions?