1. Year 11 Information Evening
Welcome and thank you for dedicating your time tonight
Please complete your Learning Styles Questionnaire before we start

2. Agenda Review of Options pathways available post 16
Reflection on progress towards these pathways; student’s latest Traffic Light Reports
Grade Boundary challenges
What the College will do
What parents can do
What students should do
Advice and guidance from English and Maths leaders
Revision Guides
Agenda

3. Exams, exams, exams…. Mock and Jan March dates etc Date Year Group
No of students
Subject
Length
Start
Finish
Week 1
Monday 3rd December
11/12/13
45/4/3
Art
5 hrs
08.30
14.45
Tuesday 4th December
Week 2
Monday 10th December 11 8
Music (Listening)
1 hr, 15 mins
09.00
09.45 80
Geography
1 hr
11.15
12.15 74
Biology
13.00
14.00
Tuesday 11th December
Chemistry
10.00 35 RE
50 mins
13.40
Thursday 13th December
Physics
08.45 32
Catering
14.15
Friday 14th December
150
English
2 hrs, 15 mins
Monday 17th December 29
French Reading
Wednesday 19th December 56
History (Surgery)
10.15 14
German Reading 26
Maths - Linear non calc
1 hr, 45 mins
119
Maths - unit 3 (calc)
Thursday 20th December
Maths - Linear calc
Maths - unit 2 (non calc)
Exams, exams, exams….

4. Mock Results Day follows these exams on Thursday 17th January
Thursday 17th January is also Parents Evening – plenty to discuss
January exams for many students e.g. Geography is Monday 23rd Jan
March exams for some
Summer 2013 exams begin from May 13th
Controlled Assessments will be on-going throughout the year
BTEC and OCR National assignments; 99% completion = no qualification, only 100%
NO HOLIDAYS in term time
Exams, exams, exams….

5. Options post 16

6. Grade boundary challenges
Why is attaining the most C grades ( and above) necessary?
How achieving a C grade in 5 subjects became harder last year, including any exams sat in Year 10
These was highlighted for English in the media but was a factor in many subjects, e.g. Geography boundary for a C had varied but on average was 54%. This rose to 60% and is most likely to remain around this level.
Aiming to scrape a C grade is not an option!
Grade boundary challenges

7. Newmarket College Extra curriculum time for target groups
Time afterschool, revision & catch-up sessions & period 6
AFL and students’ response
HW – independent study habits
Mock Exams – last fortnight this term-tiering
Exam paper practise and regular assessments
Tracking and reporting progress e.g. check your child’s business studies tracker via their school address
Newmarket College

8. Close collaboration with MCT our partner sixth form provider
Aspiration – Alumni and Employer presentations in assembly
Maths Workshop on 7th December
Newmarket College

9. “Parental support is eight times more important in determining a child’s academic success than any other factor. The campaign for learning found that parental involvement in a child’s education can mean the difference between an A* and an “also-ran” at GCSE”
Parents

10. The most common frustrations of parents….

11. And the good news for parents ……
You don’t have to be an expert
You don’t have to be a “super-parent”
And the good news for parents ……

12. What can parents do? Some practical suggestions
Provider of the tools
Project manager
Go between
Information provider
Question asker
Encourager
Getter out of bedder
Knower of key dates
Check in
Resource gatherer
Social life monitorer
A keeper tracker of the excuses
A structurer of the revision tasks
A bag emptier
A rewarder
A feeder
A stress manager
What can parents do? Some practical suggestions

13. Useful Websites http://www.thesource.me.uk/ http://www.fasttomato.com/
– also confidential helpline
Useful Websites

15. Year 11 Success CHECKLIST
100% attendance
Start revising now
Revise in 15 minute bursts, taking breaks in between
Active revision, not just reading your exercise book – posters, recording, flash cards, notes, parents & friends (set up your own study group)
Plan revision, make a weekly timetable, know your exam topics, times, lengths, equipment needed
Past Papers – use websites in your planner to download, practise and show to your teachers
Revision guides – ask your teacher if they have one or sell one, show them the one you’ve bought
Time afterschool – ask your teachers for some help with topics you’re unsure on
Research next year & your future – Where are you going? What will you need from school?
Essential equipment – fully stocked pencil case and calculator, use our school library stationary shop
Meet all deadlines for controlled assessments and vocational course assignments
Students

16. You will only remember 8-10% of this slide if you read it only once
Only 10% of most people’s brains are active
You will have forgotten 80% of what you learn today within one week
The brain needs exercise and food to work effectively
Stress is the biggest barrier to effective functioning of the brain
How do we learn?

17. Memory Techniques Pictures to remember numbers
Rhymes – zero = hero, one = gun
Mnemonics – My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets
Collective memories
Mind Mapping
Bullet Points
Summarising
Musical association
Walk the story
Acronyms
Memory Techniques

18. Visual Learners Prefer to learn by seeing.
Prefer communicating by pictures, graphs, visual effects – flow diagrams, brain maps, key word cards and displays
29% of students
Tend to visualise things when trying to remember them – may for instance use pictures when trying to remember things
Visual Learners

19. Learning Techniques: Lookers
Walk about reading your study notes as you learn
Do practical experiments
Build models
Highlight your notes
Use the walk to school method/virtual tour of your house
Learning Techniques: Lookers

20. Auditory Learners 34% of students
Prefer to communicate by sound – speaking
Preferred learning styles are: discussion, tapes, debates, spoken language exercises, raps, music.
Tend to remember things by sound – chunk things into memorable patterns of sounds
Auditory Learners

21. Learning Techniques: Listeners
Repeat things to yourself
Record your notes on tape/Ipod etc
Discuss topics with friends
Use mnemonics to remember lists
Create raps, rhymes, chants to remember facts
If you really need to concentrate, close your eyes so that your listening is emphasised
Learning Techniques: Listeners

22. Kinaesthetic Learners
37% of students
Prefer to engage with the task physically – by doing it or something which we associate with the task
Tend to be much more physical – preferring to move hands and body
Learn through experience, movement, modelling, visits
Don’t like sitting still
Kinaesthetic Learners

23. Learning Techniques: Doers
Walk about reading your study notes as you learn
Do practical experiments
Build models
Highlight your notes
Use the walk to school method/virtual tour of your house
Learning Techniques: Doers

24. Memory Techniques Tell a story – the more ridiculous the better Rhymes
Words to remember numbers – – “Yes I have a super technique”
Memory Techniques

25. Memory Techniques Two carrots A Pen A warhammer A toddler figure
A daffodil
A football
The invention of
the flushing toilet
A Pen
A toddler
A Ferrari
A data projector
A lighthouse
A water filter
Mr Weston
Memory Techniques

26. Short spurts of revision (20-25 minutes) with 5 – 10 minute breaks (+rewards)
Peace and quiet
Revise all your subjects – not just your favourite!
Make your own revision notes – we remember nearly 30% of what we write
Re-write your notes – summarise them – say them out loud
Top Revision Tips

27. More top revision techniques
Use a variety of techniques
Practice past papers
Ask/phone a friend. Get parents to test you.
Eat properly
Be positive
More top revision techniques

28. Summary Make it fun Make it SMART Start now
Website will have this PPT and resources such as Revision Plans and Key Words
Summary

29. From All the Staff at the College
Good Luck
We have never had a group of students who deserve success more than your sons and daughters.

30. ENGLISH on INFORMATION EVENING

31. English x 2
English Language is English. Along with maths, this is the one that matters more than any other subject.
English Literature needs to be taken seriously because it can easily be one of your 5 GCSEs.
But it’s not quite as important as English Language and maths.

32. THE GOOD NEWS IS THIS:
In English Language there is nothing to revise.

33. The bad news is this:
In English Language, there is nothing to revise.

34. RESPONSIBILITY and URGENCY IN LESSONS
Daniela Ferreira
Zak Ollington

35. What can I do to help my son/daughter?
Later, I’ll gave you a special, DIY pack ……

36. WRITING Students to do a 25 minute writing task 2-3 times per week.
Follow the guidelines that we will be working on in class
And which are listed in the pack
PARENTS TO EVALUATE IT ……

37. PARENTS: MANY of the TARGETS don’t REQUIRE SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE
1. Evidence that they have tried to generate a list of possible topics
2. Evidence that they have tried to turn this list into a clear plan with at least 3 main topics
3. That they written a brief introduction and a brief conclusion
4. The first sentence of each main paragraph / section should indicate clearly what that paragraph will be about (topic sentence)

38. READING: find an article (newspaper or internet)
 In the headline, the word “……” suggests ………….
The introduction is engaging. In the phrase “ ……………………….,” the word “……” suggests …………………..
Another interesting use of language is where it says “………………..,” because the word “……..” suggests …………………….
In the picture, one detail I can pick out is ………………….. and this links to the article because ………………………………..

39. In short
We will be giving the students a clear consistent method to follow for each task.
We will be practising these processes in lessons.
You can help them to practise at home.
BUT IF THE STUDENT IS TRULY MOTIVATED FROM WITHIN, EVERYTHING BECOMES SO MUCH EASIER.

40. Maths on INFORMATION EVENING

41. Modular v Linear the political landscape
Where are we?
Modular v Linear the political landscape

42. How can you help?

43. Past papers
Do not be afraid to show your child your ways, you can not break them!
Write down everything (points mean prizes)

44. My Maths
The entire syllabus has a lesson

45. Functional Skills
Show them the electricity meter!

46. Calculator They must buy their own SCIENTIFIC calculator
We have them here for £3.75
The longer they have their calculator the better they become at using them and they are all slightly different

47. They will appreciate your time (on the inside).
enjoy
Enjoy supporting them, have a snack, drink, chat whilst you are helping them. Make it as positive an experience as you can for both of you.
They will appreciate your time (on the inside).