1. THE LEADING PROVIDER OF PRIVATE WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION IN ABU DHABI & AL AIN. BAND A RATED BY THE ABU DHABI EDUCATION COUNCIL. KS4 Parents’ Information Meeting

2. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. Agenda 2 1.GCSEs (Timeline, Mocks, Entries, Costs & Results) 1.AS/A2 requirements (Process for Post 16 Study at Al Yasmina School) 2.University & Post 18 Study (Process, support & potential entry requirements) 3.Shahadat Al Thanawiyyah Al-Ammah (What is it, why does a student need it and how do they achieve it?)

3. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. General Questions

4. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. GCSEs (Timeline) 4 4 th Dec 2013Key Stage 5 Options Evening 5 th Jan 2014Mock exams in all GCSE subjects 20 th Jan 2014Mock exam results released Feb – Mar 2014Exam Entry Booklets Individual interviews with students (Suitability for AS/A2 level study / subject combination / future plans) Apr 2014Post-16 Conditional offer letter May – Jun 2014Final GCSE external examinations 24 th Aug 2014GCSE results released to students Aug/Sep 2014Follow up meetings with individual students

5. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. GCSEs (Mock Exams) 5 Mock exams will begin on 5 th January and continue through until 12 th January 2014. All mock exams take place during normal school hours When not in an exam, students will be given study time (in school) to prepare for their remaining exams Students will sit a full past paper in each of their GCSE subjects Grades will be released in the same manner as the formal GCSE results Students can and will be disqualified from their mock exams based on standard examination requirements Students should begin revising for these exams NOW… our predicted GCSE results and TIERS of ENTRY will be based largely on the Mock exam results.

6. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. GCSEs (Exam Entries and Costs) 6 Exam Entries Booklet a)Students will be provided with an Exam Entries Booklet, which will show all of the exams they are being entered for… b)Parents, students and their teachers will need to sign the booklet to show they are in agreement with the entry (tier/title/cost) c)Once the booklet is complete, it should be returned to Mrs Gale (Examinations Officer) who will then raise an invoice based on the agreed details. d)Once payment is received, exam entries will be made (late payment and/or changes will incur additional fees) Costs The charges levied upon parents will be for the actual cost of the examination (as charged by the exam board EDEXCEL). In addition, a small fee is added to cover the costs of postage and packing. Total costs are likely to range from Dhs 2500 - 3950

7. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. One more year or two? 7 Study beyond GCSE falls into one of two categories: Do you intend to leave after Year 12? (to study at University in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, UAE & some universities in the UK and the USA) Do you intend to leave after Year 13? (to study at University in most UK institutions and most institutions in the USA). This is particularly important for students who will begin studying at Post-16 in September 2015, as due to changes in the UK curriculum, AS levels will become stand-alone qualifications, separate from A2 levels. As a UK Curriculum school operating in an International context we aim to provide the best possible support and guidance for the diverse needs of our students.

8. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. General Questions

9. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. AS & A2 Requirements (1) 9 To move from Y11 GCSE study into Y12 study, students must meet minimum entry criteria as set out by the school and by ADEC ADEC Requirements 5 GCSEs at Grade E or better. Al Yasmina Expectations 5 GCSEs at Grade C or better, including Maths & English Meeting the minimum expected grade for further study in specific subjects Attendance on the relevant foundation/bridging course(s) if opting for Biology, Chemistry or Physics having followed GCSE Double Science Appropriate attendance levels throughout GCSE study, particularly in the run up to the final exams. The school study leave policy will sent to all parents along with the Mock exam results in January. Where students meet ADEC minimum requirements, but not those of AYS, we strongly recommend that they follow a combination of GCSE retakes plus 1 AS Level in Year 12.

10. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. AS & A2 Requirements (2) 10 Course Specific Requirements Grade AMaths, Biology, Chemistry & Physics Grade BAll subjects not listed above or below… Grade CDrama & Resistant Materials Psychology Grade B in each of Maths, English & Biology/Double Science Media StudiesAYS Post-16 minimum requirements All research indicates that students achieving the highest grades at GCSE are the ones who are successful at AS/A2 level. No data is available on the grades achieved at AS/A2 level by those students getting Grades D/E at GCSE because in the UK such students do not go on to study AS/A2 courses.

11. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. AS & A2 Requirements (3) 11

12. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. General Questions

13. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. University & Beyond 13 As a UK Curriculum school we are best placed to provide guidance on entry expectations and processes for UK universities. However, as an international school we also provide advice and guidance for entry to non-UK universities. We offer the following support: Careers guidance counselling Attendance at local Higher Education fairs University course guidance Guidance on University fees and ‘Home Status’ University entry requirements guidance University applications guidance Links with local universities However, none of the above can replace the individual research that should be conducted by students and their families, due to the vast range of courses, institutions and countries that our students might be interested in. Head of Post-16 Post-16 LMs 2 Careers Guidance Counsellors

14. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. General Questions

15. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. Shahadat Al-Thanawiyyah Al-Ammah (1) 15 What is the Shahadat Al-Thanawiyyah Al-Ammah? The Shahadat Al-Thanawiyyah Al-Ammah or ‘Secondary School Certificate’ is a student’s evidence that they have successfully completed Secondary education at an Arabic Curriculum School in the UAE. Students who have studied at an International school such as Al Yasmina are expected to achieve the ‘Equivalence Certificate’ if they complete their Secondary education within the UAE.

16. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. Shahadat Al-Thanawiyyah Al-Ammah (2) 16 Why does a student need the Equivalency Certificate Any student who has studied in the UAE for his/her final Secondary School Years (Year 10 onwards) is advised to make all appropriate efforts to achieve the Shahadat Al-Thanawiya Al-Amma, unless they can answer ‘No’ to all of the following statements: Do you intend to study in the UAE after the age of 18? Do you intend to study in another Arabic country (eg. Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt) after the age of 18? Do you intend to work in the UAE at any point after the age of 18?

17. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. Shahadat Al-Thanawiyyah Al-Ammah (3) 17 How does a student achieve the Equivalency Certificate? (1) Have studied for 12 continuous years in the UAE or have studied continuously since arrival in the UAE Achieve at least 5 GCSEs (at Grade E or above) from the prescribed list of 21 subjects. Achieve (again from the specified list of 21 subjects) either 2 Advanced Subsidary (AS) Levels in Year 12 at Grade D or better or; 1 Advanced (A) Level in Year 13 at Grade D or better

18. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. Shahadat Al-Thanawiyyah Al-Ammah (4) 18 How does a student achieve the Equivalency Certificate? (2) Pass the UAE Ministry of Education Arabic Studies exam in Year 12. This can be taken as either Native Arabic Studies (for students of Arabic Nationality as shown on their passport) or as Non-Native Arabic Studies (for students of non- Arabic Nationality as shown on their passport). In addition to the 3 sections above, there is a 4 th section which is only applicable to Muslim students: Pass the UAE Ministry of Education Islamic Studies exam in Year 12. This can be taken as either Native Islamic Studies (for students of Arabic Nationality as shown on their passport) or as Non-Native Islamic Studies (for students of non-Arabic Nationality as shown on their passport).

19. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The ‘21 Subjects’ 19 1.English Language12. Computing 2.Mathematics13. Sociology 3.Physics14. Dietetics (Food) & Health 4.Chemistry15. English Literature 5.Biology16. Genetics 6.Geology17. History 7.General Science18. Geography 8.Economics19. Psychology 9.French Language20. Information Technology 10.Business Administration21. Arts & Design 11.Accountancy The subjects in bold type are offered at Al Yasmina

20. ALDARACADEMIES.COM The leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain. Band A Rated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. General Questions