Agenda Welcome from Mr Avoth Setting the scene What is happening Whole School? What is happening in Mathematics? What is happening in English?

Setting the Scene “Parental involvement in a child’s education can mean the difference between A*-C and an ‘also-ran’ at GCSE” Times Educational Supplement Research shows that parental involvement in their child’s education is by far the most influential determinant of success in school –up to 8 times more influential than other factors including social class.

Priorities and Tensions Coursework Controlled Assessments Module Examinations Post 16 choices Social life Earning Money Entertainment

GCSE Overall 5A*-C Grades81.9% 84.9% in % in A*-C Grades 53% (incl English and Mathematics) 43% in % in A*-C Grades 56% (incl Functional English and Mathematics) 48.4 in % in 2009 Targets FFT(D) 66% 44%

Progress 3 levels of Progress in English61% 63.2% in levels of Progress in Mathematics69% 61.3% in 2010 Targets FFT(D) 66% 58%

Progress 4 levels of Progress in English28% 4 levels of Progress in Mathematics25%

Setting the Scene “Parental involvement in a child’s education can mean the difference between A*-C and an ‘also-ran’ at GCSE” Times Educational Supplement Research shows that parental involvement in their child’s education is by far the most influential determinant of success in school –up to 8 times more influential than other factors including social class.

Mathematics The units we have done so far are less than 50% of the final marks

Mathematics You can only resit one module exam in November

English Controlled assessment are all written tasks?

English and Mathematics There is one exam for Mathematics and one exam for English in the summer term.

Try a task

*15. The diagram shows the plan of the floor of Mrs Phillips’ living room. Mrs Phillips is going to cover the floor with floor boards. One pack of floor boards will cover 2.5 m 2. How many packs of floor boards does she need? You must show your working.

* 15. The diagram shows the plan of the floor of Mrs Phillips’ living room. 6m 2m 5m 2m

6m 2m 3m 2m A B TOTAL 4 m

Try a task

Question 5 Now look again at all three sources. Choose two of these sources and compare the way that both texts use presentational features for effect. Remember: To write about the way the sources are presented To compare how they look What are the key words or phrases in the second sentence that need to be remembered in order to answer the question properly and gain a high mark? The question carries 12 marks out of 40. How much should the student be writing?

Answer One Source One has lots of presentational features. It uses the colour blue a lot and has four pictures showing the ship and famous places in New York. There is also a title in a large font. These all have a good effect because they drag you into the website. The Water Aid leaflet also uses the colour blue to make it more interesting. It uses other presentational features like a water drop next to the heading, a big letter O at the start of the writing and a picture at the bottom of the two girls. These are all used well because they make the features stand out.

Answer Two Source One is an online holiday brochure and it uses a range of presentational features to help sell the New York / QM2 cruise holiday. There is a colour theme of blue throughout the page: in the title, the links, the background of the writing and the pictures. As blue is a colour that is often associated with water, it’s a suitable colour for advertising a cruise, and it also creates a calm atmosphere, which is also in keeping with relaxing on a cruise. Source Two takes a similar approach to the use of the colour blue, with light blue used for the background to the title and the first letter, and dark blue for the silhouette at the bottom and some of the writing. Like Source One, this links with the water theme, because the leaflet is trying to persuade people to give to the WaterAid Charity.

Both sources also use pictures to attract their readers, although they do this in different ways. The website has a block of four pictures, two of which show the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline; these are helpful because they immediately tell the reader about the holiday destination. The other two pictures of the QM2 by day and night make it look very impressive and luxurious, and might attract the reader to want to find out more. The WaterAid picture is very different because it is a simple silhouette of two children, one carrying a water container on her head, which suggests a third world setting to the reader. This picture works well because the children are holding hands, which makes them look vulnerable. Readers might react emotionally to this and therefore be more likely to make a donation.

Important strategies Make several comparisons throughout your answer. Explain the effect of the presentational features in that particular text. Be specific. Don’t feature spot and write in lists. Write a lot about a little.

Whole College Interventions Curriculum Team Leaders Away Day ALAN Alternative Qualifications One to One Tuition

Some Key Dates November 9 th (Unit 1) November 14 th (Unit 2) Mathematics GCSE papers module resits January 10 th English GCSE exam January 12 th Results for November modules March 2 nd 5 th March GCSE modules March 15 th Results for January modules First GCSE May 15 th Last GCSE June 27 th English Exam 29 th May Mathematics Exams 11 th,13 th June and 19 th June

You are the expert on your own child and have always been his or her most important teacher. Your support, encouragement and interest can make a spectacular difference to your child’s motivation and ability to cope with the academic and organisational demands of the exams.

A last thought Fireworks