Supporting Your Child Through Y11 Welcome!

How did they get from here ……

……to here ?

Purpose of the Evening  To highlight key dates in Year 11  To explain preparation for the English GCSE in November  To explain what support is available in school and on-line  To suggest ways in which families may be able to support pupils in Y11

 All materials will be on our website / The Portal our website / The Portal  Booklet  Questionnaire

Key Dates  Monday 8th November and Wednesday 10th November – English GCSE  Science Modules Thursday 11 th November  Monday 22rd – Wednesday 24th November - Mock examinations  Tuesday 4th January – Mock results day  Thursday 27th January – Y11 Parents’ Evening  Wednesday 2 nd to Wednesday 9 th March – Maths and Science modules  Monday 67th May – Thursday 30th June – all other GCSEs (although Modern Language orals can take place from the beginning of May)  There are no exams during the week beginning Monday 30th May.

English GCSE 8 th and 10 th November

What is on offer at school? (1)  Individual interviews for all  Progress Support where required (we will contact you)  English support sessions  Coursework catch up (Mostly Mondays after school)  Motivation and revision workshops/SPED programme (first on 12 th October)  Support materials to guide their revision

What is on offer at school? (2)  Mock results day (4 th January)  Revision guides for sale  Revision classes, after school and during Exam Attendance  Stress management where appropriate (Learning Mentors)  The pupil planner

The Website and the Portal  Public access to the Website  Information for Families  Eg contents of tonight’s presentation 

Login to our School Portal  Login to the School Portal with pupil’s school username and password

Exam dates and information Revision Resources Link

Some Maths Revision Papers

E-safety  E-safety is part of the curriculum  Check privacy settings  Never meet in the flesh someone you’ve met online if unaccompanied  Don’t let messaging get in the way of revision!

How can you help?

1. Organisation  Have they got every thing they need? Get them to ask at school.  Revision timetables   Exam timetables

2. Revision  Plan for half-hour sessions or an hour at most.  Plan breaks.  Plan to revise specific topics in each subject, not everything at once.  Ensure that each session starts with tackling the most difficult bits.  Revising with the TV or radio or with loud music is not a good idea. Having their favourite music in the background may help.  Reading is not generally enough. Make it active.  Working with a friend can be useful because it allows them to test each other and to talk about the work.

Active not passive  Avoid the bed  Don’t just read  Practise exam questions  Have a healthy mix of digital and non-digital activities

3. Preferred Learning Styles  A) Kinaesthetic  B) Visual  C) Auditory

Kinaesthetic learners like:  Bullet points, lists, diagrams, posters, post its, card activities, white boards  Physical movement around the room, group work, role play, simulation, ‘doing’ activities, brain gym

Visual learners like:  Posters, mind maps, highlighters,  Symbols such as smiley faces, exclamation marks as visual shortcuts  Test by remembering the look of a word/diagram

Auditory learners like:  Telling someone else about a topic  Discussion, group work, revising with a friend – testing each other  Using linguistic mnemonics – raps, songs, poems  Reading aloud, recording information and playing it back

Do:  Secure a quiet, well-lit place for study  Encourage them to take regular breaks during revision and to plan relaxation time  Emphasise the need for plenty of sleep  Respond positively to questions like, ‘Can you give me some help with …..?’. Ask exactly how you can help. If you can’t help immediately say when it is convenient.  Say helpful things such as ‘How are things going?’ and ‘Let me know when I can help with testing you’  Give plenty of praise and encouragement. Stay calm and don’t expect too much  Keep them well supplied with food and drinks  Keep a low profile  Be prepared to listen when they want to talk about problems. Everything becomes more emotional and heightened during the exam period  Help them to forget about each exam as it is finished

Don’t  Make comparisons with brothers, sisters or their friends.  Ask them to do too many chores or look after younger brothers and sisters.  Unintentionally add to their anxieties by constantly referring to the exams.  Relate too much to when you were sitting exams at school or how you did your revision.  Worry if their revision techniques seem strange or unusual.  Make a battleground out of whether or not they listen to music when doing their revision.  Expect them to study all the time. Taking some time out to relax has a positive effect on their work.  Plan holidays in school time or during Whit week.

Good luck!