1. 1 Moving into Key Stage 4 Helping your child to get the best out of Year 10 (and 11).

2. 2 Helping your child to get the best out of Year 10. Mr T. Dolly – Deputy Headteacher Mrs G. Phillips – Assistant Headteacher

3. 3 Topics to be covered… v How will Key Stage 4 be different to Key Stage 3? v How will my child be assessed? v How can I support my child? v How will the school support my child? v How will I know what my child’s targets are and if they are progressing? v Getting the balance right.

4. 4 How will Key Stage 4 be different to Key Stage 3?

5. 5 Assessment v KS3: No national tests (SATs) in Mathematics, English and Science but regular school assessments and levelling of work. v All pupils were given a target for the end of Key Stage 3 and information relating to this was included in their Year 9 report. v KS4: Through Years 10 and 11 students will be assessed in a variety of ways including external examinations. How will Key Stage 4 be different to Key Stage 3?

6. 6 v KS3: Compulsory courses with few options. v KS3: Some students began GCSE courses in Year 9. v KS4: Pupils are now studying subjects they have chosen and should have a strong interest and motivation to apply themselves. v KS4: Most subjects include an element of either coursework and / or controlled assessment. How will Key Stage 4 be different to Key Stage 3?

7. 7 How will my child be assessed?

8. 8 What is Controlled Assessment or Coursework? v Some subjects include either c oursework or controlled assessment. v Coursework is an extended piece of written or practical work which contributes to a final GCSE grade. v Controlled assessment has been introduced in some subjects in line with the new revised GCSE specifications, first teaching September 2009. v The move from coursework to controlled assessment is occurring at different times for different subjects. v Subject specific information will be given out via subject teachers.

9. 9 How much is Controlled Assessment or Coursework worth? v It varies from subject to subject and exam board to exam board. v It is usually worth between 20 and 60 per cent.

10. 10 Why do they have to do Controlled Assessment? v It gives students an alternative way to demonstrate what they have learnt (exams do not suit everyone!). v It allows them to demonstrate skills (e.g. research, analysis) which they may not have time or scope to do in a final examination.

11. 11 When do they do Controlled Assessment? v It varies from subject to subject v In normal lessons v Teachers must have it marked and moderated and send the results to the board by April/May in Year 11 v Control can be high, medium or low

12. 12 Examinations v Examination Seasons – November/January/March/Summer v Timetable for each pupil if they taking an examination in that season v Maths exams January 2012all Y10 except FT (re-sits?) Summer 2012all Y10 inc. FT v Science January 2012Y10 sep & dual scientists Summer 2012Y10 sep & dual scientists

13. 13 How can I support my child?

14. 14 How can I support my son/daughter? (1) v Ensure your child has a place to study that is free from interruption and noise v Talk to your child about their work; explaining what they are doing is a useful study skill v Use the planner to flag up any concerns you have early on v In the event of absence, support your child in catching up with missed work

15. 15 How can I support my son/daughter? (2) v Establish which subjects involve controlled assessment/coursework and when this will be completed. v Be aware of the weightings of controlled assessment/coursework for different subjects.

16. 16 How can I support my son/daughter? (3) v Some work can be completed without supervision, outside the classroom/centre. v Students will be given guidance on how to complete low control tasks. They are usually research tasks that students can collect at home and bring to class. v Students have access to resources such as books and files during low control tasks. v Students can work together to collect information but how they use this information in their work must be on an individual basis.

17. 17 How can I support my son/daughter? (5) v Encourage your child to - ask for help if they do not understand or are struggling to meet a deadline. - value controlled assessment/coursework and see completed work as GCSE marks already banked.

18. 18 How will the school support my son/daughter?

19. 19 How will school support your son/daughter? (1) v Give clear guidance about what the task is and when it should be completed through subject specific letters. v Give guidance about the completion of the task, especially in relation to controlled assessment. v Explain mark schemes. v Break large tasks down into more manageable parts.

20. 20 How will school support your son/daughter? (2) v A range of subject specific support sessions both at lunch and after school for students who need additional help. v Work with students who do not meet deadlines and establish good communication with home if a student falls behind.

21. 21 How will school support your son/daughter? (3) v Equip your son / daughter with the study skills they need to succeed. v Independent Learning and Revision Skills.

22. 22 How will I know what my child’s targets are and if they are progressing?

23. 23 Targets v Challenging targets are set for your son/daughter in all of the subjects they study. v It is very difficult to meet these targets in all subjects, but students should have aspirations to do so. v Targets/Estimates/Actual grades v Targets are set using prior attainment data v At GCSE targets are based on KS2 SATs levels in the core subjects

24. 24 TARGET SETTING KS2-KS4 v KS2 Level 5 will give targets of A and A* v KS2 Level 4 will give targets of B and C v KS2 Level 3 will give targets of D and E v KS2 below Level 3 will give targets of F and G v These targets are in line with Fischer Family Trust D v Some variation of this process occurs to take account of performance at KS3

25. 25 REPORTING v A report card will be issued at the end of November showing targets and estimated grades v A full written report will be issued in July 2012 v There is a Y10 parents’ evening in March 2012 to enable you to discuss progress with subject teachers

26. 26 Getting the most from Key Stage 4.

27. 27 What can the pupils do? Get organised! Make sure they have…  A course outline / syllabus (Most departments have these on the school’s VLE).  A full set of notes with no gaps.  An organised set of notes.  Review their notes regularly.  An up-to-date record of homeworks set.  The dates and times of their exams.  Any books or equipment that will be needed in the run to exams.

28. 28 What can the pupils do?

29. 29 What can help?  Revision Guides – ask the teacher’s advice before buying.  Past Exam Papers.  Websites. Use the school’s VLE which will contain information and links to revision and past papers.

30. 30 Revision resources for Year 11 on the VLE

31. 31 Revision advice, tips, blank revision timetables, advice for parents.

32. 32 Links to revision websites and free mindmapping software.

33. 33

34. 34 What can parents/carers do? Make sure they are working hard and doing all the things we have already mentioned.

35. 35 What can parents/carers do? But also make sure that… … they get the balance right.

36. 36 What can parents/carers do? Feeling Stressed? v Take a break – 5 minutes every hour (fresh air) v Stop working and look properly at what needs to be done (write lists, prioritise and gain perspective). v Be efficient with their time (switch off the TV and Facebook). v Set a time to finish work and stick to it. v Do other things. v Help them to keep things in perspective (set targets that are realistic and achievable).

37. 37 What can parents/carers do? Student ParentSchool