1. Key Stage 3 Year 7 Information Evening
Nicola Fareham
Head of Department
Chris Gibson
KS4 Coordinator
Kate Wayman
KS3 Co-ordinator

2. Why do we have an information evening?
To keep you informed of the changes nationally to GCSE exams.
To keep you informed of the key dates this year:
-Parents evenings
-Assessments
To explain how we set homework and what our expectations are.
To show you what you should see in your child’s book.
To inform you of what your child can do in order to be ready to learn.

3. The New GCSE and how it will affect your child
Instead of the traditional A*-G grades, they will be numbered 1-9.
Students will be placed in classes following pathways from Year 7 through to Year 11 on these new levels.
New Mathematics topics have been introduced into the syllabus to allow students to access better opportunities after school.
Students are either working towards the Foundation (1-5) or Higher (4-9) exam depending on their ability. The tier they sit will not be determined until the end of year 10, but may possibly still change in year 11.

4. Maths GCSE Changes
All students sitting their GCSE Maths exams from 2017 will be following a new curriculum. It will be a linear specification with students having one sitting at the end of year 11.
2 calculator papers and 1 non-calculator.
Broader and deeper mathematical content.
Designed to be more rigorous to allow stretch and challenge for both Higher and Foundation students

5. Grading
A similar proportion of students will achieve a grade 4 and above as currently achieve a grade C and above.
A similar proportion of students will achieve a grade 7 and above as currently achieve an A and above.
For each examination, the top 20 per cent of those who get grade 7 or above will get a grade 9 – the very highest performers.
The bottom of grade 1 will be aligned with the bottom of grade G.

6. Grading
Grade 5 will be positioned in the top two thirds of the marks for a current Grade C and bottom third of the marks for a current Grade B. This will mean it will be of greater demand than the present grade C, and broadly in line with what the best available evidence tells us is the average performance in countries such as Finland, Canada, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
The new maths GCSE will be tiered, with grades 4 and 5 available through both tiers.

8. Grading Ofqual Chief Regulator Glenys Stacey said
“We do need to caution against direct comparisons and overly simplistic descriptions of the approach. For example, it is not right to say simply that a new grade 4 will equal a current grade C.”

9. Year 7 Setting
Students in year 7 will be set into four levels this year:
-Set 1
- Set 2 and 3 mixed
- Set 4, 5 and 6 mixed
- Set 7
These levels have been decided based upon students’ attainment levels in year 6 and will be monitored throughout year 7. They will be grouped into these four levels in year 7 and year 8.
Research from the Education Endowment Foundation shows that mixed ability setting in Mathematics is the most effective for all but the most able and those who require additional support to meet age related expectations.

10. Year 7 Scheme of Work
To prepare students for the demands of the new GCSE we are beginning to use a Mastery scheme of work.
Students will spend a lot longer on each topic than in previous years.
Rather than accelerating students on to content from the next key stage, the focus will be on students developing a deeper understanding of each topic and being able to apply their knowledge to solve problems.

11. Year 7 Scheme of Work 𝟏 𝟑 + 𝟏 𝟐 𝟏 𝟑 + 𝟏 𝟐 = 𝟐+𝟑 𝟔 = 𝟓 𝟔 Example
𝟏 𝟑 + 𝟏 𝟐
𝟏 𝟑 + 𝟏 𝟐 = 𝟐+𝟑 𝟔 = 𝟓 𝟔
Smile and a Kiss Method

12. Year 7 Scheme of Work 𝟏 𝟑 + 𝟏 𝟐 𝟏 𝟐 = 𝟑 𝟔 So 𝟐 𝟔 + 𝟑 𝟔 = 𝟓 𝟔 Example
𝟏 𝟑 + 𝟏 𝟐
𝟏 𝟑 = 𝟐 𝟔
𝟏 𝟐 = 𝟑 𝟔
So 𝟐 𝟔 + 𝟑 𝟔 = 𝟓 𝟔

13. Year 7 Scheme of Work
Example

14. Testing
Students have just completed a baseline assessment so that we have a better idea of their starting point. We may make some changes based on these. They will be assessed again during the year. This will allow both the student and teacher to see where progress has been made and intervention to be put in place with appropriate students.

15. Year 7 Test Dates
All students in year 7 will be sitting the following assessments this year:
Week beginning 4th January 2016
Week beginning 4th April 2016
End of year assessment in June 2016
There will be other tests scheduled throughout the year.
After each test we will look at the setting levels and decide if there are any students who need to change groups.

16. Praising Stars
We will use previous levels and the assessments throughout the year to make predictions for Praising Stars reports.
We will now be predicting grades for the end of year 11, rather than for the end of KS3. Please be aware that these are long term predictions and could change dramatically between now and the end of year 11.

17. Intervention
One to one intervention – any student who is not showing progress from their most recent assessment is selected for one to one tuition which takes place during the school day.
After school enrichments – all teachers offer at least one hour per week to support with homework, classwork or consolidate classwork with extra practice.

18. Intervention
Some students are also given extra help with maths in small groups during VMG time.
This is once a week and the students are chosen for this based on KS2 results. This will be reviewed throughout the year.
There will be a peer mentoring scheme running this year where students from year 11, 12 and 13 provide extra help for younger students. There is a meeting about this in U3 straight after this presentation.

19. Homework
Homework is set on a weekly basis and students will have one week to complete it. Homework will usually be set using To access mymaths you need to use the login outwood and password congruent. Each student then has their own individual login and password. Every teacher runs at least one enrichment per week where students can seek help if they are struggling with their homework.

20. Homework Policy Maths homework is set in line with Academy policy.
Each piece of homework must be completed by a given deadline. If students do not manage this, they will be given an extension. If they then do not complete the homework by the extended deadline they will be issued with a detention (which will be recorded on a sticker in their planner).
Students need to achieve over 70% on their homework. Catch ups are always on to help students achieve this.
Students are only allowed one extended deadline in maths per praising stars cycle, and any homework detention for incomplete homework will result in an E3 for that cycle.

21. Rock Star Times Tables

22. What can students do? Come prepared to every Be ready to learn lesson:
Make all appropriate notes
Complete all classwork
Use correct equipment (e.g. draw diagrams with pencil and ruler)
Ensure all homework is completed on time
Book
Scientific calculator
Pen
Pencil
Ruler
Planner

23. Parents’ Evenings Tuesday 20th October Tuesday 15th December
Tuesday 2nd February
Tuesday 15th March
Others to be confirmed.

24. Any Questions? Workshop in U1 and U6
Thanks for listening
Any Questions?
Workshop in U1 and U6