1. 2017 Year 9 curriculum evening

2. How are we doing?
Mrs C. Fyvie-Rae
Year Leader for Year 9

3. Key Dates 10th November - Year 9 Progress reports
2nd March Full reports published
22nd March - Parent evening
19th April – Meet the Tutor evening
20th April – All Options choices in
18th May - Short progress report
June- Confirmation of Options

4. Reports tomorrow
Progress: E - Exceeding expectations C – Confidently and securely meeting expectation M – Meeting expectations D - Developing (or emerging) U - Underachieving
Effort
1 - Exceptional effort
2 - Good effort
3 – Below expected effort
4 - Unacceptable level of effort

6. Mr A. Pullinger Assistant Year Leader for Year 9

7. Attendance and results
Taken from Westgate’s cohort:
Attendance Group
9-4 English &Maths
100%
95-99%
90-95%
Below 90%
96.4%
89.9%
80.8%
41.7%

8. 90% attendance = ½ day missed every week!!
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thur
Fri ?
Absent half a day every week

9. 1 school year at 90% attendance = 4 whole weeks of lessons MISSED!!!
Lets look a little closer…..
1 school year at 90% attendance = 4 whole weeks of lessons MISSED!!!
Sept July ?
38 school weeks
Absent for 4 weeks

10. ½ a year absent from school
90% attendance over 5 years of secondary school….
= ½ a school year missed!
Sept July Y7 Y8 Y9
½ a year absent from school
Y10
Y11

11. How can you support your child with their attendance?
Requests for absence during term time – Mr Jeckels, Upper School Leader, or Mrs Dean, Head Teacher
Please let your child’s tutor know if your child is going to be absent from school for any significant period of time for medical reasons. Please provide medical documents. We can then co-ordinate support.
Complete the absence slip in the back of the Learning Handbooks. The tutor will then feed this back to the Year Leader/Attached House Leader.
Avoid absence from school wherever possible – try to make doctors and dental appointments out of school hours.

12. How we support you and your child with their attendance
Tutors will be calling home if there are any issues with punctuality (non-transport related).
We are legally bound to investigate any attendance that drops below 95%.
Weekly review, which will lead to talking to parents.
We are duty bound to follow the Hampshire County Council Code of Conduct for legal intervention relating to term time absence.
Any questions please do not hesitate to contact me via –

13. An overview of the GCSE syllabus
Peter Hurley (Assistant Headteacher)

14. GCSE examination changes
The Government have reviewed and altered the GCSE curriculum with the aim of increasing rigour and developing higher levels of literacy and numeracy skills of young people; to better prepare them for employability and lifelong learning.
There will be an emphasis on pupils acquiring essential knowledge in English, Maths and Sciences.
Top score pupils have a deeper understanding of each subject, breadth of knowledge and its application to the wider world.
Coursework has been very much reduced, majority of subjects have 1 tier of exam entry

15. New GCSE Grade Old GCSE Grade 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
What are the grades?
New GCSE Grade
Old GCSE Grade 9 A* 8 7 A 6 B 5 C 4 3 D 2 E 1
F & G

16. Impact on pupils
Targets will still be a range – e.g. 6-8 based upon KS2 data and expected progress from that point Grade 9 is given to the top 20% of grades above a 7 Broadly same proportion of pupils will achieve a Grade 4 as currently achieve a C No grade boundaries for subjects currently published

17. Further subject information
All the information linked here can be found on our website under ‘Reporting and Assessment’
Year 9 Curriculum Document includes all the relevant assessment information.

18. Options we drop from 6 choices down to 4

19. YEAR 9 English Maths Science PE Options including : RE within CPR MFL
Geo or His
3 free choices
Year 10 & 11
English
Maths
Science PE
Options x 4
MFL – preferred
Like Humanities subject

20. Biff Year 9 Takes: RE French History Product Design Art Drama Year 10
Keeps: RE
French
History
Product Design

21. Chip Year 9 Takes: RE Spanish Geography History Media Photography
Keeps:
Spanish
Geography
History
photography

22. Pupil and subject teacher views
Option choices 2017
John Smith 9 GBh
Subject
progress
Pupil and subject teacher views
Provisional choice
Final choice
Media RE
French
Drama
Art
Food
I really enjoy this, teacher says will suit me for next year 1 1
Not really enjoying, teacher says I am doing well though 5 2 2 3 4 5 6 6 3 4

23. Refining their choices
Consider….
Where have they experienced success?
What subjects have they enjoyed?
Which courses have piqued their interest or met their personal needs?
How will they cope with exams?
Local College Websites
Peter Symonds College:
Barton Peveril:
BCOT:
Eastleigh College:
Sparsholt College: Andover College:

24. Year 9 English Mrs Edwards
A year of enrichment and preparation for GCSE
Exam board - AQA

25. Overview of GCSE exams in English Language and English Literature Exam board: AQA
GCSE English Language:
Paper 1 explorations in creative reading and writing
Paper 2 writers’ views and perspectives
GCSE English Literature
Paper 1 Shakespeare and the nineteenth century novel
Paper 2 modern texts and poetry

26. The English Curriculum
Autumn 1
A study of American literature:
‘Of Mice and Men’, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ or ‘The Crucible’
Autumn 2
Creating a Distinctive Voice: poetry and creative writing

27. Spring Term A study of a GCSE set text: ‘Macbeth’
by William Shakespeare

28. Preparation for the Year 9 exam May 2018: English Language Paper 2 GCSE style paper – Intrepid Explorers

30. How can you help prepare for this exam?
Now:
encourage the reading of a range of texts:
online and traditional news articles, autobiographies, biographies, magazines and blogs;
Good to tackle challenging texts and discuss viewpoints and perspectives presented;
Nearer the exam:
revision of exam technique;
how to structure an answer;

31. Summer Term GCSE Spoken Language presentation: a discrete GCSE accreditation
Distinction
Merit
Pass
A life skill
Own choice of subject

32. Information from the Maths & Digital Studies Faculty
Maths Mr Hemingway
Information from the Maths & Digital Studies Faculty
Exam board - AQA

33. mathematics curriculum
MASTERY OF MATHEMATICS
Mathematical reasoning & Problem solving
Memorise formula
Trigonometry in Foundation
Venn diagrams and set theory
Introduction to calculus and functions of functions in Higher
The exams offer more challenge to pupils.

34. Implications
All pupils need scientific calculators with trig functions (Eg. sin, cos & tan)
More pupils will be entered for the Foundation Tier as it goes up to level 5
More intermediate groups
With pathways to go from foundation to higher throughout KS4 right up to Easter in year 11.

35. Mrs Cescatti Assistant Faculty Leader - Science
Exam board - AQA

36. (3 separate GCSE grades)
Course choices
Combined Science Trilogy
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Double Award
(worth 2 GCSE grades)
Triple Science
(3 separate GCSE grades)

37. At the end of each topic there is a short test carried out in lesson.
Routes through
Term
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Autumn
Fundamental Biology
Fundamental Chemistry
Fundamental Physics
Spring
GCSE syllabus teaching commences with elements of Biology, Chemistry and Physics covered by all classes (11 topics)
Summer
KS3 transition topics
At the end of each topic there is a short test carried out in lesson.
At the end of each term there is a longer test covering all the topics covered that term.

38. Structure of the Course
All pupils are following the same curriculum which will enable them to undertake the separate Sciences (Triple award) or the Combined Science Trilogy (Double Award).
Pupils who have excelled throughout the year and show great aptitude will be transitioned into a provisional triple groups at the start of year 10.
Decisions between Triple and Double award will be made at the end of the year 10, but pupils will have flexibility to change groupings after the mock exams of year 11.

39. Challenges
The majority of Scientific formulae need to be memorised for the exams, only a few are provided on an equation sheet.
Far greater emphasis on maths skills (20% across all three sciences) with a noticeably larger amount in Physics (30%).
Skills which were assessed during controlled assessment will be assessed within exams, this includes a scientific understanding of a set of ‘required practicals’.
Pupils need to take responsibility for trialling and developing a range of revision strategies.

40. Support Online textbook ‘Kerboodle’ which all pupils have access to
‘Educake’ – on line testing resource
e-chalk, via the schools’ VLE in the library section, lots of Scientific simulations and interactive activities.
Twig - a video clip database
Drop in sessions:
Monday and Wednesday (8:00-8:30am) and Wednesday (3:05-4:00pm)
Revision guides

41. Initial of forename, then surname
Usual password
jl9

42. twigscience