1. YEAR 9 SUPPORTING SUCCESS EVENING
Wednesday 28 November 2018 ‘A Marathon not a Sprint’

2. MATTHEW VELLENSWORTH ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL – YEAR 9 LINK

3. AIMS To provide information regarding core subjects
To provide access to specific course guidance

4. ATTENDANCE 90% Attendance is equal to 1 day missed per fortnight.
1 school year at 90% - 4 weeks of lessons missed.
5 years of secondary school at 90% is half a school year missed.
Research shows that 17 missed days per year = 1 GCSE grade dropped in every subject.
A student with 95% attendance would have a 73% chance of achieving 5 A*-C grades at GCSE.
A student below 90% attendance would have a 27% chance of achieving 5 A*-C grades at GCSE.
Any student under 95% is a concern.
If you achieve 100% attendance – 190 days, a student still gets days off!

5. Learning Lost Each Year
LATENESS=LOST LEARNING
Minutes Late Each Day
Learning Lost Each Year
5 Minutes Late
3 Days Lost
10 Minutes Late
6.5 Days Lost
15 Minutes Late
10 Days Lost
20 Minutes Late
13 Days Lost
30 Minutes Late
19 Days Lost

6. MAKING ROUTINES Start now!
Homework – create a routine about when to complete it
Use the 5 revision techniques
Be organised – work done in Y9 is preparation for GCSEs

7. MRS LINDSEY GOODE HEAD OF ENGLISH

8. AIMS
To offer support to you (parents/carers) in helping your child to achieve their potential in English
To provide further information and guidance for parents/carers regarding English GCSEs in Year 9
To answer any questions you may have

9. THE COURSE Two GCSEs – English Language and English Literature
Everything studied in Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 will be examined at the end of Year 11
Revision, organisation and an early start are key aspects in achieving success

10. ENGLISH LANGUAGE Two papers both lasting 1 hours and 45 minutes
Section A will deal with analysis of fictional and non-fictional extracts
Section B Involves descriptive, narrative writing and functional writing
More exam-specific teaching will start in Y10, but all of the skills work done in Y9 will help with the understanding of these papers

11. ENGLISH LITERATURE There are two papers
Copies of the set texts we study for GCSE English Literature will be able to purchase from School over the coming weeks
There are two papers
Paper 1 lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes and students answer questions on ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare and ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens
Paper 2 lasts 2 hours and 15 minutes. Students answer one question on ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B. Priestley, one on poetry from an anthology, and two on unseen poems

12. YEAR 9 COURSE CONTENT
Detailed study of 19th Century Fiction and Non-Fiction Texts – This helps develop skills and prepare them for A Christmas Carol, Macbeth and Language Paper 2.
Macbeth – This is long and complicated text and starting in Y9 and then revisiting the text allows for skills to be taught, the plot to be embedded and the development of characters and themes to be explored.
Approaches to Poetry – students have to study 15 poems and tackle an unseen poem for GCSE English Literature. These have to be remembered and understood. By learning a few poems at a time they can be explored in detail and fully understood.
Writing Skills – Students will develop their skills in creative writing and writing with a viewpoint in preparation for their English Language exams at the end of Year 11.

13. HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT YOUR CHILD?
Talk about texts your child is studying at school – Revision guides, film/on-stage interpretations and online revision videos are readily available
Encourage your child to read (and re-read) the texts for the exams
Encourage a wide range of reading (newspapers, fiction, magazines – anything!) and talk to your child about what they have read
Practise writing at speed

14. USEFUL WEBSITES https://www.senecalearning.com

15. We are always here to answer any questions and to listen to important information about your child. Thank you very much for your continued support

16. MR MICHAEL STEER HEAD OF MATHS

17. GCSE MATHS HAS NEW CONTENT!
Many of the old Grade B higher GCSE topics are now part of foundation GCSE and will be Grade For example:
Standard form x 102
Trigonometry SOH CAH TOA
Factorising quadratics! x2 - 5x + 6 = (x-2)(x-3) Sector area and arc length

18. YEAR 9 OVERVIEW 5 lessons per week
Approximately 40% of content taught for first time
Regular assessment in class and through weekly homework
Formal assessments termly, in a style that mirrors GCSE
All results will be analysed to determine whether students are on track to succeed
Full feedback given to students to identify strengths and development areas

19. SUPPORTING STUDENTS Thursday night study club Maths office Equipment
Homework completion
A positive environment to study
Revision Guides
Websites and Apps

20. WEBSITES & APPS Studymaths.co.uk MrBartonmaths.com Hegartymaths.com
Revisionmaths.com
BBC Bitesize
PiXL Maths App

21. MRS BELINDA SMITH HEAD OF SCIENCE
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” Charles Darwin

22. YEAR 9 SCIENCE Every student in Year 9 must take GCSEs in Science.
There are two alternative courses that your child is already following:
GCSE Combined Science (Trilogy). It is equivalent to 2 GCSEs. The course has components of all three science subjects
Or separate science which will lead to GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics i.e. 3 GCSEs. (Triple)

23. TRILOGY vs TRIPLE There is no coursework for either route
The only form of assessment will be exams at the end of Year 11. This is not a race
You will have to complete 6 exams in each route
The content is very similar for each route. The triple route contains more detail about the same topics
From both courses you can progress to Science A-level and sit either HT or FT papers.

24. GCSEs in chemistry, Biology and Physics
HOW DO THEY DIFFER?
GCSE Trilogy
GCSEs in chemistry, Biology and Physics
How many GCSEs? 2 3
How many hours of Science will I have per week? 4 6
How many exams will I sit at the end of Year 11?
How long is each exam?
1 hour 15 minutes
1 hour 45 minutes
How much does each exam contribute to my final grade?
16.7%
50%

25. THINGS TO NOTE – THE MARATHON
The maths content has increased in all subjects. The physics papers have 23 equations to learn and use. Having a calculator is vital
There are required practical experiments. Being present in school when these take place to learn the techniques is also essential. The students will be given links to resources and video clips demonstrating these competencies
The content has increased and has become harder. Revise right from the start of year 9. All subsequent exams will revisit work completed in previous years

26. FURTHER HELP Your teachers Specification and revision guides
WTM (walking talking mocks)
Youtube
Subscription to my-GCSEscience – if this has been missed, it will be relaunched in year 10
Primrose Kitten hour long video clips covering the whole of the GCSE

27. OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES AQA current specification papers (Trilogy)
/assessment-resources
AQA Biology current specification papers
resources
AQA specification
Edmodo
Apps e.g.
Free science lessons (youtube)

28. MORE INFORMATION
If you need any more information please a member of the science faculty or Mrs Smith.

29. MATTHEW VELLENSWORTH ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL – YEAR 9 LINK

30. PiXL INDEPENDENCE
PIXL Independence is a bank of student booklets that you can use for a wide range of subjects to support your revision and areas identified for development in class.
It’s independent work so you can complete as much as you like outside of lessons.
PIXL school number:
Ossett student password: Indep163
Select ‘Years 10 & 11 GCSE’ and then select your subject(s)