1. LITTLE HEATH SCHOOL An HPSS RAPP school Raising Achievement Partnership Programme KS4 Induction Evening for Y10 Parents Tuesday 13 October 2009

2. Aims of the evening To inform you about the structure of the new GCSE courses that your son or daughter is taking To explain the new style of coursework, the controlled assessment To give you information regarding modular examinations To outline some key dates and deadlines

3. Curriculum and Qualifications Nationally the majority of 16 year olds are expected to achieve at least 5A*-C grades including English & Mathematics Students at Little Heath take many more GCSEs (exact number varies) In Year 10 all assessment for 1 Science GCSE is completed and the short-course GCSE in Citizenship is taken and awarded In Year 11 all students who do not take ICT as an option choice will take an ICT qualification in place of Citizenship

4. Assessment Controlled Assessments Controlled assessments represent a huge change They replace coursework in all subjects except English Controlled assessments must be completed in school under ‘controlled’ conditions (for example, amount of time, restrictions on permitted help from teachers)

5. Assessment Y10 Controlled Assessments ContinuousArt; ICT; BTEC PE OctoberEnglish NovemberScience Data Analysis DecemberEnglish; Science Data Analysis JanuaryScience Case Study FebruaryFood, Resistant Materials, Graphics; Science Case Study MarchEnglish; Food, Resistant Materials, Graphics; Science Case Study AprilHistory; Geography; Physics MayHistory; Geography; Physics JuneEnglish; Geography; Physics JulyGCSE PE; Geography; Physics French and German have Speaking & Writing assessments in the fortnight either side of each half-term holiday. English = traditional coursework assignments Some subjects only have controlled assessments in Y11; there are no controlled assessments or coursework in Mathematics

6. Assessment Modular Examinations In the recent past all GCSEs were linear This meant all exams were taken at the end of Year 11 In recent years subjects like Maths and Science have become modular In the new specifications all subjects (except English and Drama) have modular exams* Your sons / daughters will have REAL exams that count towards their grades throughout their courses * Music not using modular exams during Y10 and 11 – all assessment towards end of the course

7. Assessment Y10 Modular Examinations Exam SeasonSubjectsResults November 2009MathsJan 2010 January 2010REScienceMarch 2010 BiologyChemistry March 2010Maths April 2010 May / June 2010BusinessCitizenshipScience August 2010 FoodGraphicsRE Resistant Materials MathsPhysics The school reserves the right to charge for re-sit and entries. Failure to attend for an examination will be charged unless the absence is covered by a medical certificate.

8. Assessment Y11 Modular Examinations Exam SeasonSubjects November 2010 Maths Resits January 2011HistoryScience?Y10 Re-sits BiologyChemistryPhysics March 2011Maths May / June 2011All English exams All other remaining exams Final re-sit opportunities The school reserves the right to charge for re-sit and entries. Failure to attend for an examination will be charged unless the absence is covered by a medical certificate.

9. Absence Absence from school during Key Stage 4 has always impacted badly on a student’s GCSE results Clearly NO holidays should be planned within school term dates throughout Years 10 and 11

10. ATTENDANCE COUNTS Research suggests that 17 days missed from school equates to a GCSE grade!

11. Introductory Review Grades These are being awarded by teachers from 12 – 16 October The Introductory Report comes home on Friday 6 November The grades will give you a chance to see how your son / daughter has settled in to his / her GCSE & BTEC courses, and whether teachers think (s)he is either exceeding expectations or under-achieving.

12. Academic Review Day This year Academic Review Day is on Friday 4 December This will be the ideal opportunity to discuss the Introductory Report with your son / daughter’s form tutor ( Of course never wait until then if you have significant concerns; contact the tutor or Miss Collins or our KS4 Secretary, Mrs. Morris at school )

13. Y10 Mock Exams These take place between 1 March and 12 March in most subjects They will give the students a chance to practice the skills required for success in papers taken in the summer of 2010 or in Year 11 At the start of May you will receive a summary data sheet containing mock results and predicted grades A full report including teacher comments comes home on Thursday 10 June The Parents’ Evening this year will be held on Thursday 24 June

14. Contact Details Head of Year T Collins tcollins@westberks.org Assistant Headteacher and KS4 LeaderK Button kbutton@westberks.org Key Stage 4 SecretaryA Morris amorris2@westberks.org Deputy Headteacher (Y10 link)G Dowling gdowling@westberks.org