Dear Parents and Carers
As we approach the start of the GCSE exams, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support and collaboration. As you will be aware, the GCSE exams begin on Friday 2nd May and last for six weeks. I have met with the Year 11 students on Monday 28th April, to talk them through what will be happening in terms of lessons and exams over the coming weeks. Form Tutors are further reinforcing this information during registration.
Normal timetabled lessons will continue to run until all exams in a subject have been completed. Where possible, students will have a one-hour revision session either the day before, or the morning before sitting a GCSE exam. These revision sessions are compulsory and are highly beneficial to how your child performs in their exams. Students must attend all revision sessions in full school uniform and bring the correct equipment.
Where students have sat the final exam in a subject they will still attend a lesson for supervised study where they can revise for their other subjects. Students must be prepared and bring revision materials with them to these sessions. Appropriate materials may be revision cards, past exam papers, mark schemes, model answers and note paper or subject exercise books. Students need to be active in these sessions and not simply reading notes. As I have said to Year 11, time now should be spent on practicing answering questions a number of times. This will help them in recognising what a question requires, initiating their response with a correct answer that gains the marks available on the exam.
Click here to view the Exam and Revision Timetable. This will inform you when key revision sessions are taking place. Please familiarise yourself with the timetable. Form Tutors will be displaying the timetable for the week ahead during registration each morning. Period 6 sessions will also be continuing for subjects that are still to be examined
On Friday 13th June, all students will be sitting their Science exam at 09.00. Following this exam and break time, a Science Revision session will be held for all students during period 3 in preparation for the Science exam on Monday morning. Students who study subjects still to be examined in GCSE DT, Music or Spanish are to remain in school for revision session during period 4. If students do not study these subjects, they are free to leave school after the Period 3 Science revision lesson.
The last main exam that all students sit is the Science exam on Monday 16th June at 09.00. Only students still to sit remaining exams in GCSE DT, Music or Spanish are required to attend revision lessons as scheduled on the Exam Revision Timetable.
All students are invited to attend our Celebration Breakfast at 09.00 on Thursday 19th June in The Orangery and then the Leavers’ Service at 09.45 in the School Hall. This provides the final opportunity for students to join together as a year group.
At the Leavers’ Service, students must wear either their full school uniform or a slightly modified uniform. The modification is that students can wear a plain black top under their shirt and have their shirt unbuttoned so it can be signed. If a student decides to wear a plain black top under their shirt then a tie is not needed. If the young person would like to wear a skirt, then please can they wear black knee socks or black tights. If a young person is wearing trouser then please can they just wear their school trousers. Schools shoes are to be worn please – for the very last time! There will be time for the students to have their shirts signed – which they love. However, please remind students that any language or symbols on the shirts must be appropriate. If there is anything deemed inappropriate then the student will have to change and or will not be allowed to take part in the celebration.
The service will be a celebration of the students’ time in our school and will be a very memorable experience.
Many thanks for the role you are playing in encouraging your child to revise and succeed. Your child’s engagement with revision should have increased significantly over recent weeks with their revision continuing each evening through the exam period. As a guide, students should be spending two hours each evening preparing and revising for their exams. One of the best forms of revision is answering past examination papers and creating and reviewing summary notes/que cards/knowledge organisers. Please ensure that your son/daughter is active in their revision and revising several subjects each evening to ensure their revision is balanced. We appreciate that this can sometimes be overwhelming and it is important to chunk the revising and build in appropriate breaks. We are always here and happy to support in whatever capacity is needed.
I hope that results day on Thursday 21st August 2024 will be a rewarding day for your child. I wish them well in the weeks ahead and thank you for your support once again.
Yours faithfully
Mr J. Koltan
Deputy Headteacher