How you can support?
Check Go for Schools regularly
Make sure homework is being completed after school
Check books and read through work
Ask questions
Making sure students are properly equipped
Support in school
All staff emails available online
Parents evening
HOY performance clinic
Revision sessions at lunch and after school
Learning for Life
Well being
Science - Revision guides can be purchased from the prep room
Triple science - three individual revision guides (£3 each)
Double - one revision guide (£3.50)
Geography - Field trip to Norfolk in March
Information on cost out later in the year
Revision guide included into the price of trip
MFL - Weekly homework to learn vocabulary.
Followed by a weekly vocabulary, grammar or translation test.
Students will be using the vocabulary express. Please encourage the use of the at home.
Importance of Attendance
Students must be in school every
day
If off for illness, students should
email the class teacher and catch
up before the next lesson
Parents to key evening
New form
Y10 Booklet - Website
Grades
Revision guidance
Key Dates
Exam specification - Head of Department, exam details
Key dates - Roadmap
November - Performance clinics
21st February - Parents evening
26th-29th March - Geography field trip
2nd-9th May - Internal exams
GCSEs: overhaul means results are ‘incomparable to previous years’
2017 Results
Threshold measure 2015 2016 2017
5A*-C inc Eng and
Maths 73% 80% 76%
2+ A*-C inc Science 75% 84% 81%
Ebac 41 32 34
SBAS 2017 Headlines – New Grades 1-9
Attainment 8 - Average per student is 5.7 which is between a grade A(7) and B (5.5)
76% of students gained level 4 and above in English and Maths
English
32% grade 7 (previous A grade) and above
9 students achieving grade 9 (national average is 3.2 - SBAS is 5.8%)
Maths
30% grade 7 (previous A grade) and above
8 students achieving grade 9 (national average is 3% - SBAS is 5%)
New Climate Parent Fact sheet
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/626681/GCSE_Factsheet_parentFormatted1.pdf
The main conversion points are as follows: Grades 4 and higher are equivalent to grades C and above. Grades A and A*
are being replaced by numerical grades 7, 8 and 9
Steve:
YR12 Student
● In the summer of 2016 he took GCSEs in:
-English Language
-Maths
-Additional Science
-Spanish
-RE
-Resistant Materials
-History
-Drama
● He already had GCSEs from the previous summer in:
-English Literature
-Core Science
GCSE Assessment in YR 11 for Steve -English Language - One 2¼hr exam worth 60% of assessment, plus 40% CA
- Maths - Two 1¾ hr exams
-Science - Three 1 hr exams (75%), plus ISA (25%)
-Spanish - One 50 min exam (20%), one 40 min exam (20%), plus 60%CA
-PRE - Two 1½ hrs exams
-Product Design - One 2hr exam worth 40% of assessment, plus 60% CA
-History - One exam 2 hrs (45%) and one exam 1½ hr (30%), plus 25% CA
-Drama - No exam, 100% practical assessment with written elements
Total number of exam - 13
Total exam length - 18 hrs
Year 11 summer exams represent 49% of total GCSE assessment
Steph:
Currently year 10 ● In the summer of 2019 she will take GCSEs in:
- English Language
- English Literature
- Maths
- Combined Science
- Spanish
- PRE
- Product Design
- History
- Drama
GCSE Assessment in Y11 for Steph
● In the summer of 2019 she will take GCSEs in:
- English Language - Two 1¾ hr exams
- English Literature - One 2¼ hr exam, one 1¾ hr exam
- Maths - Three 1 hr exams
- Combined Science - Six 1¼ hr exams
- Spanish - One 45 min exam, one 1hr exam, one 1¼ hr exam plus 25% NEA
- PRE - Two 1¾ hr exams
- History - Two 1 hr exams
- Drama - One 1½ hr exam (40%), plus 60% NEA
Total number of exams - 22
Total exam length - 33 hrs
Year 11 summer exam represent 86.5% of total GCSE assessment
Key messaging for students
● Grade 4 equivalent to a low to medium grade C, the threshold for a level 2
qualification.
● A grade 5 is broadly equivalent to a high C to low B.
● Fewer students are expected to get a grade 9 than previously got and A*
● Employers and post 16 providers encouraged to ask for a 4 where they would
have asked for a C
● A level study
● University
Go 4 Schools - Targets
Regular monitoring of progress, homework and attendance.
Targets – They will be targets for the End of Y11. They are aspirational.
Reports are created and published on go4Schools after each half term
Some reports include data only
Twice a year reports include brief comments from subject teachers – what is going well, what needs to improve
and targets
One report, towards the end of the year, will include a character report from a student’s form tutor
All reports include a current grade (where your child currently is) which is colour coded to show if they are on track
or not. They also include an attitude to learning (ATL) grade.
Behaviour points - You will be emailed and have to then log into Go4schools to see more detail.
Post 16 Pathways
Students need the equivalent of at least 5 4 grades to enter the sixth form
Average GCSE
Points
Curriculum Paths Length of Course Sixth Form Course
6 or above in
most subjects
Pathway 1 2 Year 3 A levels may also include and EPQ or a
4th A level
Mixture of 5s
with a few 6s
Pathway 2 2 Year A mixture of 1 or 2 A Levels and 1 or 2 of
the technical subjects listed below.
Mainly 4s with
some 5s
Pathway 3 2 Year OCR Technicals in ICT or Business
Studies
BTEC Sport, BTEC Health and Social
Care some of these may be the equivalent
of more than 1 A level
GCSE English/Maths re-sit if needed
Why choose Simon Balle Sixth Form?
● Range of subjects for all abilities at level 4
● Designated support for all students
● Opportunities for extra curricular and involvement around school
● More autonomy but still with the support network you are used to at SBS
● Own area that has sections for silent or group study plus your own coffee
shop