YEAR 10 & 11 PARENTS’

INFORMATION EVENING

2011

PARENTAL INFORMATION EVENING

• To re-enforce strong links between home and school

• To inform you of what’s going on• To focus on how you can support your

child’s learning• To ensure you know where to get

support• To raise any issues

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Provisional : 2011 Examination

Performances

• A level (year 13)UCAS pt. av. 329 (2010 312)

Subject point average 102 (2010: 96)99% Pass rate59% Passes at grades A*-B (2010 51%)

• AS Level (year 12)Subject point average 39 (2010: 39)Student point average 137 (2010: 130)A-D % 83 (2010: 83)

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTProvisional : 2011 Examination

Performances

• GCSE : 88.8 % 5+ A*-C (87.9 %)

inc. Eng & Maths 75.7% (78%)

( Boys: 66.4 %; Girls: 84.7%)

( Boys:77%; Girls:79%)

99% 5+ A*-G (97%)

• % of passes at grade A/A* 28% (31%)

KEY ISSUES 2011/12

• Raising student achievement with a particular emphasis on boys‘ achievement.

• Raising student self-esteem and participation

• Independent learning• Further development of the VLE • Improving attendance • Ofsted Inspection?

Calendar dates for Year 10• Year 10 Interim reports .. Nov. 25th

• Parents’ Evening 21st March**

• Internal Exams April 16th to 20th

• External GCSE exams including Statistics, Science, Fast Track PE & History .. May/June

• Full end of year reports June 29th

Calendar Dates for year 11• Mock exams 21st – 25th Nov.• Sixth form information evening 12th

December• Exam results and predicted grades sent

home early January 2012• Parents’ Evening 12th January 2012• Full reports sent 16th March 2012• GCSE exams begin early May

Exams …• Exam timetables will be on the web site

approximately 4 weeks before the exam season

• Students will receive their own timetable via their form tutor around Feb/March.. Please keep in a safe place!

• Parents will receive correspondence via email advising of exam procedure.

Subjects• MFL: the writing and oral components in the GCSE

syllabus each constitute 30% of the final grade ie; combined 60%. Students need to prepare thoroughly for controlled assessments, especially speaking. It is critical that year 10/11 students follow the advice of their teachers and prepare thoroughly for both writing and speaking assessments if they are to achieve their target grade.

• Child Development & Food ..between June of year 10 and February half term of year 11 students will do 45 hours of controlled assessment tasks which must be done under teacher supervision.

Subjects

0% In some subjects there will be no controlled assessment at all eg. mathematics, religious studies

25% In other subjects controlled assessment will be 25%

eg business studies, English literature, geography, history, statistics.

60% In some subjects, mostly practical subjects the controlled assessment will be as high as 60% eg applied business, art and design, construction, dance, design and technology, drama, English language, ICT, modern foreign languages, music, physical education.

Year 10 Science

• Board: AQA Science A or Biology, Chemistry or Physics

• Two courses being offered, Double or Triple

• Triple is being offered to sets 1&2 in both half year groups.

• Everyone has access to ‘kerboodle’ a comprehensive online resource.

Double in year 10

• Students will complete one GCSE by the end of year 10 named Core Science GCSE.

• Biology, Chemistry and Physics are studied as discreet subjects which are examined in May/June.

• A practical exam called an ISA is worth 25% of this GCSE.

• The practical exam will be taking place in Science lessons the week preceding and proceeding October half term.

Triple in year 10

• Students will complete three GCSE’s over two years.

• They will obtain three separate GCSE’s in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

• Again a practical exam for each subject will be taken and for triple they are likely to be in May/June.

TRIPLE in year 10

• Each GCSE has three externally assessed units, units 1, 2 and 3 and they are worth 25% each. The first of these will be assed in Jan 2012.

• Students cannot drop a Science subject and will continue with all three Sciences even if they are in triple.

Year 11 Science

• Board: AQA Additional Science, Additional Applied Science and Separate Science GCSE’s (legacy)

• Four pathways: Separate (fast track), Separate (triple option), Additional and Additional Applied.

• All students have been issued textbooks for their appropriate course.

Separate Science (fast track)

• Fast track students have an opportunity to re-sit their module 2’s in January. Students have been given their re-sit forms to take home.

• Fast track students will sit a unit 3 (scaled down) mock in November. They will also take an ISA in the preliminary exams. They will sit their final exams in May/June of their year 11.

Separate Science (Triple Option)

• Triple Option students will take their unit 2’s in Januaray and will receive their results in March.

• They will perform a unit 2 mock in their preliminary exams alongside an ISA.

• Finally they will sit their unit 3’s alongside the fast track students in May/June.

Additional Science

• Students study Biology, Chemistry and Physics discreetly. They will undertake three unitised exams in May/June.

• They will take an ISA in their preliminary’s as well as a scaled down unit 2.

• They will obtain a GCSE in Additional Science at the end of year 11.

Additional Applied Science• This course has 60% of it’s content assessed

internally.• Unit 1- Science in the workplace• Unit 2- Science at work – sports science, forensics

science & food science.• Unit 3 – A scientific investigation• Unit 2 is the only examined unit and that will be sat in

May/June. • Unit 1 is worth 25% and the deadline for this piece of

work is December (set by individual teachers)• Students studying this GCSE will obtain a GCSE in

additional Applied.

Controlled Assessments

… have now taken the place of coursework!!

Controlled AssessmentIn June 2008 there was a review of coursework and as a result Controlled Assessment was introduced

Increased control over:-• the setting of tasks • the preparation of tasks• How/where the tasks are to be completed

What is involved? • Task setting – teachers can choose from a

wide range of tasks set by awarding bodies, which can be contextualised to suit local circumstances. Arrangements will differ by subject, with some subjects allowing centres to set tasks.

Task preparation***• The general pattern will be a period of

preparation and research mostly based in class followed by the taking of a task or range of tasks under supervision. The degree of supervision will vary with practical subjects having more informal supervision and non practical ones having formal supervision

• Exact timetable will be on the website

What is involved? • Task taking – there are several levels

(and types) of supervision under which assessment can take place, depending on the skills involved; generally this will be done by subject teachers in regular lesson time

• Task marking – awarding bodies provide mark schemes or criteria.

Where/when will it happen?

Controlled assessment is designed to take place within the normal teaching timetable, for example in the classroom, lab or workshop. There may be occasions, however, when it is more appropriate or convenient to have all students in a larger venue under close supervision, but this will be the exception.

How attendance affects exam results.

• % Attendance % of students who achieved 5 or more A* - C GCSEs Inc Maths & English

• 96 – 100% 92.4% 87.12%

• 91 – 95% 91.25% 76.25%

• 90 – 85% 81.48% 59.26%

• Below 85% 70% 55%

• School Average 88% 78%

This is Simone. She is in Year 10 and has 90% attendance.

• Is that good?

• What does this mean?

Simone thinks this is pretty good, so do her parents

90% attendance = ½ day missed every week

(Would your boss like you to be off work this much??). That’s practically part time!

Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri

?

Absent half a day every week

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

Research suggests that 17 missed school days a year = GCSE grade

DROP in achievement. (DfES)

The greater the attendance the greater the achievement.

Maximising Potential

Develop a study ethos• Place, model behaviour, review, study timetable,

routine.

• So much to learn and so little time to do it!-• Learning, Four Steps to success - Understand,

Condense, Memorise and Review

• Understanding- theme, main idea and details• Titles, paragraphing, repetition and connections• ‘I keep six honest serving men, the taught me all I knew

Their names are WHAT and WHY and WHEN and HOW and WHERE and WHO’- Rudyard Kipling

Maximising Potential

• Condensing-the best bits– Flow diagrams– Bullet Points– Association maps

• Mixing logic and imagination– Language, numbers and sequencing – Pictures, rhythm and pictures

• Memorising– Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain– Method of Loci, journey– Peg words

Maximising Potential

• Review- strengthening learning– How to review, reading through/redrawing– How often, 10 mins down to 2 mins– How long, 30-45 mins, time management, study

timetable

• Exam Preparation– Revision, Key words,– Dealing with stress

Maximising Potential

• I don’t have any homework!- – Samlearning, Centre Number= wd23qs, Identification

and Password=dob + initials e.g. 120997ds– GCSE bitesize– VLE, Kaleidos Learning Platform, username=imahon,

Password sent or emailed. (klp@queens.herts.sch.uk)

• Review-the 3 R’s, review, revise and remember

CAREERS : YEAR 10

• There is a Careers unit in the Year 10 PSE programme. Students learn about the world of work, learn to put together a CV and have a group session with a Youth Connexions PA.

• Students are introduced to a careers programme called Kudos which can be accessed at home: www.cascaid.co.uk/kudos

• Also there is information on the school website just look in the careers subject area.

• Workshadowing for 2 days during Enrichment week. Forms for this will go home in March

CAREERS : YEAR 11• Careers unit in PSE where students are shown how to

access Careerscape (same user name and password as Kudos) and taught about Higher ideas.

• Every student in Year 11 will have an individual interview by a Youth Connexions PA (interview must be kept)

• Mock interviews beginning of February• Year 11 information evening for sixth form 12th

December• Apprenticeships and vocational training ‘It our Future’

careers fair will be held at Watford Football Club on 19th October from 5pm till 8pm.

STAFF EMAIL ADDRESSES

• Office office@queens.herts.sch.uk• Mrs Meldrum meldruwe@queens.herts.sch.uk• Mrs Clarke clarkeke@queens.herts.sch.uk• Miss Palmer palmersa@queens.herts.sch.uk• Mrs Serrao serraoca@queens.herts.sch.uk• Mrs Davies daviesch@queens.herts.sch.uk

• Heads of House:• Miss Besse (N) bessees@queens.herts.sch.uk• Mrs Griffiths (S) griffish@queens.herts.sch.uk• Mrs Ash (A) ashsa@queens.herts.sch.uk • Mr Swift (D) swiftmi@queens.herts.sch.uk

Times • ‘Parental support is eight times more

important in determining a child’s academic success than social class. Parental involvement can make the difference between an A* and a D grade at GCSE’ –

The Campaign for Learning