Moving into Key Stage 4 Helping your child to get the best out of Year 10 (and 11).

Moving into Key Stage 4Helping your child to getthe best out of Year 10

(and 11).

Topics to be covered…→ How will Key Stage 4 be different toKey Stage 3?→ How will your child be assessed?→ Information from Maths, English, Modern Foreign Languages and Science→ Getting the balance right→ Key dates

KS4: Throughout Year 10 students will be assessed in a variety of ways including internal examinations.

At the end of Y11 students will sit an external exam in most subjects

Most subjects include an element of controlled assessment.

What is Controlled Assessment?

Controlled assessment has been introduced in some subjects in line with the new revised GCSE specifications.Controlled assessment is a form of internal assessment where the control levels are set for each stage of the assessment process. In some subjects, work will be marked by the awarding body. For most subjects however, work will be marked by the school and moderated by the awarding body.

Controlled assessment measures subject specific skills that may not necessarily be tested by formal exams. Subject specific information will be given out to students via subject teachers.

Dates for Controlled Assessments taking place during Y10 can be

found in the Parent/Carer Handbook, along with a course

outline for each subject.

How much is Controlled Assessment worth?

It varies from subject to subject and exam board to exam board.It is usually worth between 20 and 60 percent.

> Target grades are based on Fischer Family Trust estimates

> Progress from KS2

> Targets set in all subjects

> Targets reported through APs

Setting Target Grades

Attitude to Learning

This grade gives a description of your son/daughter’s approach to his/her learning.

The grade given is an indication of the types of attitude he/she displays.

It is a best-fit model and your son/daughter may not display all of the characteristics in the

category.

Attitude to Learning

There are four categories:1 – Outstanding2 – Good3 – Requires Improvement4 – Unacceptable

In some cases there may be a code attached to indicate specific areas of concern:Behaviour (B), Contribution to class (C), Organisation (O), Home Learning (H), Punctuality (P).

Progress

A colour coded system will now be used to communicate the progress being made:

Blue – above targetGreen – on targetAmber – just below targetRed - well below target

> 3 assessment points per year

> One written report

> One Parents’ Evening

APs and Reporting

Maths

Students will follow the Edexcel Linear Mathematics course (1MA0)

The course offers two tiers of entryHigher A*- DFoundation C – G

There are potential entries in June of Y10, November of Y11 and June of Y11

For most of our students they will follow the Higher level course for examination in June Y11 (2015)

Maths For students who are in the following groups then

early entry at the Foundation level is planned for the end of year 10 - RB, HTM, DH, JI

Internal assessment will identify whether students in other groups will require this opportunity

Once these students have achieved their C grade in Mathematics at Foundation level they will have the option of continuing on to the Higher level course or GCSE Statistics

Maths How can you support your son/daughter?

Homework

Equipment

Internal assessment preparation

Revision – My Maths, Mathswatch, Shared Drive

English Two GCSEs: Language & Literature

Both are combination of terminal assessment and controlled assessment

(Higher & Foundation Tiers offered: A*-E & C-G)

Language: 60% exam & 40 % CA (Speaking & Listening recorded separately)

Literature:75% exam & 25 % CA

English

Controlled Assessment

Unit 3 for Literature: Drama (25%)WB 24th March – Shakespeare or contemporary dramaWB 16th June – Shakespeare or contemporary dramaShakespeare 40 marks & Contemporary 16 marks

English

English

English Controlled AssessmentUnit 3 for Literature: Drama (25%)

WB 25th March – Shakespeare or contemporary WB 10th June – Shakespeare or contemporary

Shakespeare 15% & Contemporary 10%

A look ahead to Yr 11

Controlled assessment for Spoken Language

Literary Heritage Novel

Mock exams and preparation for all exam units

How you can help

How you can help Encourage wider reading – quality non-fiction

as well as fiction.Encourage an interest in current affairs.Take an interest – ask them what they’ve been

doing and what they have been learning to do.

Support our sanctions.

Modern Foreign Languages Controlled assessment exam dates for Year 10

Speaking and writing exams =

w/b 21st January and 28th January 2014 w/b 28th April and 5th May 2014

Top tips

1) MFL resources, time and space for homework

2) internet use

3) vocabulary and grammar (little and often)

4) controlled assessment preparation and learning

5) motivation

Science (for those not opting for separate

Sciences)

Edexcel Science GCSE• GCSE Science will be completed in Year 10 (during summer 2014)

• 4 Units of work; Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and controlled coursework, each worth 25%

• Exam dates are May 13th (Biology), May 15th (Chemistry), May 19th (Physics)

• No re-sits are available

• 3 key topic tests to monitor progress will occur during the year per subject

• 3 mock exams will be taken before Easter 2014

• Revision guides can be purchased for £4, covering the Year 10 and Year 11 courses

Science ( for those not opting for separate Sciences)

In Year 11, students will progress either to

• Additional Science GCSE

OR

• BTEC Applications of Science ( where a pass grade is equivalent to GCSE grade C)

Separate Sciences

Religious Studies

Examined at the end of year 11.

Two exams each lasting 2 hours.

We provide revision a revision guide and support resources of available on the Moodle.

PSHE & Citizenship work is combined within the RE syllabus.

Religious Studies

Philosophy of Religion Religious Ethics

Belief about Deity Medical EthicsEnd of Life Poverty and WealthGood and Evil Peace and JusticeReligion and Science Equality

Sex & Relationships, Drugs Education and Safety are taught as discreet sessions.

How can you help?> Offer help as a tester, reader, source of knowledge, buyer (of books)> Organise fun activities for them to reward their hard work> Offer praise and rewards> Work out time limits (for revision and social time)> Ensure they have a suitable place for study (a quiet place without distractions)

Revision Tips> revision cards> list of key words for each topic> diagrammatic representation of topic> designing a test> Question and answer with a friend/parent/carer> Make recordings of the information and listen to it each day. ... Just reading things through doesn't usually work!

Concentration spans

for teenagers isroughly their age plus one minute.

No more than twosubjects a night

Attending school is a legal requirement.

For every 17 days absence from school, a student can drop one GCSE grade.

Only 10% of students with poor attendance achieve 5 A* C grade GCSE’s compared to 58% of students with ‐good attendance.

21% of students with very poor attendance leave school with no qualifications compared to 3% of students who have regular attendance.

Equating attendance with performance

>

> Stretch and Challenge> High expectations> Revision sessions> Keep you informed > Intervention support> Exam preparation session

How will we help?

Year 10 Key Dates11th October - Study Skills Introduction P1 and 2 15th Nov – AP1 issued14th & 16th January – TW/CR Study Skills and exam prep session (am only)16th January – Parents’ Evening20th March – Year 10 Parent Forum25th April – Year 10 reports issued (including AP2)16th June to 27th June – internal exams 11th July – AP3 issued

TripsBattlefields trip in February 2014 Languages trips – w/b 30th June 2014