Welcome Head of Year 10 Mrs C Raven Director of KS4 Mrs S ... · - Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE ... Chemistry & Physics = Triple Science) 2. ... • Progress tracking sheets

Welcome Head of Year 10 Mrs C Raven Director of KS4 Mrs S Berg Subject Leaders: Science Mr R Daw Science (KS4) Mr A Dawes Maths Ms S Chhantbar English Mr R Boxer

Year 10 Parental Information Evening

Aim of the evening:

- We wish to share with you the changes being made to the KS4 curriculum - To explain changes made to assessment and grading systems

EDEXCEL

Statement from Ofqual document Reforms to GCSEs in England from 2015 – November 2013

“We are changing the number of grades and the way they are described. This will:

Provide more differentiation between students achieving the middle and higher grades. Currently there is a “bunching” of grades as most students are awarded grades B, C and D. Adding in an extra grade will improve the spread of grades in this area. In our consultation we proposed increasing the number of grades at the middle and top end, to improve differentiation, and reducing the number at the lower end, since relatively few students are currently awarded the lower grades. In response to feedback to our consultation, we have moved from the eight grades we proposed to nine grades. In part this was to avoid the risk of people assuming that eight new grades would map onto the current eight grades. We also want to avoid the risk of reducing the opportunity for less able students to demonstrate the progress they have made and have their achievements recognised.”

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Further subjects will see new GCSEs introduced over the following two years. What new GCSEs will look like The main features of the new GCSEs are: • A new grading scale of 9 to 1 will be used, with 9 being the top grade. This will allow greater

differentiation between students and will help distinguish the new GCSEs from previous versions. • Assessment will be mainly by exam, with other types of assessment used only where they are needed to

test essential skills. • There will be new, more demanding content, which has been developed by government and the exam

boards. • Courses will be designed for two years of study – they will no longer be divided into different modules

and students will take all their exams in one period at the end of their course. • Exams can only be split into ‘foundation tier’ and ‘higher tier’ if one exam paper does not give all

students the opportunity to show their knowledge and abilities. • Resit opportunities will only be available each November in English language and maths.

GCSE English Language

GCSE English Literature

2016-2018

How are we supporting these changes at JFS?

What is the name of the course, and how many GCSEs does it count towards? • Students will be studying for two GCSEs, following the Edexcel

specification: - Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in English Literature [1ET0] - Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in English Language [1EN0]

The GCSE : What has changed? • Letter grades will be replaced by numbers 1-9, with 9 as the highest grade.

• A ‘5’ is a pass (B-/C+); • A ‘7’ is an A; • 8 is a high A/ low A*; • 9 is a top A*

Teachers will start using these grades from the start of term.

Essay book • Students write all essays, drafts and exam prep in blue essay book

which will be kept in folders. This will provide a record of the progress students are making

• This is the work we will use when we decide on termly grades and

end of year reports

The GCSE : What has changed? Key changes are: • No more controlled assessments; • You will all take exams at the end of Year 11; • All students will take the same exam. There will be no Higher and

Foundation tiers. • All texts will be by British writers.

Which texts will students be studying this year?

• Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde • Shakespeare • Post-1914 Literature

• -Animal Farm • -An Inspector Calls • -Lord of the Flies • -Journey’s End

These can be bought from the school via ParentPay for £18.50

What you need to know at the start of the course...

1) It takes time and hard work for English skills to develop.

You will not be near your target grade YET The closer you can get to it OR if you can surpass it in yr10, the journey in year 11 is that little bit easier.

Assessment in Year 10 • Students take a baseline test in their first lesson. This tells us where students are at the start of the course. • Continual assessment is made of students throughout the year. • We expect our students to improve by a grade every 6 months. • Set changes are made every 6 weeks.

Summer Term • - Language Mock exam in early June • - Literature Mock exam in mid-July

- We will take extra steps to support any students with a 3 or lower in

either of these mocks.

- Speaking and listening assessment

GCSE Mathematics at

Celebrating our success GCSE Mathematics • A*- C 89% • A*- A 58% • A* 26% The same cohort of students hypothetically would have achieved: • Grades 9-4 89% • Grades 9-7 58% • Grade 9 12% (20% of grade A*-A of JFS) ‘A formula will be used that means that about 20% of all grades at 7 or above will be a grade 9’ Ofqual September 2016

The new grades

The exams • EDEXCEL 1MA1 GCSE (9-1) • Higher : Covers 5 grades 4-9

• 50% of the content is Grade 7-9 (A/A*) questions • Foundation : Covers 5 grades 1-5

• 50% of the content is Grade 3+- 5 (D+- B-)

• Less formulae provided

• 3 papers, each 1 ½ hours and equally weighted

• 1 non calculator and 2 calculator papers

Increase in challenge • Using and applying

standard techniques

AO1 50% Foundation 40% Higher

• Reasoning, interpreting and communicating mathematically

AO2 25% Foundation 30% Higher

• Solving non-routine problems in unfamiliar mathematical and non-mathematical contexts

AO3 25% Foundation 30% Higher

A bit of maths AO1 style

AO3 style

The new content A level

• Functions • Quadratic inequalities • Geometric sequence/progression

Higher

• Factorising quadratic expressions • Cubic and reciprocal graphs • Simultaneous equations

Foundation to KS3

• Venn diagrams in probability • Graphical representations of direct and indirect proportion

Equipment • Students will be expected to bring the following equipment to all

Maths lessons: a. Scientific Calculator b. Pencil c. Pens - black, blue & green d. 30cm Ruler e. Protractor f. Compass

Homework • Students will have 7 lessons of Mathematics over the two week

timetable. • 2 homework lessons per week. • Homework should take between 30 to 45 minutes per subject. • If homework takes less than the allocated time, students should use

the additional time for self-study. • Encourage your child to do their homework on the night that its set.

Websites • Collins connect – text book access • Mymaths – lessons and online homework • Corbett maths – exam style questions, videos and answers • Exam solutions – video tutorials • Edexcel – sample assessment materials

This term Foundation Higher

Probability and events Volumes and surface areas of prisms Linear equations Percentages

Exploring and applying probability Powers and Indices Counting, accuracy and surds Sampling and more complex diagrams Equations and inequalities

Collins Edexcel GCSE Maths 4th edition. Higher student book. ISBN 978-0-00-811382-7

Collins Edexcel GCSE Maths 4th edition. Higher student book. ISBN 978-0-00-811381-0.

Key dates • Monday 5th December – Autumn assessment • Wednesday 14th March – Spring assessment • Week commencing 26th June – Year 10 End of year exam week • UKMC – Thursday 2nd February

Support • Main point of contact and support for students and parents should

be the class teacher in the first instance. • Maths support club will also be running (after Succot) on Tuesdays

and Thursday lunchtimes in Y313. • CGP revision guides and workbooks available to purchase through

parentpay (£6.75)

Students will have online access to our textbooks For your information these textbooks will be:

• Collins • Edexcel GCSE Maths 4th edition. • Higher student book. • ISBN 978-0-00-811381-0. • • OR: • • Collins • Edexcel GCSE Maths 4th edition. • Higher student book. • ISBN 978-0-00-811382-7

New requirements for science Structure and content • Single Science removed • Core/Additional Science replaced by Combined Science Double

Award = Double Science • Core/Additional/Further replaced by Separate Sciences = Triple

Science (Biology, Chemistry & Physics) • Assessed by external examination only (controlled assessment

removed) • Tiered exam papers

• Foundation tier will cover grades 1-5 • Higher tier will cover grades 4-9

• Set list of Physics equations to learn • Core practicals to carry out in class and assessed within the exams

(15%)

GCSE 2016 Science

Key things to note 1. All students will undertake Combined Science (Double Science) or

Separate Sciences (Biology, Chemistry & Physics = Triple Science) 2. ALL counting GCSE Science examinations will be at the end of Year 11

(May/June 2018) 3. Year 10 students will sit three external MOCK examinations in early

May 2017. These will not count for their GCSE grading but will be the major determinant of their GCSE tiers for Year 11

4. Textbooks are now electronic: a) Each student will receive a username and password and must

change their password – these should be noted safely! b) Students can annotate their electronic textbook, attempt revision

exercises and complete online homework set by their teachers

GCSE 2016 Science

How we will support our students

• Study Hall • AIT • Revision support • Wider reading – access to language • Tutor base activities e.g revision techniques • Student role • Parent role • Students will track their own progress • Homework support club

The Bar is being raised

• Data entry points increasing which will identify any issues or concerns

• Progress tracking sheets for students • Progress tracking meetings • Additional parental meetings for selected students

Our role is to track progress

Helpful Hints For Home • To ensure that a routine is in place after School e.g have a healthy

snack on return from School, provide a quiet place for study followed by dinner and a relaxing activity before an early bedtime

• Monitor social media • If there are any subject specific issues, please contact the class

teacher or Subject Leader • If there are general issues related to academic progress please e-mail

Mrs Raven • If there are welfare or pastoral concerns, please e-mail or phone Mrs

Magande (Year 10 Pastoral Officer)

RELIGIOUS STUDIES -Study of a new Religion in Year 10 – Islam (25% of course) -New 12 mark question extended writing will be examined (previous spec was 6 marks) -More of a focus on religious teachings/sources

ART AND DESIGN • More evidence of drawing to support the development of ideas in

Component 1 and 2 • All students must use written annotation and appropriate specialist

vocabulary to record ideas, observations, insights and independent judgements.

• GCSE graded from 9-1 rather than A- G, where 9 is the top mark

ASTRONOMY Course and grading is not changing: grades are A*-G • 1 year accelerated course taught on Tuesday and Thursday

lunchtimes. • 75% exam sat in May of year 10, 25% from 2 pieces of controlled

assessment

Child Development • This is the last year before the syllabus will change

• Three Components: • Written paper – 40% • Research task- 20% • Observation Study – 40%

COMPUTER SCIENCE

• Change of name from Computing to Computer Science • One rather than 2 controlled assessments • Greater emphasis on Computational Thinking • New updated examination testing knowledge of more modern technologies

DESIGN TECHNOLOGY • In 2017 and 2018 in Design and Technology: Electronic Products and

Resistant Materials, students will receive a letter grade. • Only in 2019 (the new course beginning Sept 2017) will they receive a

number grade.

GEOGRAPHY • The old course was split into 4 units: Physical Geography, Human Geography, Controlled assessment (a field work project

based on 1 day of field work) and a ‘synoptic’ decision making paper with longer essays where students apply what they have learnt into their core units to a new place in the world in the exam.

• The new course has a very different structure, just 3 exams: Global Geography, UK geography and a similar ‘synoptic’ decision making paper on environmental issues. There is no controlled assessment or course work project. However field work is still important – in fact all students have to attend 2 days of field work. Field work and associated analytical skills are assessed within the main exams.

• There is an increase in expectations of geographical skills across topics – graph work, statistical analysis and OS map skills. • The style of essays have dramatically changed. Essays used to be fairly short and were ‘explain’ type questions and on the

whole where relatively straight forward recollection of syllabus content. Some students could leave revision to year 11 and still achieve fairly well if they were organised preparing revision notes in year 11. The new syllabus has longer essays which are ‘evaluative in style’ and seek to ask students opinions and judgements on geographical ideas i.e. ‘Assess the extent to which…’ style questions. We recommended that students therefore need to be organised and building revision notes right from the start of year 10 due to this increase in difficult in challenge.

• There is no foundation paper and no entry level paper

HISTORY 1) Increased chronological breadth - Moving beyond just twentieth century history. The new course will include an Early Modern unit focusing on Elizabethan England and a thematic study looking at crime and punishment over 1000 years. 2) No controlled assessment or coursework 3) New historical skills incorporated - students will be exploring historical interpretations of events (recognising the differences between historians views of events and being able to why they differ) as well as looking at change over time more explicitly and over a significantly larger span of history

Modern Foreign Languages • No controlled assessments – all exams at the end

of year 11. • No mixing of tiers – must do all foundation or all

higher. • Use of literary texts and translation in the exams.

Music 1.The three key elements of performing, composing and appraising have been retained. 2.Performing is worth 30% and students have to perform at least two pieces, one of which must be part of an ensemble, the minimum time for both pieces must be at least 4 minutes. 3.Composing is worth 30% and students need to compose at least two pieces, one must be in response to a board set brief and one must be a piece of free composition, the minimum time for both pieces must be at least 3 minutes. 4.Appraising is worth 40% and content has been given in terms of musical elements, contexts and language. Students must study at least 4 Areas of Study, one based in Western Classical Music composed between 1650 and 1910, and one that is not based in Western Classical Music. There is a requirement for students to read and write staff notation and respond to unfamiliar music in the exam.

PE/DANCE Those doing GCSE PE

4 classroom theory lessons, 1 theory-based practical lesson, 3 practical lessons per fortnight. Students no longer study ‘core’ PE lessons, instead using this time to refine their strongest

sports that will eventually be assessed as part of their GCSE.

Those not doing GCSE PE 3 core lessons per fortnight.

Students cover all areas in the National Curriculum programme of study in ability sets. Lessons offer more freedom of choice in activities and sports to better prepare students for a

future active and healthy lifestyle.

Those doing GCSE Dance 3 practical lessons plus two theory lunchtime lessons per fortnight.

Students use their ‘core’ PE lessons to choreograph and learn new pieces as part of the GCSE course.

DRAMA No changes but : • students must be prepared to work as part of a team at all times. • They must keep written work up to date a be prepared to research methodology of

theatre. There will be essays to write as well as a great deal of practical work. • They will be going to see theatre productions. • They must also attend rehearsals after school when preparing for practical

performances or exams.

Food Technology • The grading will be under the new 1-9 system for the final exam In terms of key learning for the new GCSE food preparation and nutrition course: The aim of the new GCSE course is to teach students about food in the wider sense and help the learner to develop a wider range of food preparation skills. The course is developed so students understand what food is composed of, why we need it and how it effects our long term health.

SOCIOLOGY We are offering it this academic year, subject to meeting minimum pupil numbers. The grades will be A* to G