Dear Parent/Carer,
I am writing to inform you of the upcoming end of Year 10 examinations.
Examinations in most subjects will take place from Monday 30th April for a period of two weeks. Having now completed two terms of their GCSE courses, this will be an opportunity for your child to show off the work they have learnt so far whilst also giving them valuable practice at completing examinations under GCSE conditions. For most students this will mean examinations will take place in the Sports Hall or Gym where we hold most public examinations.
We take these examinations very seriously and expect students to complete proper revision for them. Subject teachers will be providing advice on this in the coming weeks. We will also be holding a Year 10 Examination Results Day on Monday 11th June where students will be told their results. Parents will also be provided results on this day via the My Ed app. Results will be given out on coloured paper to reflect performance in the exams. Purple for those significantly above where they should be, green – on/above track at this stage in the course, yellow – just below track and orange – significantly below track and a serious cause for concern.
We want to be able to celebrate student success after these exams but also want to ensure any under-performance is tackled immediately. In order that students take these exams seriously and aim to meet their potential – those students who perform significantly below where they should be in an examination will be required to resit it. Thorough revision in the weeks prior to the exam and a commitment to do well will minimise the number of resits required.
Where students are not in an examination during this period they will attend lessons as normal. I would also like to mention at this point, the importance of attendance and punctuality during this exam time. Arriving to examinations late or ill-equipped does not make for a positive experience. Essential equipment should include clear plastic pencil case, black pens, pencils, ruler and eraser. In Maths and Science, students will also need a calculator. Subject teachers will advise students what additional equipment they might require for option subjects.
A number of students have on their timetable “WTM” which stands for Walking Talking Mock. This is a relatively new strategy the College has adopted to help improve the performance of identified students in English, Maths and Science. A Walking Talking Mock aims to address two key issues – motivation and confidence in exams –but with many other additional benefits. It is easier to describe the idea in practice. Students enter and are seated in an examination hall in exactly the same way and under the conditions that they would experience for the real examination. An inspirational subject specialist teacher then guides students through an examination by using a projected image of the examination questions with answers. The teacher will talk through a question or questions giving students thought processes, hints and tips under examination conditions and the students will have a go at answering the questions. After a short while the teacher will reveal further guidance and answers before moving on to the next question. This is of course in addition to the same guidance given to all students in class. The numbers and students sitting Walking Talking Mocks will vary at each exam session to reflect current need.
Examination Regulations must be adhered to. Students were emailed Examination Regulations on the 16th January 2018 and should read these carefully, paying attention to what is permitted in the examination room. We advise students not to bring mobile phones into college on examination days to avoid having to hand these items in.
Please work with us to ensure your child works hard in the run up to these examinations and make them a positive experience.
We look forward to seeing some excellent results on the 11th June.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs C Aitcheson
Acting Principal
