Preparing for Summer Exams
Information Booklet
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Director of Studies and Head of Key Stage 4
Easter Intervention Sessions
At Home Revision
Example Revision Timetables
Advice and guidance for parents and guardians
Exam Timetable
Study leave – Final Year 11 Meeting/ BBQ lunch
Hoodies
Celebration Prom
Sixth Form Transition Day
Exam Results Day
Preparing for Summer Exams Information Booklet
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A message to pupils from the Director of Studies and Head of Key Stage 4
As we approach the upcoming exams, we wanted to take a moment to extend our warmest wishes The journey towards academic success is often paved with dedication, perseverance, and a commitment to excellence, and it is during these moments of challenge that our Quaker values of integrity, equality, and community truly shine through.
We want to encourage you to approach your exams with confidence, trusting that your hard work and preparation will pay off. Remember, success is not merely measured by the outcome of an exam, but by the effort and determination put forth in the process
In the midst of study sessions, it is crucial that you prioritise self-care and maintain a healthy lifestyle. A well-rested mind and body are essential for optimal performance. Therefore, we urge you to take breaks when needed, engage in physical activity, and nourish yourself with nutritious foods.
Additionally, never hesitate to seek assistance or guidance when facing academic challenges Our doors are always open, and we are here to provide unwavering support and pastoral and academic assistance whenever it is needed Whether it's clarification on a difficult concept or simply a word of encouragement, know that you can count on us.
We would like to express our utmost confidence in you, and all our pupils. Embrace the opportunity before you, trust in your abilities, and remember that your Quaker values will guide you along the way. Good luck to all, and may your efforts be rewarded with success.
In Friendship,
Jess Boyle and Jill Spence
Preparing for Summer Exams Information Booklet 2
Subject Support and Interventions
The Easter holidays are an important time for your child to complete structured revision in preparation for their GCSE examinations.
Easter Intervention Sessions
Some subjects have decided to host holiday revision sessions to support pupils during the three-week break. Due to mixed pupil availability, we have decided to run interventions sessions on Teams, as we hope this will encourage a high participation level. The Teams links will be shared by teachers on Firefly. Pupils must login using their school accounts. The GCSE Media will be hosted on the school site, due to the nature of the course and it’s content.
Subject
English
Mathematics
Science
History
Media
Tuesday 9th April 2024
10am – 11:30am
Monday 8th April 2024
10am – 11am Foundation
11:30am to 12:30am Higher
Tuesday 26th March 2024
10am – 1:30pm
Thursday 11th April 2024
10am – 11am
AJM sessions will be via Teams in weeks 2 and 3 – times to be arranged with the pupils.
Thursday 11th April 2024
10am - 3pm
Online Teams meeting – Invitation only. Sally Anne Ward will contact families separately.
Pupils will be invited to online Teams sessions depending on their paper tier.
Teams online Exam Skills Workshop for all Science students (combined and single science).
Teams Drop-in session for Q&A
Online Teams meeting
In School in SF4 and on Teams. Exam based session with a clinic for final coursework submissions.
Alongside these interventions, we will continue to host the term time interventions. Parents and guardians can access the intervention calendar on SOCs and sign their children up for the additional classes.
Date and Time Details
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Subject Support and Interventions
At Home Revision
We recommend that pupils spend two-thirds of the holiday revising to allow them to make the most of their study time, recuperate and take a break! All Year 11 pupils attended a Time Management session delivered by outside provider ‘Elevate Education’ in November 2023 Pupils are encouraged to use the tips shared at this talk, namely: find somewhere quiet to complete revision away from distractions; plan your revision schedule; take regular breaks; use proven methods, e g Look, Cover, Write, Check, past paper practice and summarising information using mind-maps. You can support your child by testing them on their keywords, quotes and factual information.
To make the most of their time, we recommend following a revision timetable, including all core curriculum, option subjects and RaW. Example
Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be sending home personalised English and Mathematics revision lists for each pupil Parents may find this list useful in supporting pupils to stay on track and focus their time
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Week 1 Maths Option 1 Option 3 English Option 4 Science Maths Option 2 Option 3 RaW Science English Option 1 Option 2 Week 2 Maths Option 2 Option 4 English Option 1 Option 3 RAW Option 2 Option 4 Maths Science Option 3 Week 3 Science Option 1 Option 4 Maths Option 2 RAW English Option 3 English Option 1 Option 4 Maths Science RAW Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Week 1 Maths Option 1 Option 3 English Option 1 Option 3 English Option 4 Science Maths Option 2 Option 3 RaW Science RAW Option 2 Option 4 English Option 1 Option 2 Week 2 Week 3 Science Option 1 Option 4 Maths Option 2 Option 4 Maths Option 2 RAW English Option 3 English Option 1 Option 4 Maths Science Option 3 Maths Science RAW
Revision Timetables
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Advice and guidance for parents and guardians
Elevate Education
Elevate Education will be hosting their next parent webinar on supporting your child during exams on Tuesday 19th March 2024. Elevate works with our pupils, delivering high-impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series, you’ll learn how you can help support your child at home by reinforcing the skills they’re learning at school. You can sign up for the session below to learn how you can improve your child’s exam performance by helping them to establish a good routine in the run-up to an assessment Click here to register for free.
BBC Bitesize
BBC Bitesize have created videos to support parents with top revision tips. You can watch these videos by clicking on the link here.
Forgetting Curve and Interleaving
It is completely normal for humans to forget things, especially in times of stress and high workload. We recommend supporting your child to remember key words and knowledge by spacing out their revision over time, this is called interleaving. By repeatedly revising similar - but slightly different - content or tasks, interleaving aims to help pupils draw comparisons and identify overlaps in their learning, so that they build a stronger understanding of how to approach certain activities and problems.
The Parents' Guide to
This company offers some useful hints and tips to help families develop a good revision system that works well for them, as well as suggesting support at home to keep them strong, both mentally and physically.
The Parents' Guide to making study easier
The Parents’ Guide to teaching your teen to revise well
The Parents’ Guide to creating a revision timetable
The Parents’ Guide to making study interesting
Speak to us
If you are struggling to support your child at home, and would like some more tailored advice, please contact your child’s tutor in the first instance. We will be delighted to help and offer ideas to support you and your child.
Preparing for Summer Exams Information Booklet 5
Exam Timetable
Your child will have received their personal examination timetable from our Examinations Officer, Sarah Lake. A copy of the full timetable can be viewed, in school, on the examination noticeboard and in form rooms after Easter.
The written GCSE examinations begin on Thursday 9th May (practical examinations and orals start earlier) and continue until Wednesday 19th June. We have been informed by the Joint Council for Qualifications, who are the providers of regulations and examination practices across the UK that they are planning to hold Examination Contingency days on Thursday 6th June (pm), Thursday 13th June (pm) and Wednesday 26th June (am and pm), should sustained national or local disruption arise during the summer 2024 examination series With this in mind, please make a note of these dates as students must be available up to and including these dates in case of a rescheduled examination.
Study leave – Final Year 11 Meeting/ BBQ lunch
We will be hosting an End of Year 11 celebrations / move into study leave meeting on Friday 24th May This final Year 11 Meeting will be in the Oliver Studio at 11 am and parents are welcome to join us for this occasion. The meeting will be followed by an early outdoor lunch – fingers crossed for good weather!
The day will end at 12.30 pm for all Year 11s, however if any pupils wish to remain in school for the afternoon session, they will attend normal lessons in the and the final Y13 leavers’ meeting at the end of the day.
Our policy is to continue with the normal teaching timetable until May half term. From Monday 3rd June, students may take study leave or remain in school and we will provide supervised revision sessions until the examinations finish. Full fees will be due for the term whichever option students decide to take.
If your child arrives to school on the school transport, please note that this will continue in the summer term If you would like to make a change to your arrangement, please contact travel@sibfordschool co uk within the half term notice period
When pupils are in school for examinations the following conditions apply:
Pupils must report to the nominated room and member of staff when they are in school and not taking examinations. They must not roam around the school unsupervised. A separate timetable showing revision rooms will be posted in tutor rooms and on the notice board by Reception. Pupils are responsible for being in school in good time for their examinations, with correct equipment. Please note that all the morning examinations will start at 9.00am and afternoon examinations start at 1.30pm with pupils reporting directly to the examination room (as indicated on their examination timetable). Students should report to examination rooms 15 minutes prior to the start of examinations to ensure prompt starts. Further guidance will be included when your child receives their individual timetable
When in school, pupils must be in full uniform, and attend morning registration If pupils leave school before 4.15pm they must sign out. These expectations are essential for safeguarding reasons.
Please reply to this SchoolPost message for families to inform us of their preferred way of working after half term. Please can all families reply to this SchoolPost by Friday 19th April 2024. Unless pupils are involved in an organised school activity, we don’t expect them to attend school after their final examination. They must ensure that textbooks are handed in to subject staff otherwise these books will be charged for. The deadline for the return of textbooks is Friday 21st June.
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Hoodies
The Year 11 Hoodies online shop is due to open in late April. The link will be shared as soon as it is available, and we would be grateful if orders could be placed promptly. Families will have two weeks to place their order so we can ensure that the hoodies are available before the end of the exam season
Celebration Prom
The Year 11 Celebration Prom takes place on Thursday 20th June – details will be circulated in a separate letter. We hope that all pupils will join us for this celebratory occasion.
Sixth Form Transition Day
Sixth Form Transition Day is an exciting opportunity for pupils to experience Key Stage 5. The event will happen at the end of the summer exams, date to be confirmed. Details will be circulated separately, however if you have any questions about this or Sixth Form provision, don’t hesitate to contact our CoHeads of Sixth Form, Darren de Bruyn (ddebruyn@sibfordschool.co.uk) or Helen Gormley (HGormley@SibfordSchool.co.uk) .
Pupils will be provided with a range of summer activities from each of their subject choices, ahead of the new school year. We strongly recommend that pupils carve out some time to complete these over the summer holidays, so they can hit the ground running in September.
Exam Results Day
GCSE results are published on Thursday 22nd August Results will be available to collect in person in school from 9.00am that morning. We encourage all pupils to collect their results in person as results days are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate achievement. Staff will also be available to discuss grade boundaries, post results services (including reviews of marking) and Sixth Form places.
Should your child be unable to come into school then results emails will be sent to their school email address at 11.00am.
Results cannot be issued to a third party without written permission from the candidate. Pupils should contact Sarah Lake by Friday 19th April for an authorisation form in the event that results need to be issued to a third party.
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