Parent/carer updates

Y11 & Y13 summer exams 2022

As you may have seen in the news in recent weeks, the government’s firm intention remains for GCSE and A Level exams to take place in Summer 2022. Ofqual and the DfE have published a range of measures that will be implemented to mitigate the impact of the disruption to learning due to COVID19, including a choice of topics in some GCSE subjects, and advance notice of topics to be covered in other GCSE and A Level subjects. More information regarding the arrangements for summer 2022, including the changes to exams, can be found in the open letter to students that Ofqual published on 11 November

In the unlikely event that exams cannot go ahead as expected due to further Covid disruption, the government has produced a contingency plan. This would involve grades being determined by teachers, using a Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) approach similar to in 2021.

Some key points for students to note regarding the contingency guidance are below:  Schools have been instructed to collect assessment evidence for all students from several points across the academic year, including this term, just in case it is required. This means that your upcoming mock exams may count towards your final grades, in the unlikely event that exams are cancelled.  This means that all mock papers must be retained by school and cannot be handed back to students.  Any mock exams that are missed due to absence will need to be caught up as soon as possible, so that all students have sufficient evidence in case it is required for TAGs.  Any incidence of malpractice (e.g. taking a mobile phone or any unauthorised material/notes into an exam) during assessments/mocks has to be reported to the exam board as they would during external exams.

Students should not worry unduly about the small possibility of the upcoming mock exams being used towards their final grades; however, the mocks do represent an important opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know and should be taken seriously in their own right.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish Year 11 and 13 students all the best for the coming weeks.

Y11 mock exams

A reminder that mock exams start on Monday 22 November in the sports hall. Students have received copies of the exam timetable which is also available on the school website through the link below: https://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/students/exams/

Reminder: Stakeholder surveys

Thank you to the parents/carers who have already completed our November electronic survey issued on 12 November. If you have not had chance to do so, we would really appreciate it if you could take five minutes to respond. All responses are anonymous and will close on Tuesday 23 November at 11.45pm.

Students have also been sent a survey to complete about life at Highfields via their school email accounts.