Year 9 Parents Information Booklet 2018 - 19

Year 9 Parents’ Information Evening th

Tuesday 18 September 2018 Key Dates and Schedule of Assessment 2018-19

Tarleton Academy is at the centre of a community of inspirational partnerships which nurtures respectful, independent, lifelong learners working together to shape a better future for all.

Our motto states that ‘we make our future’ (Facimus Nostrae Futurae) and to this end as a school within Endeavour Learning Trust our overall aims are to provide:  A world class education for all our students, regardless of ability or background, which builds resilience, confidence and drive, in an ever-changing world  A workforce of the highest calibre, with a winning combination of teamwork, skill, experience, passion and an unwavering commitment to excellence  A relentless focus on individual and collective improvement and personal and professional development, in an ethos of high expectations and personal ambition  The moral imperative to ensure that no child is left behind and no individual is overlooked in their uniqueness and distinctive potential  A nurturing environment, where everyone feels safe and valued and where we get the balance right between encouragement and support and stretch and challenge, so that all of us can aim high and work together to make those aspirations a reality  A genuine commitment to foster partnerships, across our family of schools, with our parents, other strategic partners and our wider communities  The expertise to efficiently and effectively deploy and maximise our resources across the Multi Academy Trust (MAT)

Key Dates Friday 14th December 2018

Full Report out to Parents

Thursday 7th February 2019

Year 9 Parents Subject Consultation Evening

Thursday 28th February 2019

Year 9 Option Consultation Evening

Friday 22nd March 2019

Data Report out to Parents

Friday 14th June 2019

Full Report out to Parents

Monday 17th June – Friday 21st June 2019

Year 9 Examinations

Heads of House Daley House – Mrs Staniforth (Acting) j.staniforth@tarletonacademy Ennis House – Mr Fletcher j.fletcher@tarletonacademy.org Farah House – Mrs Lowe j.lowe@tarletonacademy.org Wiggins House – Mr Taylor j.taylor@tarletonacademy.org Pastoral queries please contact the Pastoral & Behaviour Manager; Mrs J Fairhurst j.fairhurst@tarletonacademy.org To report a student absence please contact the Academy answerphone 01772 812644 (option 1) or alternatively you can email attendance@tarletonacademy.org giving the student’s name, tutor group, reason for absence and estimated date of return to school.

Student Bands All students are placed on a flight path from their Key Stage 2 results based on exceeding expected progress.

KS3 Threshold

New GCSE

Old Legacy GCSE

Band D

9-8

A* - A

Band C

8-6

A–B

Band B

6-4

B–C

Band A

4-2

C–G

Reporting to Parents

Over the course of the academic year you will receive 3 reports on your child’s progress. There will be 2 data reports and a tutor comment report containing specific targets. There will also be a tutor consultation evening and a subject consultation evening.

Reporting on Progress Progress judgements based on flightpaths will be given in each data report and they will state if your child is:  Making more than expected progress  Making expected progress  Not making expected progress Reporting on Engagement Engagement in Learning reflects the ‘big picture’ including behaviour, attitude to classwork and homework, motivation, organisation etc. and is be judged in one of the following categories:  Excellent – A highly motivated student with an outstanding attitude to learning. They consistently display resilience, independence and are committed. They clearly have a thirst for learning.

 Positive - A committed student who has a positive attitude to learning. They regularly display resilience, independence and a thirst for learning.  Inconsistent – A student who generally has a positive attitude to learning. Occasionally they may be off task, engage in low level distractions or fail to meet deadlines.  Disappointing – A student who shows an unsatisfactory attitude to classwork and homework. They are too often off task or engaging in behaviour that results in warnings or removals.

Year 9 Options Process

On Wednesday 21st November, Year 9 will spend their PSHCE day beginning to think about the options process and choices.

In January 2019 Year 9 will be asked to express a preference for the subjects they would like to study at GCSE. After this ‘dry run’ we will assemble our GCSE offer for 2019-21.

Students will be expected to take at least one subject from Geography, History, French or Spanish plus two other subjects.

On February 28th 2019 we hold our Options Evening and parents and students will be given a full overview and the opportunity to speak to the teachers of option subjects in order to evaluate the GCSE offer and make their choices.

The choices made by the students will then be reviewed before an individual meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership team or their Head of House. Once all meetings have taken place a summary of the choices made will be sent to parents for their confirmation.

Firefly – Virtual Learning Platform and Parent Portal Firefly Virtual Learning Platform is a resource that is used to share learning resources and information in order to ensure that our students have all the tools at their disposal for progressive learning in the 21st century, as well as to continue the successful partnership between parents and the school.

Your child will receive their logins and information on how to use Firefly as part of their ICT lessons. They can also download the Student Planner App available on android and iOS. The Parent Portal contains information on all aspects of school life including: Available to view on the home page are:  Announcements & Messages – information on upcoming school events  Parent Calendar – click see more events for the year  Bookmarks – pages recommended for parents on current issues  Your details – contact details can be submitted for amendment.

Please note the school will contact you for verification Available to view on your son /daughter’s Profile page are:  Attendance – Weekly details on am and pm registration  Behaviours - Achievement and Behaviour Points  Outstanding tasks – information on work set for your child, including any attached links or documents  Reports – copies of your child’s school reports posted throughout the year  Posts, Comments & Edits made by your son / daughter  Timetable – weekly view of lessons and teachers A Parent Portal App is currently in development and should be ready for launch in late 2017.

If you need to update your access to Firefly or have any difficulties please contact firefly@tarletonacacdemy.org and we will be happy to assist.

Tarleton Academy School App and Social Media

The Tarleton Academy School App will give you access to news, events, announcements, the school calendar and term dates. If allowed the app will also receive ‘push notifications’ for short key messages.

In order to download the app you will need to: 1. Search ‘Schudio School App’ on ‘Google Play’ or ‘App Store’ 2. Select to download – it’s free!

3. Search for Tarleton Academy and select 4. Allow push notifications to the app in phone settings You can also keep up to date through following us on Facebook and Twitter;

Using the school website www.tarletonacademy.org