Parent/Carer
L6 Revision Conference
26th March 2024
Assistant Principal: Victoria Morgan
Essential Information:
• End-of-year exams start week commencing 6th May
• We do not expect L6 students in on the Friday (17th) and independent work will be set
• Grades from these exams will form a crucial part of the planning for the progression to U6
• All re-enrolment to their U6 will be complete by 3rd July
Essential Information: U6 Progression
• We want all our students to progress on to their second year confident they can achieve, in line with expectation
• Students ideally need a D or above in an A-Level and a pass in vocational subjects to secure automatic progression
• There are some limited courses that students can switch to in their U6 year if they haven’t achieved or have had a change of mind about their choices after college
• We will look at progress in CAP grades, attendance, and end of year exams to inform U6 progression (and choices)
Essential Information:
• Morning exams start at 9.00am
• Afternoon exams start at 1.00pm
• Large exam spaces are being used with smaller rooms being used for those students with certain access arrangements.
Essential Information:
• College ID card or other official photographic ID is required for all exams
• NO mobile phones
• NO watches
• Black pen (plus spares)
• Clear pencil case
• Calculator if needed – no case
• Water bottles with label removed
• No food
Timeline
• 41 days to the start of end of year exams: attendance is key
• Revision now starts in earnest
• U6 external exams start May 13th – June 26th
Intensity
3 x A level (or equivalent) students spend 13½ hours in class per week
• They have 13 ½ hours of study periods per week
• They should be contributing (at least) another 13 ½ hours per week out of College
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Time management
• During term-time weekdays, students should be revising at home for at least 1½ hours per day
• During Easter holidays, students should be averaging more than 3 hours of independent work/revision per day: a minimum of 2 x 1 ½ hour sessions as a rule
• All study periods at College should be used
• Students should be taking advantage of any in College study opportunities – tutorials etc
• Social and work commitments should reduce
Parental role: what can you do?
• Help your child establish routines – show an interest in their revision timetables and progress
• A revision timetable helps students get organised / stay on track / stay motivated / identify progress
• Quiet study room
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Remove distractions (e.g. mobile phone etc.)
• Praise / encourage / support
College support
• Personal Tutors
• Learning Support Mentors
• counselling@winstanley.ac.uk
• Welfare Manager
• Nurture Room (G5)
• The gym and the field for exercise
Associate Assistant Principal:
Phil Duckworth
Revision Theory
Memory is like a fading library………..
The Forgetting Curve
Structuring Revision
Revision basics
• Pomodoro technique
1.Choose a task to be accomplished
2.Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
3.Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
4.Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
5.Every 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break
• The importance of sleep for memory • Repetition of topics/questions
Making Effective Notes
Summarising text in note form can make remembering it a lot easier.
Students that took notes in a lesson did 12% better overall.
(Watson and Busch, 2021)
Flash Cards and Self Quizzing
Revision basics
Active revision
making summary notes/highlighting • spider diagrams
cue cards
comparison tables
flow diagrams
• Completing exam-style questions
• Completing TIMED questions
• Practise writing under timed exam-style conditions
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Revision games
https://www.tarsiamaker.co.uk/
• Tarsia games/puzzles
Tech and Revision
WHATSAPP GROUPS
AUDIO FILES AND REVISION PLAYLISTS
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
MASSOLIT ONLINE COURSES
REVISION PODCASTS
MICROSOFT LENS
What can you do?
• Set regular times to test your child
• Check that they have a plan to re-learn and re-test previous work
• Go back to previous work and test them
• Point out the progress that you can see
• Remind them that huge improvements are possible in the coming weeks with a structured and thorough period of revision
Wigan
Mental Health Support Team:
Welfare through revision
Core Functions of the MHST
The Wigan CAMHS Mental Health Support Team (MHST) works alongside a selection of schools and Colleges in Wigan to provide 3 core functions:
To deliver evidencebased interventions for mild-tomoderate mental health issues
To support the senior mental health lead (where established) in each school to introduce or develop their whole school approach
To give timely advice to school and college staff, and liaise with external specialist services to help children and young people to get the right support and stay in education
Impact of exams on our mental health
Exam stress describes the emotional, physiological and behavioural responses caused by an imminent test or exam. It can be related to negative previous experience of exams, poor preparation, worry about failure, or pressure to perform. For children and young people who are generally anxious, the experience of taking exams can be threatening and could lead to unmanageable increases in anxiety levels.
(Reference: Anna Freud Centre)
Stress can sometimes be useful to enhance our motivation or performance, but it can become a problem when it interferes with our everyday life. This is when we might need some extra help.
Tips to manage exam stress
Top tips to help with exam stress
• Encourage your child to take care of themselves by eating a balanced diet including regular meals, drinking water and getting enough sleep. For teenagers 8 – 10 hours sleep is essential as tiredness can impair concentration and increase anxiety.
• Provide reassurance by reminding your child of past/current successes and give giving them the opportunity to say how they are feeling.
• Support them to develop a realistic revision timetable and encourage them to take regular breaks.
• Promote regular exercise to get rid of physical tension. Improved blood flow to the brain can improve a young persons ability to think clearly, learn, concentrate and remember.
• Encourage relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing and mindfulness.
Healthy habits – Communication
Our brains are not fully developed until we are between 2225 years old.
It is normal during adolescence for there to be lower reasoned/rational thinking, more impulsiveness and a tendency to respond emotionally.
In addition, taking another person’s perspective into account can be difficult.
Because your child’s brain is still developing, you can help during their studies by supporting them to:
1. Regulate their emotions
2. Plan their revision
3. Think more realistically
Healthy habits – Regulate : Relate : Reason
Step (1) Empathy “Connect before correct” – Recognise all emotions as being natural, normal and not a matter of choice. Take on the child’s perspective.
Step (2) Validate and label their feelings Be present, take notice and really listen. “You appear to be feeling angry, It’s understandable that you might feel angry given how much pressure you are under. I sometimes feel angry when I am under pressure too”.
Step (3) Set limits “You are angry that I’ve taken your phone. We agreed that I would take your phone away when you are trying to revise because it helps you to stay focused. Shouting at me is not ok. I will keep your phone safe and you can have it back in one hour”.
Step (4) Problem solving Next time you are feeling like this what can you do? What options do you have? What is the best option? What do you need to do to give this a try?
Healthy habits: Revision balance
• Our mood can be greatly affected by what we do, when, and with whom.
• Achieve: Revision/chores/work
• Connect: Friends/family
• In order to maintain a healthy sense of wellbeing, we need to balance what we do. We can use the acronym ACE to help us remember:
• Enjoy: Play/fun/pleasure
Coping Self-Talk
• When faced with a threatening or stressful situation, young people tend to think very negatively about themselves and their performance, predicting the worst.
• Coping Self-Talk aims to replace worrying thoughts with more helpful thoughts that are likely to support resilience.
• For example: “I’ve done this before even though I have worried about it.”
Coping Self-Talk
“This might be tricky but I will be able to cope”
“Trying my best is enough”
“I have many talents and skills in other areas”
“This is a temporary emotion, it will pass”
“I am proud of myself for what I have already achieved”
“This test does not define me as a person”
“I have coped with difficult things before, I can do it now”
“Although I feel scared, I am not in danger”
“It is ok not to know everything. I am still learning”
“I am loved”
Coping self-talk needs to be realistic. (Not ‘everything always goes well’)
Coping Self-Talk
• If you notice you or your child worrying, you can practice replacing the unhelpful thought with a positive, coping thought.
• It may be helpful for your child to identify 3 coping sentences to repeat to themselves when they are worrying.
• Some young people also find it helpful to write their coping self-talk statements down.
Healthy habits - Home as their safe space
• Be available Actively listening when they are trying to tell you how they feel.
• Respond sensitively Even if you think they are being unreasonable or you disagree with what they are saying. Take into account your own stress and frustration.
• Accept their feelings Validate how difficult they are finding things and ask how you can help.
• Cooperative enabling Agree a realistic revision timetable in advance, recognise their effort and encourage them to look after themselves by planning breaks and having opportunities to relax and spend time with friends.
• Promoting family membership Agree a cut off time for revision and encourage them out of their bedroom. Spend time as a family watching television, going for walks, eating together etc.
Thank you for coming