27 January, 2025
Year 11 examination preparation
Introduction
We are approaching the busy period of preparation before external examinations. This can be a daunting time for young people (and their families!) however there is plenty of support available to you from the school. The key is 'little and often' - establishing good revision habits will be crucial. Importantly, we wish to avoid a last minute rush which can become the cause of real worry and stress.
Below, you will find a description of all the support that will be on offer. More precise details will follow in the coming days and weeks. However, this introduction serves as a conversation starter for your family and will help you to understand the types of habits which will need to be formed in the time between now and the summer examination window,
Written reports
Written reports were published in hard copy to children in the week commencing 20 January 2025. Written reports set out strengths and areas for development in each subject. The predicted grade band provides a lower and upper estimate for attainment, assuming that children continue with the current levels of attendance, effort and behaviour.
Progress Evening
You are reminded that the Year 11 progress evening takes place on Tuesday 4 February 2025. Typically, these meetings take place online however parents have expressed a view that they would prefer a return to in-person meetings. Therefore, for Year 11 only, there will be in-person parent meetings between 3.30pm and 6.30pm in the main hall. Bookings are not required (as booking systems for in-person meetings rarely work) so you will be able to move freely between staff as available. Meetings will have a strict five minute length to ensure as many parents can see as many teachers as possible.
After-school revision
Opportunities for after-school revision commence shortly. Taught after-school revision takes place from 3.15-4.15pm Monday to Thursday. Pupils can book directly with teachers (where appropriate) or they can attend a revision café for general supervised revision. These sessions are not compulsory but encouraged. Sometimes, parents may be contacted to request attendance to after-school revision for a specific subject (called 'targeted revision').
Online revision
The school has funded a subscription for your child to SAM Learning. SAM Learning contains thousands of revision activities across the GCSE curriculum, and is particularly useful for quick review checks on learning. The inbuilt AI feature will suggest further activities to your child based on their previous work.
Daily use - with activities lasting approximately 10 minutes each - can really help to support examination preparation and grow confidence. Form Tutors will help to monitor your child's use of this digital platform and encourage as much revision as possible.
Grade boosters
There are a number of children in Year 11 who are underperforming in one or more curriculum areas. There will be an opportunity for selected learners to engage in additional vocational qualifications to boost their overall grade profile. This will be particularly helpful for those wishing to go to a college of further education, for example. Grade boosting qualifications will be offered by invitation based on performance data.
Study skills
There will be a programme of taught study skills taking place for Year 11 during worship. These sessions will empower children in the art of how to revise. Techniques will be shared and practised, meaning that the task of revision becomes less daunting.
Other information
You can read about examination requirements here.
You can find useful revision tips here.
You can find links to additional online resources and revision materials here.
You can find global examination timetables and course-specific materials from the examination board here.
For all other enquiries, please contact us.