WORKING FOR SUCCESS

1. WORKING FOR SUCCESS A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR PARENTS OF STUDENTS STARTING KEY STAGE 4 (YEAR 10)

2. “As a parent, I believe that my child can perform even better than he / she achieved in Year 9 and I know it is my responsibility to support and encourage this improvement”.

3. Thorpe St Andrew School is a Good school with OUTSTANDING features

4. Arriving on Time Prepared for Lessons Behaviour is Good Attitude is Correct Polite and Courteous

5. WORK ETHIC

6. At Home There is always work to be done at Home A Place to Work Routine of Work (Rest and Play)

7. A lot of Praise and Encouragement … and biting your tongue!

8. KEY DATES for YEARS 10 and 11

9. IMPORTANT DATES YEAR 10 • October 2011 – Controlled Assessment Tasks start across a range of subjects (see calendar). • November 2011 – ELP Grades, Attitude Grades and Assertive Mentoring. • November 2011 – Science Modules/Maths Modules. • January 2012 – Subject Modules/Exams including Ethics. • February 2012 – Year 10 Reports (My Child At School). • March 2012 – Science Modules/ICT Nationals Assessed/Maths Modules. • May/June 2012 – Subject Modules/Exams including Ethics and Mathematics (for identified students). • July 2012 -Year 10 ELP and Attitude Grades. Year 10 Parent Consultation Evening. • July 2012 – Intervention and Personalised Learning Programmes in place for identified students.

10. IMPORTANT DATES YEAR 11 • September 2012 – Year 11 starts • October 2012 – Work Experience. • November 2012 – Post-16 Education Choices. • November/January/March – More Modules and Exams. • February 2013 – Most Controlled Assessment Tasks completed and revision programmes start. • March 2013 – Mock Exams. • April 2013 – Revision/Booster activities across school/subjects. • May 2013 – Final session of examinations across all subjects. • June 2013 – Final BTEC assessments. • August 2013 – Results/Celebration Day.

11. Attendance and Attainment Some Key Messages

12. Regular school attendance is important in order that your child achieves his/her full potential. • Lessons missed only serve to disrupt continuity and learning suffers as a consequence. • Every day off, visits to the dentist or doctor and holidays in school time, result in missed learning.

13. Chances of Success at GCSE • You will see from this graph how attendance affects attainment.

14. A Guide to the Key Grades • TARGET MINIMUM GRADE • EXPECTED LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE • ATTITUDE

15. Student match

16. Set TMG ELP 1 ATT 1

17. Set TMG ELP 1 ATT 1 8

18. Set TMG ELP 1 ATT 1

19. Set TMG ELP 1 ATT 1 7

20. How We Use The Data • TMG set by the school. • Teachers report ELP and Attitude Grades. • Grades shared with each student in lessons, with advice on how to improve. • Subject and Form Tutors mentor students across individual/all subjects. • Data uploaded to “My Child At School” so that parents can support students

21. Controlled Assessment • The new name for coursework. • 100% student’s own work.

22. Controlled Assessment 1. Task Setting 2. Task Taking 3. Task Marking Extract from CA parent summary 2009_10 from http:www.tytheringtonhs.co.uk/exams

23. If the teachers say High Control • Students are not permitted to communicate with each other. The assessment is carried out under ‘examination conditions’. • Use of mobile phones, MP3/4 and other electronic devices is strictly prohibited. • No assistance can be given to students.

24. If it’s LOW CONTROL • Some work can be completed without supervision, outside the classroom/centre. • Students have access to resources such as books and files during low control tasks. • Students can work together to collect information but how they use this information in their work must be on an individual basis. • Students can receive guidance from teachers during low control tasks.

25. Some work can be completed without supervision outside the classroom. You must work at home if you are to reach your full potential.

26. Year at a glance

29. Sixth Form and Beyond

30. WORK The chances to find a job when you leave school at 16 are very slim. 2010 saw the highest unemployment rates for 16 to 17 year olds since comparable records began in 1992. 44.3% of economically active 16-17 year olds who were out of school were unable to find a job. 27.0% of economically active 18-20 year olds who were out of school were unable to find a job. Therefore, Sixth Form or Apprenticeship would be the most sensible options.

31. After Year 11 • Sixth Form or College: A Levels and BTEC Courses. • Apprenticeships: Applying theory into practice.

32. Why choose Thorpe St Andrew? • Quality of exam results – best ever A Level results in 2011. • Range of subjects. • Quality of teaching. • Support. • Tailoring the curriculum to students’ individual needs. • Extra curricular activities. • Support with university applications.

33. Entry Requirements • For a full set of 4 Advanced Level courses, 6 A*-C grades at GCSE are required. Grade C or above in English and Maths is very important. • For a BTEC National Qualification (a two year course worth 3 A-Levels), at least 4 A*-C GCSE grades are required. • For any course, high Attitude Grades are essential as this shows a commitment to study. It is expected that students applying to Thorpe St Andrew Sixth Form will have an average Attitude Grade of 7 or more.

34. WORKING FOR SUCCESS A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR PARENTS OF STUDENTS STARTING KEY STAGE 4 (YEAR 10)