YEAR 11PARENTS’ INFORMATION EVENING Wednesday 11th September 2013

Y11 Information EveningIntroduction

Mr J W Davies (Assistant Head teacher 14 -19)

Core subjects presentations

Maths – Mrs C Garlant

English – Mrs K Price

Science – Mr E Coombes

Welsh Baccalaureate Presentation

Mrs C Davies / Miss H Davies(KS4 Assistant Co-ordinators)

Figures for Mainstream entry only

Examination Success 2013

GCSE 5A* to C 69%

GCSE 5A* to G 96%

Planning to SucceedInformation Booklet

• Individual Subject course outlines with notes for students and parents

• Controlled Assessment and Coursework Deadlines

• Exam course information

Academic Student Support

Study Skills

• Study skills covered in PSHE lessons

• Subject / Form Tutors

• Easter Revision Course - School Based

Assessments this year• On going assessments / Controlled assessments / monitoring throughout the year

• January – External Exam Season (Maths and Science modules)

• 10th -21st February 2014 - Internal Mock Exams (these are a very good indicator!)

TIER OF ENTRY DETERMINED

Assessments this yearGCSE Exams

• Individual Exam timetables given early to check for clashes

• Exam rules and regulations given to each student

• Start the middle of May and go on till end of June

Careers• Planning in PSHE lessons

• Work experience (14th – 18th October)

• Presentations in Assemblies

• Open evenings – WHS Sixth form, Colleges, Employment, etc

• Sixth form Option Talks in January

• Individual Careers interviews in January

• Careers advice – Careers Wales

HOW CAN CAREERS WALES HELP?• Website:

• www.careerswales.com: For information about all of your options including job/apprenticeship vacancies; where courses are run locally; what subjects/qualifications are required for different jobs and much more…

• Phone:• 0800 028 4844: For information and advice on jobs,

careers, learning or training.

• Webchat:• Chat to an adviser using instant messaging 9am to 9pm

Monday – Friday; Saturday 9am - 12 noon.

• Email: • post@careerswalesgyrfacymru.com

Student Planner• Useful Information

• Diary to record homework set/ controlled assessment / Own learning needed/ Exams / achievements / Awards / Targets

• Study Skills / Revision information

Student Planner

• Moodle / Useful Academic Websites

• Record of Attendance

• Record ‘Worthy of Praise’ details

• Record Community Work

• Communication with parents!

• Communication with school!

AttendanceSuccess Starts by being in School• LEA expects returns of 95% per week

• One day off every fortnight results in four whole weeks of school being missed!

• Pupils Progress is BADLY AFFECTED if their attendance drops below 90%

• References requested for colleges and employers are written honestly

• In School Attendance Officer – Mr. Miles

Attendance• If your child is ill, please ring the school that

morning to inform us.

• Then provide a note explaining the absence on the first day they return to school

• If your child is late to school, i.e. arrives after registration, he/she should always report to the main office before going to 1st lesson.

• Truancy calls

Lunchtime Arrangements• All pupils to remain on Upper School Site

• Use canteen facilities or bring packed lunch

• Those in Lower School period 3 must be on the Upper School site 15 minutes after the lunch bell sounds

• Those in Lower School period 4 are to leave 15 minutes prior to the start of P4

• Lunchtime activities on Lower School Site -pupils will need a lunchtime pass from the department concerned

Uniform A smart image creates a good impression!

Acceptable uniform outlined in the planner / on website

Trainers – only in PE and Drama lessons

• Dark waterproof coat [fits over a sweatshirt]

• Jewellery – one pair discreet stud earrings / a watch

• No facial piercings

Pastoral Student Support

• Tutorial Tutors / Mentors• Subject Teachers• Learning Leader and Pastoral Assistant• Pupil Support Unit• Outside Agencies• Assistant Head Teacher 14 - 19

Maths, English and Science

PresentationsMaths – Mrs C. GarlantEnglish – Mrs K. Price

Science – Mr E. Coombes

Maths

Yr 11

LESSONS

• Pupils will continue to be given a wide variety of learning experiences:

• Individual, pair and group work• Investigative work• Games and activities• Use of ICT• Use of mental arithmetic

EQUIPMENT

• We expect pupils to attend lessons with all necessary equipment:

• Pens, pencils, rulers and calculators at all times. At certain times, compasses and protractors .

• Higher tier pupils will need a scientific calculator.

• We have scientific calculators and geometry sets for sale.

OUR COURSE

• We follow the WJEC unitised course which consists of three units.

• Pupils are entered for either the Higher or Foundation tier for each unit.

• Higher tier units lead to grades A* - E.• Foundation tier units lead to grades C –

G.

WHICH TIER?

• A pupil does not have to sit all three units at the same tier, although this is generally the case.

• Parents can rest assured that we look at each individual pupil when deciding which tier they should be entered for in each unit, in order to produce the most favourable result.

EXAM SITTINGS

• Pupils have already sat one unit in June of year 10.

• They will sit the next one in January of year 11 and the last one in June of year 11.

• If a pupil misses an exam, they cannot sit it the next day they are in as it is an external exam – they will be re-entered for it at a later exam sitting.

RESITS

• Units can be re-sat (although parents will incur the cost of this).

• Pupils re-sitting the recent exam will do so next June.

• Your child’s teacher will advise pupils whether they should re-sit a unit.

TEXTBOOKS

• We do not use a specific textbook, but if you want to buy a textbook to support your child’s studies, we recommend:

• ‘WJEC GCSE MATHEMATICS’ – published by Hodder Education,

• ISBN: 978 1 444 11483 6 Higher 978 1 444 11482 9 Foundation.

EXTRA HELP

• The department runs a ‘buddy’ scheme, where year 12 mathematicians are available to help year 11 pupils one lunchtime a week.

TIME GUIDE

• Year 11 pupils should be aiming to spend the equivalent of 20 minutes per day on Maths outside of the classroom.

• As it is a Core subject, we think that this is important as it will help with Maths in Everyday Life.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Ask your child what Maths homework they have – there should be at least one per week – and check they have completed it.

• Encourage them to use mental maths techniques regularly e.g. times tables, estimating answers, money calculations.

• Check that they are accessing revision opportunities e.g. Moodle, mymaths.co.uk (login – whitchurch, password – rhombus).

PAST PAPERS

• The best way to check on progress is to attempt a past paper.

• All these can be found on Moodle - ‘GCSE MATHEMATICS 2’ - together with answers and other useful resources.

WE WILL CONTACT YOU:

• If your child changes set during the year.

• If your child underperformed in the June external exam.

• If we are concerned about anything else.

PEOPLE YOU CAN CONTACT

• Mrs. Garlant – Head of Department

• Mrs. Robinson – KS4 coordinator

Academic Student Support

Study Skills

• Study skills covered in PSHE lessons

• Subject / Form Tutor / Mentors

• Easter Revision Course - School Based

English Language and

English Literature

Year 11

• Overview of the course• Students have already completed THREE controlled

assessments in Y10:- Descriptive and narrative writing- Shakespeare and linked poetry- Media (transactional) text analysis

• Students will also have completed (or nearly completed…) TWO speaking and listening activities.• Students achieve TWO GCSEs at the end of Year 11; one for English Language and one for

English Literature.

Controlled Assessments: marks and

percentage weightings• English Language• Descriptive writing (10%)• Media text analysis (10%)• TWO speaking and listening activities (20%)• English Literature• Shakespeare and linked poetry (25%)

English Language Exams

• English Language• Exam 1 (1hr 45 mins):• Section A (15%) Reading of unseen

prose by a major writer (comprehension)

• Section B (15%) One imaginative writing task.

• Exam 2 (1 hr 45 mins):• Section A (15%) reading:

Instructional / explanatory / persuasive / media text analysis (comprehension)

• Section B writing (15%): One explanatory / persuasive writing task.

• The two exams total 60% of the final mark for English

Language.

English Literature

TWO English Literature exams• Exam 1: Poetry and Prose• Section A: Different

Cultures Prose (21%)• A question from the set text

(novel) studied in class (linked to your controlled assessment)

• Section B: Contemporary poetry (14%)

• Unseen poetry comparison• Exam 2: Drama and Prose• Section A: Questions based

on the set text (play)• Section B: Questions based

on the set text (prose)

How can I support my child’s LEARNING?

• Encourage them to read through their work regularly;

• Continue to encourage them to read frequently and widely;

• Try and have a copy of their set texts at home;

• Moodle;• Online resources;• Talk to them about their learning.

Who can I contact?• Mrs K. Price – Dept Leader for English

• Mr J. Williams – KS4 Co-ordinator

SCIENCE YEAR 11

3 POSSIBLE COURSES.

BTEC APPLIED, ADDITIONAL, FAST TRACK TRIPLE SCIENCE.

ALL STUDY BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY + PHYSICS.

ALL PUPILS STUDY SCIENCE IN Y10 AND Y11.

BTEC APPLIED SCIENCE

COURSE WORK BASED 100%.

NO EXAMINATION AT THE END OF THE COURSE.

LEVEL 2 AWARDED AT END OF YEAR 11.

NOT SUITABLE FOR ADVANCED LEVEL.

ADDITIONAL SCIENCE

25% BIOLOGY B2 EXAMINATION.

25% CHEMISTRY C2 EXAMINATION.

25% PHYSICS P2 EXAMINATION.

25% CONTROLLED ASSESSMENTS.

( 192 / 320 = C GRADE)

TRIPLE SCIENCE (FAST TRACK)

25% BIOLOGY B1 EXAMINATION.

25% BIOLOGY B2 EXAMINATION.

25% BIOLOGY B3 EXAMINATION.

25% CONTROLLED ASSESSMENTS.

( 192 / 320 = C GRADE)

SCIENCE WISH LIST

ATTEND ALL LESSONS.

ATTEND ALL LESSONS.

SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR / PEN + RULER.

PAST PAPERS.

REVISE BEFORE EXAMINATIONS.

EXTRA REVISION CLASSES.

CONTACT

MR ERIC COOMBES PHYSICS/SCIENCE

MR STEVE JAMES CHEMISTRY

MS CERI TAYLOR BIOLOGY

MR STEVE JAMES/MR ALUN SMITH BTEC

KS4 WELSH BACCALAUREATE QUALIFICATION

Miss H. Davies & Mrs C. Davies

KS4 – Welsh Baccalaureate

Assistant Co-ordinators

CORE PROGRAMME

- Key skills

- Working with an employer

- Team enterprise activity

- Individual investigation

- Wales, Europe and the World

- Language module

- PSE

- Community participation

GCSEs

OPTIONS

AS/A LevelsBTEC

NVQs

MENTORING

TUTORIAL SUPPORT

GUIDAN

CE

THE WELSH BACCALAUREATE AT WHS?

WHERE NEXT WITH YOUR WBQ QUALIFICATION?………

FURTHER STUDIES (A-LEVELS) – KEY STAGE 5?

Opportunity to boost WBQ qualification to Advanced level – A GRADE AT A-LEVEL.

Complete understanding of the structure of the WBQ qualification and its components.

Elements of the WBQ at Advanced level already covered at KS4 – reduced workload.

Increased Confidence, higher level skills, more aware.

Better prepared for challenges that lie ahead

WHERE NEXT WITH YOUR WBQ QUALIFICATION?………

APPRENTICESHIP/EMPLOYMENT?

More qualifications to add to CV

More to talk about on letter of application and at interview

Increased confidence at interview

Evidence of abilities in a range of key skills

Better prepared for challenges that lie ahead

More aware of chosen career path

Thank You For Listening

We will be available to answer any questions you may have.

For all other information please look at our website:

WWW.Whitchurchhs.com