Year 11 Revision Guidance This booklet is designed to The give Key parents Stage and 3 Curriculum carers an at understanding Bishop Barrington of how School to support will their equip child your through child with the next the few necessary months in knowledge the lead up and to skills final to achieve GCSE a examinations. gold standard of success in this rapidly changing world.
How can I support my child through revision? This booklet is designed to give parents and carers an understanding of how to support your child through the next few months in the lead up to final GCSE examinations. All subjects have given information on where revision work can be found and what is expected of them in terms of revision. Pupils can, of course, speak to their class teacher for more support and mentors will provide as much support as possible in the lead up to examinations. Please do not hesitate to contact teaching staff and mentors for any more information. All of us here at Bishop Barrington wish your son/ daughter the very best of luck over the next few months. Art/Graphics/Photography For these subjects, pupils take resources home with them(coursework) and complete whatever sections are needed at the time, depending on where we are within the project. This varies with every pupil as they are all producing individual exam projects so there are no resource sheets that refer to a class as such (each pupil works on something totally different to anyone else). Each pupil needs to speak to their specific teacher regularly to ensure the work they are completing at home is in keeping with their exam project. BTEC Dance Pupils are currently sitting their exam unit in lessons. They should have their books at home where they should be planning their letters for the exam: resources have been supplied for this. Practically, they should be creating and rehearsing their solo dances for their exam. It is recommended that at least 2 hours over the fortnight as a minimum for both of these at home.
Creative Arts Lessons are planned and delivered in order to cover all areas of the AQA exam specification through coursework whilst also gaining knowledge in a variety of areas and child development focus. Students will develop their knowledge in these lessons which will help them with their exam. During lessons, exam questions will be used (particularly extension exam questions) and as homework to help strengthen students confidence with exam techniques. Pupils should be spending an hour, twice a week, revising for the exam. Pupils, once a fortnight, have a revision lesson where they complete notes to help them revise topics. During half term, pupils will be coming in 1 day (Monday 20th between 10-3pm) they will study coursework/revision during that day. After half term, students will conclude their controlled assessment visits they have carried out and produce a detailed final evaluation to complete their coursework. The AQA website can also be used for GCSE for extra support materials and resources including past papers and mark schemes are also available on the VLE within the Child Development area. After Easter, students will revise rigorously for unit 1 (the written paper) worth 40% of their final grade. Students will practise exam questions and develop their exam techniques and skills. Computer Science The revision programme for Computer Science has already started in lessons; students are being taught revision content as well as how to answer specific exam questions. There is an expectation that pupils revise at home also and revision tasks will be set on a regular basis. Completed workbook tasks should be filled in and brought to lessons to be discussed in class.
All pupils have been given CGP revision books; these contain example exam questions and are vital in assisting them towards their final exam in the summer. Wednesday lunchtimes are dedicated sessions for supporting Year 11 pupils. Your child will be invited to attend when necessary so please encourage your child to attend when invited. English All revision guides required for the Language and Literature course are on sale (at a discounted price) via Parent Pay. Parents are already placing orders and the deadline is the end of the half-term. Revision sessions take place every Thursday 3-4 and are open to all in the year group. Revision material will also be given out in class by teachers as the exams grow closer and, if possible, we will place some material on the website so pupils can access them more easily. French The revision programme for French will start at the beginning of March after all of the controlled assessments are finished. In lessons, pupils will be guided in their revision programme and will be taught revision content as well as revision techniques. There is an expectation that pupils also revise at home with vocabulary and grammar learning tasks being set on a regular basis. Students will then be tested in class to ensure that they are revising thoroughly. In addition to homework set in class, students are expected to revise independently in order to maximise progress. There are a variety of activities on French learning websites (see VLE for the list) and all pupils have GCSE French vocabulary revision booklets for them to work through at home.
Food Technology Both theory and practical lessons are planned and delivered in order to cover all areas of the AQA exam specification. Students will build a bank of knowledge which will supply them with a great revision resource for their exam. Exam based questions will be set during lessons and as home learning tasks in order to build students confidence with exam techniques. Pupils should be spending an hour, twice a week, revising for the exam. After half term, students will conclude their controlled assessment by producing detailed evaluations and producing their final product. They will then evaluate the final product suggesting ways the product could be manufactured on a larger scale in industry making reference to machinery and legislation. The AQA website can also be used for GCSE for extra support materials and resources including past papers and mark schemes are also available on the VLE within the Food area. After Easter, students will revise rigorously for unit 1 (the written paper) worth 40% of their final grade. Students will practise exam questions and develop their exam techniques and skills based on the preparation sheet. Geography The revision programme for Geography will start the first Monday back after February half term. In lessons, pupils will be guided in their revision programme and will be taught revision content as well as revision techniques. There is an expectation that pupils also revise at home and revision tasks will be set on a regular basis which will be collected in by the class teacher. All pupils will be given revision booklets for all 6 topics to be covered as well as a case study booklet and exam question booklets. The case study booklet is for pupils to fill in at home based on their learning from the lessons. The revision booklets can also be filled in at home as well as the exam question booklets.
Most pupils bought a CGP revision guide and workbook earlier in the year which they can work through at home. Completed workbook tasks should be filled in and brought to class teachers to be marked. As well as that, there is a dedicated area on the school VLE for Geography revision where you and your child can find all lesson powerpoints, revision guides and also podcasts for all six topics. These podcasts can be downloaded onto any device at home and listened to. This is a great way to memorise case study information. Monday lunchtimes are dedicated sessions for supporting Year 11 pupils. Your child will be invited to attend when necessary so please encourage your child to attend when invited. History The History revision programme will begin after February half term. Year 11 will receive a revision folder and revision booklets for all 10 GCSE topics. The revision programme has been planned in a way that ensures the history content for the full GCSE course will be revisited. The majority of revision will take place in lesson, facilitated by the classroom teacher but, at home, revision is essential. Pupils revise in different ways so we encourage pupils to take their revision booklets home and create their own revision materials e.g mind maps, A5 flash cards etc to suit their chosen revision style. Exam skills and technique will also be tested during the intensive revision programme. We will examine past exams papers, history sources and questions styles to ensure pupils know exactly how to answer each question on both Paper 1 and Paper 2. Any additional revision your child chooses to do in their own time will almost certainly increase their chance of success in the June exams.
ICT The revision programme for ICT has already started in lessons; students are being guided in their revision programme and are being taught revision content as well as revision techniques. There is an expectation that pupils revise at home also and revision tasks will be set on a regular basis which will be collected in by the class teacher. All pupils will have been getting exam question booklets as homework, and will receive more between now and their exam in May. Students have been given the option to hire a revision guide from school for a 1 deposit, which will be returned to them when they return the book. This will assist them in their revision at home. All students have also been given a workbook, which they can work through at home. This can be self-marked, or students can return the workbooks to school to be marked by and worked through with their class teacher. Tuesdays after school are dedicated sessions for supporting Year 11 pupils. Your child will be invited to attend when necessary so please encourage your child to attend when invited. Maths Students are invited to attend after school revision sessions that run on Tuesday evenings between 3pm and 4pm. In addition to this, students have been sitting mock exam papers on Blue Week Thursday mornings. Their homework, throughout this time, is to revise and prepare for these mock exams. Students will all spend time after each exam paper performing exam analysis which will allow them to identify areas of strength and development as well as picking up hints and tips for attempting content that they have not yet studied in the course.
The amount of content that we need to cover is very intense and means that we do not have time to revisit certain topics, thus making revision and work at home extremely important. After Easter, there will be much more specific preparation geared towards preparing for the final exams in summer. In order to aid with this work at home, students will have access to MyMaths.co.uk where they can access online lessons and homework tasks. In addition to this, there are MathsWatch clips in the VLE that will explain content similar to a way it would be explained in a Maths lesson. There are also 10 Ticks worksheets which contain lots of questions and answers that will allow for development of mathematical fluency. Finally, there are links to various revision sites, such as BBC Bitesize, which are also very useful Music The revision programme for Music will start the first Tuesday back after February half term. In lessons, pupils will be working through listening test papers and receive keyword cards to help with the listening and appraising examination. There is an expectation that pupils revise at home and revision booklets/cards are already being given on a regular basis. Pupils are currently being tested on their knowledge of the areas of study at the start of every lesson. GCSE Bitesize is an excellent resource, as it covers all of the keywords used in the listening examination. Catch up sessions are available where the teacher can work one to one with your child. These sessions will be available on a Thursday and Friday lunchtime for support with compositions and appraisals. Pupils are given solo and ensemble performance homework and have been given a practice log which should be signed by parents. This is to clarify that regular practice takes place outside of the Music department.
PE GCSE PE Year 11 pupils have received an Edexcel revision booklet to work through as part of the revision process. To supplement this book, pupils have also received an exam based question pack which contains past exam papers divided into topic areas. Pupils are completing ten pages per fortnight for homework, handing in and staff are marking and giving back to pupils in their next GCSE PE lesson. At this point, the teacher will be giving feedback on the strengths of pupil responses and also addressing misconceptions. Pupils need to set aside 45 minutes per week to revise and complete these tasks as the minimum. Religious Education In RE, students are expected to revise at home to run alongside classwork. There is an area on the school VLE where revision guides, key teachings and revision aids along with copies of past papers can be accessed. Each student has been given a workbook to help develop their knowledge and exam technique. There will be opportunities for students to attend lunchtime revision/catch up sessions where they can spend address time to address their areas of weakness. Science There is an expectation that pupils revise at home and revision tasks will be set on a regular basis which will be collected in by the class teacher. There will be past papers and exam questions, as well as specification points for all pupils to take home with them to aid their revision. Pupils that requested revision guides will be receiving them shortly. All staff will be available on Tuesday lunchtimes for supporting Year 11 pupils. Your child will be invited to attend when necessary or can just come along if they feel that they need extra support.
Other Bishop Barrington Publications Achievement & Standards ASD Attendance Bishop Barrington Day (KS3 & KS4) Caring for Your Child Going for Gold in KS3 Homework ICT and E-Safety KS3 New Progress Measure MAT Provision Moving Up Together Numeracy PLANES Programme Promoting Behaviour for Learning SAM Learning Security Information for Parents and Carers Teaching and Learning The Importance of Reading Year 6 Summer School Year 7 Curriculum Guide Year 7 Target Setting i If you would like to receive a copy of any of these publications, please contact the school or visit our website. Bishop Barrington School Woodhouse Lane Bishop Auckland County Durham DL14 6LA T: 01388 603307 F: 01388 609990 E: bishopbarrington@durhamlearning.net W: www.bishopbarrington.net