Year 10 GCSE Information Evening

Key Staff Mrs M Knox Year 10 Year Leader Mr J Cooney Assistant Headteacher/ Key Stage 4 Leader Mrs S Warburton Deputy Headteacher Mrs E Tobin/ Mrs K Jones SENDCO Mr C Zolman Maths Department Leader Mrs C Taylor English Department Leader Mr M Wise Science Department Leader Dr A Pritchard-Roberts Assistant Headteacher Contact email address: year10admin@helsbyhigh.org.uk

Class of 2018 84% achieved 4+(Standard Pass) grades in English 84% achieved 4+(Standard Pass) grades in Maths 27% of all English GCSE grades were 7+ 25% of all Maths GCSE grades were 7+

8 or more A*/A or 9-7

Exceptional Progress Two grades higher on average

Changes to GCSE Grades

GCSE Grades 9-1 All GCSE subjects will be awarded on the new scale from 9 1 With 9 being equivalent to A**

Understanding Expected Grades

What is an Expected Grade? An aspirational but realistic level of attainment each student should be aiming to achieve Intended to provide students, parents and teachers with a means of measuring progress over time

How are Expected Grades set for GCSE? In KS4, like other schools in England we use the DfE Attainment 8 Tables to gauge the progress that students should be making based on their Prior Attainment We look at how students nationally achieve at KS4 compared to their KS2 starting points and use this information to set Expected Grades for our students

Expected Grades Students at Helsby High School make better progress than students nationally. We would expect students to achieve a higher grade than national average and so we set Expected Grades that have aspiration for our students, yet are achievable.

How are Expected Grades used by students? Expected grades are used as a basis for discussing each student s progress with them Discussions with Form Tutor, Subject Teacher and parents/carers Used in a motivational, aspirational way Ambitious but realistic

Attendance in Year 11 There is a direct link between attendance and good grades at GCSE All students should be aiming for an attendance rate of 95% and above

Attendance 98% attendance: Less than 4 days absent from school 95% attendance: Less than 10 days absent from school 90% attendance: Equivalent to missing one ½ day per week over the year Four weeks absent from school over the year 85% attendance: 5 ½ weeks absent from school over the year

Link to achievement at GCSE

Key Stage 4 Monitoring and Pastoral Care

The Monitoring Process Stage 1 Form Tutor Stage 2 Year Leader Stage 3 Key Stage Leader Stage 4 Pastoral Support Plan (PSP)

The Monitoring Process Many students will be monitored/coached at some point in Key Stage 4 The aim is to support and recognise good progress, whilst also highlighting any points for improvement

Individual Monitoring Some students may require extra support in subject areas Departments will support students by the use of Individual Action Plans (IAP) and formal departmental monitoring

Pastoral Care Support from Form Tutors, Pastoral Staff and Student Support Coordinator (SSC) Year 10 SSC Miss Louden year10admin@helsbyhigh.org.uk

Academic Support Subject interventions Departmental resources Show My Homework GCSEPod (Please see flyer)

Mrs E Tobin / Mrs K Jones 50% of Year 11 SEND students overperformed in at least one subject. Personalised interventions Careful monitoring Please email! SENDCo Access arrangements

How can parents help? Communicate with your child and with school Practical support space, organisation and equipment Support attendance & punctuality Acknowledge their difficulties

What do students think That the worst thing would be for parents not to be involved in spite of everything!!!

E-Safety Why it Matters Technology offers amazing opportunities but it also brings risk. Children now spend more time online Children increasingly use the computer alone Children are going online via a wider range of devices Children of all ages continue to use social networking sites

E-Safety Why it Matters The following online activities are popular: Schoolwork Playing games Watching video clips Using social media sites and blogs Livechat Downloading or streaming films and music

E-Safety Risks Content Conduct Contact Exposure to Inappropriate content Lifestyle websites Privacy issues Digital footprint and online reputation Grooming Cyber Bullying Identity Theft Hate sites Content validation Health and wellbeing Sexting Copyright

E-Safety Support in School At Helsby High School we have facilities and policies in place to: Supervise internet use Monitor internet activity Filter out inappropriate websites Uphold rules and acceptable use agreements regarding computer usage Teach pupils good behaviour when using the internet

E-Safety Support at Home Encourage your child to only share their personal information with people or companies they know Help your child set up strong passwords Show them how to use a PIN lock on their mobile Talk to them about how people can hide who they really are on the internet Explain how information they use to register for websites, competitions, downloads and other internet and mobile services could be used (e.g. by businesses to send marketing emails) Always make sure the anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your child's computer is up to date, including tools like spam and pop-up blockers

E-Safety Support at Home Discuss the dangers of giving out phone numbers, addresses and other personal information online Think about where you allow your child to use the computer you may want to keep it in a communal family area Understand and use the parental controls on your child s computer. Encourage your child not to spend too much time online or playing computer games Ask about your child s online friends and encourage them to be open about who they are connected to online If your child has an online profile ask if you or a relative can be an online friend

E-Safety Support Steve Ford CEOP Ambassador sford@helsbyhigh.org.uk www.helsbyhigh.org.uk/esafety

GCSE Sciences

Specifications AQA exam board: Biology 8461, Chemistry 8462, Physics 8463 Combined Science: Trilogy 8464 https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse

Study routes Biology, Chemistry, Physics = 3 GCSEs 14 hours timetabled in Y10, 14 hours in Y11 Combined Science = 2 GCSEs 3 hours timetabled per subject throughout Y10/Y11 Both routes give an excellent preparation for studying A-level Sciences

Key changes More demanding content to learn More exam questions involving use of Maths Learning equations and units No coursework or controlled assessment tasks

Required practicals Every student will carry out a series of practical activities in lessons Practical work will be assessed in the written exams Exam questions on practical work will count for at least 15% of the overall marks for the qualification

Exams All exams are taken at the end of year 11 Each student will have 6 written exam papers, Biology 1 & 2, Chemistry 1 & 2, Physics 1 & 2 Biology, Chemistry, Physics 1hr 45 mins each Combined Science 1hr 15 min each

Higher or Foundation tier Biology, Chemistry, Physics All students: Higher tier, grades 9 to 4 Combined Science Sets 1/2 : Higher tier, grades 9-9 to 4-4 Sets 3a/3b : Foundation tier, grades 5-5 to 1-1 (17 point scale 9-9, 9-8, 8-8 down to 2-1, 1-1) Set 1/2 Higher/Foundation entries- Spring Y11

Collins Connect https://connect.collins.co.uk/school/portal.aspx

Revision guides Letters will be issued to students to allow you to order revision guides at the discounted school price https://collins.co.uk/collections/revision-gcseages-14-16-collins-gcse-9-1-science-revision

GCSE Maths

Mathematics new GCSE 2017 The following has stayed the same: Edexcel Linear course leading to one GCSE. No controlled assessments. 2 Tiers of entry - Foundation and Higher. Nearly all current content remains plus extra from A Level. All exams at the end of Year 11. Started GCSE course at beginning of Year 9.

Mathematics new GCSE 2017 Below are the main changes: New grade structure 1-9 (not G-A*) Big increase in harder content and more focus on problem-solving and reasoning. 3 examination papers (not 2) Paper 1-1hr 30mins - non calculator Paper 2-1hr 30mins calculator Paper 3-1hr 30mins - calculator

Mathematics extra content Increase in content from level above: Higher (grades 4-9) : mainly algebra topics from AS level. Foundation (grades 1-5) : covers topics from old Higher mainly at grade 5 including trigonometry, simultaneous equations and factorising quadratic equations.

Mathematics which tier? Higher (grades 4-9) for set 1 and set 2 as more algebra than number. Foundation grades (1-5) for sets 3 & 4 as more number than algebra. This is always being reviewed, especially after performance in PPE s. We reassess to ensure the pupils are sitting the most appropriate tier to enable them to gain the best possible grade.

Mathematics - targets Set 1: mainly 7-9 (A/A*/A*+) Set 2 : mainly 5-7 (B/A) Set 3 : mainly 4/5 (C/B) Set 4 : mainly 4 (C) and below.

Mathematics - home support Encourage homework and revision using www.hegartymaths.com www.pinpointlearning.co.uk. www.mathsgenie.co.uk

Mathematics - home support Revision guides / workbooks

Mathematics school support Any questions or feedback, email the Maths Dept. Leader (Mr C Zolman) at czolman@helsbyhigh.org.uk

GCSE English and English Literature

Key information Please note that all students will be entered for both English Language and English Literature. There are 8 lessons a fortnight. 4 hours of English Language and 4 hours of English Literature Your child will have two teachers one for English Language and one for English Literature Each half term there will be an assessment to track progress All tasks will be linked to the final examinations

English Language 100% examination No tiers of entry Two examinations at the end of the two year course Spelling, punctuation and grammar worth 20% Students will be graded 9-1

English Language 2017 Paper One:1 hour 45 Minutes Explorations in creative reading and writing Section A Reading: Unseen extract from a 20 th or 21 st century story. Students are required to answer 4 questions. Each question targets a different assessment objective and the questions become more challenging as you progress through the examination paper. In this paper there is a focus on the analysis of language and structure along with critical evaluation.

English Language 2017 Section B Writing: This section tests the students creative writing. They will be given two options. One is to write a descriptive piece based on an image, which is provided for them. The second option is to write a narrative that is loosely connected to the image contained in the examination paper. It is important to remember that spelling, punctuation and grammar will be worth 20%.

English Language 2017 Paper Two: Writers viewpoints and perspectives 1 hour 45 minutes Section A Reading: Two non fiction unseen extracts (travel writing, diary entries, autobiography, biography, newspaper articles). One will be from the 19 th century the other from either the 20 th or 21 st century. Students will be required to answer 4 questions. Each question targets a different assessment objective and the questions become more challenging as you work through the paper. In this paper along with a focus on analysis of language there are two questions which test the students ability to compare and contrast texts.

English Language 2017 Paper Two section B: Writing In this section the students will have to craft a response which presents a viewpoint/opinion. This make take the form of a newspaper or magazine article, a letter, leaflet, speech or essay etc. Unlike Paper One there are no options in this section. All students are required to complete the same task. Remember spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) is worth 20%

GCSE English Literature 100% examination No tiers of entry Two examinations at the end of the two year course Students will be graded 9-1 Spelling, punctuation and grammar worth 5% of the overall grade

GCSE English Literature 2017 The students will study 4 set texts during the two year course. One Shakespeare play, one 19 th century novel, a modern text which can be either a play or a novel and a collection of poetry. We do ask you to purchase these texts for your child so that they have their own copy to make notes in. Annotating the text is a key part of both the initial exploration of the text and part of the preparation for the final exam. We will provide the poetry collection and you can order the set texts through us order forms are available from your child s teacher. You can also order revision guides through us.

GCSE English Literature 2017 Paper One: Shakespeare and the 19 th century novel 1 hour 45 minutes Students answer two questions one on the Shakespeare play and one on the 19 th century novel. They do not have the texts in the examination therefore revision will be key. It is vital that they know the texts well.

GCSE English Literature 2017 Paper Two: Modern Texts and Poetry 2 hours and 15 minutes Students answer 4 questions, one on their modern text, one on the collection of poetry they have studied and two on two unseen poems. As in Paper 1 they do not have the texts in the examination therefore revision will be key. It is vital that they know the texts well. Spelling, punctuation and grammar is worth 5% overall.

Marking During Years 10 and 11 your child s work will be marked using a code system. The codes are linked to the skills the students will be tested on in the examinations. The codes will be used as success criteria and in peer and self assessment

All work will be marked but students will only receive a numerical mark/grade once a half term. By focusing on skills rather than marks students will be able to fully understand the skills rather than just being concerned with grades. Enable students to take more ownership over their work and fully understand their targets and how they can meet them.

Get used to seeing these codes. These are what you will be using for peer assessment, self-assessment and what your teacher will also use to mark your work.

Students will be able to see clearly which different topics require different skills. Students will be able to track their progress and revisit previous targets. Students will understand what their targets areas are.

What will it look like? Self-assessment: This student has colour coded where they think they have met the relevant skills. Peer assessment: Firstly this has been self-assessed by annotating the skills on their work. The peer assessor has then ticked off the skills if they think they have been met and put a cross if they have not been met.

By ticking off the skills peer assessors can easily identify WWW & EBI

When marking staff will identify the areas that the student needs to target as well as acknowledging the aspects that went well. This will be written as WWW What went well and EBI Even better if.

The self/peer assessment will inform staff as to the skill areas the students understand and highlight areas that need to be revisited in lessons. Students will also be given tasks to enable them to reflect on and improve their work in response to their individual targets

Support in English Opportunity to attend parental workshops to help you to support your child with both the English Language and English Literature GCSEs You will find support material in the English area of the school website and the school shared drive accessed through RM Portico There will be regular progress meetings and if your child is not on track we will inform you and invite you in to discuss ways of supporting them There will be an English Drop in session for Year 10 students on Wednesday lunchtimes in A6.