YEAR SEVEN INFORMATION
EVENING
Chatham Grammar School for Girls
YEAR 7 INFORMATION EVENING PROGRAMME
1. Welcome and Introductions (Mrs McCormick-Clarke)
2. Year Seven in Context (Mrs. McCormick-Clarke)
3. Getting Involved (video clip)
4. Transition, Change and Organisation (Mrs. Webb)
5. CAT Tests and Tracking your Daughter’s Progress (Mrs McCormick-Clarke)
6. Support Strategies available to your daughter (Mrs Webb)
7. Our Anti-Bullying Policy (Mrs McCormick-Clarke)
8. Home School Communication (Mrs McCormick-Clarke)
PARTNERSHIP
Teachers, Parents and your daughter…
Working together to ensure that
your daughter is happy, secure &
supported …
and so is enabled to achieve her
full academic potential
at Chatham Grammar School for Girls
Year Seven in Context
Years 7 & 8:
KS3 National Curriculum
Year 9:
(transition)
Commencement of GCSE
studies in Maths &
Science plus
KS3 National Curriculum in
other subjects
Years 10 & 11:
Completion of GCSE studies
Years 12 &13:
A-level Studies
TRANSITION AND CHANGE
Mrs. Webb
Head of Year Seven
Transition and Change
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15 Subjects with different teachers
The two week timetable
Different Classrooms for every lesson
A bigger school with lots of buildings
Independent Learning (Homework)
Being the youngest in the school again
Puberty – hormonal & body changes, mood swings,
wanting to be independent
• Making, maintaining & sharing new friends
• Modern Communications – mobile phones, msn, social
networking sites on the internet
Video Clip – “Getting Involved”
Helping your Child to make a
good start to their
secondary education
CAT Tests, Assessment for
Learning & Tracking your
daughter’s progress
Mrs. McCormick-Clarke
Assistant Headteacher
In primary school, your daughter’s class teacher
assessed her standard in English, Mathematics &
Science in her annual report using National
Curriculum sublevels
In year 6, your daughter took Key Stage Two
SAT tests in English & Mathematics and her
results were reported using National Curriculum
sublevels
In years 7 & 8, your daughter’s progress in all
subjects will continue to be assessed and
monitored , using National Curriculum
descriptors
Cognitive Ability Tests
Your daughter will be taking online CAT tests at
school before the end of term 1 in October.
The CAT tests are Cognitive Ability tests, designed by
a company called GL assessment.
Other secondary schools in the Medway towns and
Kent use these CAT tests designed by this company
The tests will assess your daughter’s current skills
and abilities in four areas: Verbal, Quantitative, Non
verbal and Spatial
How do we use the results of
these CAT tests?
The results of the tests predict what minimum
National Curriculum levels your daughter should
achieve in her Key Stage Three studies, by the end of
year 9.
The school uses the results of these CAT tests to
help us set personalised targets for your daughter at
the end of year 7, the end of year 8 & the end of year
9. This helps us to track your daughter’s progress
Assessment for Learning &
Reporting
In each subject, your daughter’s teacher will assess
her standard at the end of every two terms using
National Curriculum Sublevels
Just as in primary school, a sublevel “a” would mean
that your daughter has a secure understanding of the
concepts & skills required at that particular National
Curriculum Level.
A sublevel “c” would mean that she is only just starting
to develop an understanding of some of the concepts &
skills required at that Level.
A sublevel “b” would represent an intermediate
standard somewhere in between an “a” and a “c”
At the end of every second term, your daughter’s
subject teachers will assess her standard with respect
to the National Curriculum Sublevel Descriptors, using
tests, class work and homework tasks.
 Using your daughter’s termly assessment and her
CAT predictions together, we will be able to identify
whether your daughter is on target to achieve her
targets.
Where your daughter is underachieving in one or
more subjects, we will share this information with
both you and your daughter and offer suitable support
strategies to help her improve her standard and
achieve her full potential.
Year Seven Assessment Dates
 Year 7 Progress tests Term 2
 Tracking Report Term 2
04/11/13 – 15/11/13
06/12/13
 Parent Form Tutor Meeting
12/12/13
 Year 7 Progress Interviews Term 3
 Tracking Report Term 4
Week 27/01/14
21/03/14
 Year Seven Parents Evening Term 5
 Year 7 Summer Tests Term 6
08/05/14
02/06/14 – 06/06/14
 Full report with teacher comments and form tutor
comments Term 6
19/07/13
However… we are not an
examination factory…
Your daughter is a human being, at a period in
her life where she is experiencing rapid physical
& emotional growth and many changes
We understand that change can be unsettling
Your daughter will only fulfil her true potential, if
she is settled, happy and fully supported at
school
Support Strategies
Mrs Webb
Head of Year Seven
Support Strategies
 After School Homework Club
 Peer Mentoring
 Subject Mentoring
 Lunchtime subject clubs
 On report
 Gifted and Talented
 External agencies
Our Anti-Bullying Policy
Mrs. McCormick-Clarke
Assistant Headteacher
What is Bullying?
Hurtful behaviour which is:
Deliberate
Persistent
Initiated by a more powerful
person(s) towards a more
vulnerable person
Anti-bullying Policy
Alleged Harassment Sheets
Bullying Ladder
– Level One
– Level Two
– Level Three
Home School Communication
Mrs. McCormick-Clarke
Assistant Headteacher
Home School Communication
Key Personnel
Your daughter’s Form Tutor
Head Of Year Seven – Mrs Webb
Assistant Headteacher – Mrs McCormick-Clarke
The School Planner
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Term Dates
Appointment times for Parents Evening
School Code of Conduct
Attendance Procedures
Assessment for Learning: attainment; targets &
learning
Record of Achievements in & out of school
Credits & Reminders
Notes to and from your daughter’s
Form Tutor
The School Website and email system
http://www.chathamgirlsgrammar.medway.sch.uk
postbox@chathamgirlsgrammar.medway.sch.uk
ParentMail
Year Seven & Eight
Parent Forum
First meeting this year
Tuesday 22 October 6pm
We hope you found this
afternoon’s meeting
informative, helpful &
welcoming
Thank you for coming