Supporting Your Child Through
GCSEs
Supporting Your Child Through
GCSEs
• Academic Review (data capture)
• Alignment Meetings & Parents’ Evening
• Mock Exams in December:
An opportunity for pupils to sit GCSE papers in
an exam environment. Mock exams allow
pupils, parents and teachers to see where
each child is up to with their exam preparation
and exam technique.
Additional Support
• Additional Revision Classes are offered by many
departments; these may be at lunch, during
form time or after school. They give pupils the
opportunity to access further support from their
teachers, develop exam techniques and further
their understanding of the subject.
• Additional Coursework/Controlled assessment
classes
• Opportunities to re-do coursework in order to
improve individual marks.
Intervention
• Food 4 Thought programme (starts after Feb
half-term)
• Pizza nights across a range of subjects
• Booster sessions during Form time, lunch and
after school
• Revise and Relax during half-term holidays
• Individual HLTA support in Maths and English
• Revision classes
• Revised timetables
• ICT facilities available throughout the day
Mentoring by Staff
Assertive Mentoring
• Individual pupils will be identified and placed
with a member of staff who can work with
and support that pupil with coursework and
exam preparation/organisation
• Regular meetings with target setting
• Agreed actions recorded
Mentoring by Staff
Adopt-a-Year11 Student (not literally!)
We are looking for people (any member of staff) who would like to care,
motivate, inspire, support some of our year 11’s through the next two terms.
The role will be very low key and not a mentor role like JR or KB, but simply to
act as a support, provide TLC and be a point of contact etc.
There is no additional pay just the knowledge you have done something
wonderful 
By using all of this support your child
should:
• Be able to meet deadlines for coursework
• Have all the information they need to prepare
thoroughly for their exams and fulfil their
potential
• Know where they are heading at various key
points throughout the year.
We also have an on-site college advisor who meets
with students regarding their college placements
and future career plans
Year 11 Study Skills and
Revision
Remember!
This is the most important school year for you and
your children and holidays will not be authorised.
No Modular examinations take place during the
course of the year.
Some controlled assessment deadlines have passed
but there needs to be a managed approach to
completion of all controlled assessments.
Home Study Planning
Some suggestions for Parents:
• Use Parent Power – talk to the parents of your
child's friends.
• Encourage your child to revise (little and often)
• Do not believe the myths…
Does your child say........?
“I work better with the TV on”
“This loud music helps me to concentrate”
“I can swot up a week before I have an exam”
“No one else is doing any work yet”
“Everything is fine – stop worrying”
“It’s all done with coursework now”
“I did all my homework at lunchtime”
If in doubt at all – contact us in school.
Home Study Planning
• The secret is to review and recall.
• Re-read, re-draft, and re-write, regular review
maintains the amount retained.
• Any study plan must include revisiting topics again
and again.
• Once a study timetable has been produced it is
important to be aware of how best we learn
• Sitting revising for hours on end is not the best
way to study; most people learn better when they
move around, so get up and have a drink every 30
mins to an hour.
Home Study Planning-Tips for
parents!
• Be there -Show an interest
• Offer, but do not force help
• Don’t increase the pressure by overdoing the
expectations
• Emphasise that the most important thing is to
“do your best”
• Provide the right atmosphere
• Ensure sufficient breaks
• Encourage relaxation time and plenty of sleep
• Be sensitive – adolescence is difficult enough; a
sympathetic ear can make all the difference
Exam Regulations and Practice
2013 -2014 Season
Session Timings
Morning Session : am
• Exams start at 8.30am
Afternoon Session : pm
• Exams start at 1.30pm
• You must arrive at school by 8.20am for the morning
• sessions and by 1.15pm for the afternoon sessions.
• In the event of an emergency you must phone the
school and inform us of your circumstances; the school
telephone number is 3685132.
Exam Regulations and Practice
School Uniform
• School uniform must be worn for all examinations
• Students will be asked to remove jackets/coats/fleeces
etc. in the examination room.
Mobile Phones
• You MUST NOT have a mobile phone on your person in
the examination room, whether switched on or not.
Absences
• Any absence from an examination, owing to ill health,
must be certified by a Doctor’s note and forwarded to
the school as soon as possible.
And finally!
If you are in any way concerned or confused –
do not hesitate to contact us in school
Thank you for your time