01 August 2016
Dear Parents,
I am writing prior to the Easter holidays to offer advice and guidance on how students should be revising and what we are doing
as a school to assist during the final few weeks.
Support Evening
The Parents’ Support Evening held on Wednesday 4th March was very well attended. During the evening we discussed the
importance of students devising a revision timetable and how parents can support their children in keeping to this. We also
discussed what resources are available for students and how parents can support their children with the revision process in general.
If you were unable to make the evening, the hand-outs are available on the school website:
(http://www.ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk/00-home/letters-upper-school.shtml)
Final Controlled Assessment Dates
The majority of controlled assessment internal deadlines have passed in school. Internal deadlines differ between subjects due to
different marking and moderation processes. The following departments still have the following upcoming internal deadlines:
Art
English
English Literature
History Full
History Short
Catering
Child Development
Computing Science
PE GCSE
Tuesday 14th April
Monday 13th April
Monday 13th April
Friday 27th March
Friday 27th March
Friday 17th April
Friday 27th March
Task 1 – Friday 20th March/Task 2 – Friday 17th April
Monday 23rd March
Mock Dates
I would like to draw parents’ attention to the following dates of final mock examinations which will take place in the Ranmore
Hall:
English Language
Maths Unit 2
English Literature
Monday 16th March, 9am
Friday 20th March, 1.50pm
Wednesday 22nd April, 1.50pm
Revision Guides
We have sent home a copy of The Ashcombe Revision Guide with pupils and there is also a link to this on the school website. A
large number of parents have asked for advice relating to revision guides, requesting information on which ones provide the best
support. We have attached a list of current guides recommended by Heads of Departments to this letter. Not all subjects feel that
there is a guide that is specific enough to their course and as a result we have not included that area on the overall list. If you are
buying an alternative revision guide it is important you ensure it is for the correct exam board and syllabus; this information is
again available on the school website.
Revision Classes
Students are currently revising hard for their final exams in class. However, there are opportunities for year 11 students to attend
extra revision sessions after school and at lunch. These sessions have proved incredibly popular and beneficial in the past and we
would strongly recommend pupils attend these. Please see attached sheet for details.
Leavers’ Hoodie, Book and Ball
The leavers’ hoodies and books will be distributed in the first week of May. Students will be able to collect a Leavers’ Ball invite
from myself or Ms Gray from next week, if they hit the normal criteria. Students need an attendance rate of 95%, punctuality rate
of 90% and need to have completed all outstanding detentions and not be currently on report due to the standard of their uniform.
I will send warning letters to those pupils that currently do not qualify. It is my hope that all pupils will qualify for this fantastic
and memorable event. Those who currently do not qualify will need to see myself or Ms Gray to discuss how they can rectify
this.
Pastoral/Curriculum Intervention Meetings
The final school report for your child was issued last week. Ms Gray, Mr Panting and I have met a number of students over the
past few weeks to discuss the revision process. If you feel your son/daughter would benefit from a brief meeting, please contact
us at the school.
Exam Period
Pupils have been issued exam timetables in the past week. The exam period will commence straight after the Leavers’ Assembly
on Thursday 7th May. It is our expectation that all pupils continue to attend school during this period. We have devised a
comprehensive timetable of revision classes that will occur which we will publish after Easter and students should attend all
sessions for subjects that they are being examined in. Where there is no timetabled session, there will be study rooms available
for individual and group revision. Students will be permitted to wear their own clothes for the exam period; however, these
clothes must be comfortable and appropriate for an external examination and for wearing around school.
The first two weeks of the exams, from Monday 11th- Friday 22nd May, are extremely intensive. As a result, making good use
of the Easter holiday period is particularly important for the subjects that are sat in the first two weeks of the exam period.
Fronter, SAM Learning and other websites
Fronter, the school’s virtual learning environment (VLE), and SAM Learning have an increasing amount of revision material on
them, including past papers. Students have been given password details. However, if this is not the case, please contact
passwords@ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk and we will reissue individual passwords. The school website also has a wide range of
resources available on it to aid revision. Individual subjects can be accessed through the Curriculum link.
As well as Fronter and SAM Learning, there are many other useful websites that students can access to assist with their revision.
Mymaths.co.uk is an excellent resource. Pupils can access this by using the username ‘ashcombe’ and the password ‘polygon’.
As well as this www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize, www.getrevising.co.uk and www.s-cool.co.uk are other excellent free resources.
Year 11 Photo
I would like to remind parents that there will be individual and a year group photo taken on Wednesday 18th March at 9am.
Students must have correct uniform, including a tie and a blazer. If this is a problem, then your son/ daughter must come and see
me, so that we can address this issue. Students will not be allowed into the photo unless their uniform is appropriate.
Results Day
Students will be able to pick up their GCSE results on Thursday 20th August from the Study Centre. There will also be the
opportunity to enrol for The Ashcombe Sixth Form straight afterwards in the Sixth Form Centre.
Post-16 Choices
It is imperative that all students now have a first, second and third choice for post-16 study and are aware of the results they need
to progress onto their further education courses. It is worth noting that a growing number of universities and graduate schemes are
using GCSE results in their selection process. UExplore is an excellent resource that can be accessed at home (www.uxplore.com). If you have any particular concerns about post-16 options or college courses, please contact our Careers Advisor,
Sarah Comerford, by email: comerford.sarah@ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk
We look forward to seeing you at The Leavers’ Ball on Wednesday 6th May at Wotton House; an occasion which parents, staff
and students look forward to, to celebrate the achievements of five years of work and enjoyment at The Ashcombe. However, as
always, please do contact me by email: ketley.stuart@ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk or by phone (01306) 886312 if any issues arise or
you have any concerns regarding the exam period.
Yours sincerely,
Mr S. J. Ketley
Head of Upper School