WELCOME: Mrs Nyland Head of English Mr Stinton Head of Maths Mrs James Head of Science

Mr O’Hanlon Assistant Head & Head of R.E Mr Smyth Assistant Head & Intervention

Coordinator Miss Coughlan Head of KS 4

• Preparing for life post 16 • Thinking about colleges/schools/

apprenticeships • Learning about what employers are

looking for • Understanding the process of

transition to F.E

What’s it all about?

• Excellent attendance, 17 days absence means a drop in grade at GCSE

• Excellent Behaviour for learning, especially if she is considering being a prefect and for her reference.

• Be prepared to learn and don’t wait for it to happen, be proactive in your learning.

• Do your homework • Meet deadlines • Turn the phone off when she is studying.

What we expect from your daughter

5 A*- C English & Maths 69%

72% English & Maths

Joint 1st in the borough for 5+ ( strong passes)

23% 9-A*-A-7 , 45% 9-A*-B-6

Jenna Deputy Head girl & Top scorer 2017. 8 A* and 3 A’s. Now at Campion studying A levels in Maths, Biology &

Chemistry

40% English Baccalaureate

Elizabeth Williams. Ex Head girl. 4 A*, 5 A’s 2 B’s. Now at Coopers. A levels in Maths, Further

Maths, Geography & Art

First grade 9’s, ever! A**

• Your daughter will sit 100% linear courses in all subjects except D & T, P.E, Computing and Art, who still retain a small amount of controlled assessment. • Linear means that all exams/units will be sat at the end of the

course in Year 11. • A ‘9 to 1’ number system for results will replace grades at ‘GCSE’. • ‘9, 8 and 7’ equate to ‘A* - A’, with an A at 7 and a ‘4’ equates to the

bottom of a ‘C’ grade, a standard pass. • 5 will be the recognised a strong pass grade. • We do not set targets to achieve 8’s or 9’s as they are statistical

awards, awarded differently each year.

What’s changed at GCSE ?

• This is not a ‘certificate’ but a measure of the number of pupils who achieve a Grade 5 ( strong pass) in six GCSEs :

English, Mathematics, Science (two Sciences that could include Computer Science), a modern or ancient foreign language ( including

some home languages) and a humanity (such as History or Geography).

• Not all pupils should or could study the Ebacc but half of all pupils were asked to do so .

• This is what the government considers to be an all round and academic qualification, certainly one to prepare you for A level.

What’s the English Baccalaureate (EBacc)?

• In general she will study 8 GCSEs or more to achieve her P8 and A8.

• She may be studying the Ebacc

• She will be taking Science, English Language & Literature, mathematics and R.E as her core subjects:6/7 GCSE’s even before options.

• We consider changes to GCSEs in Year 11 round about Christmas time . No changes now !

• We do not make decisions on tiers of entry where relevant, until the last moment, usually in January of Year 11. This is because we do 3 Pre-Public Exams: a walking talking mock exam in Year 10, a ‘timed’ walking exam in Year 11 and a PPE at Easter in Year 11 so that we know her really well, as well as her capabilities.

What does that mean for my daughter?

Progress 8 Attainment 8

English & Maths 72 4+% English Baccalaureate 40% 4+

54% taking the English Baccalaureate This replaces 5 A* - C including Maths and

English

New headline figures

• Your daughter will need: • Maths at a 4 (standard pass) or above for post 16 study. • English Language &/ or Literature at a 4 or above. Literature is now

equivalent to Language • A 6 in the subjects she wishes to study • A 7/8 if she wishes to study Maths or Sciences • 8 GCSES overall for A level or Level 3 study • A back up plan ! • There is a route for all pupils at whatever level but it is always good

to have this in case she changes her mind or plans change

Studying Post 16

English Literature and English Language

Mrs Nyland Head of English

Pupils follow schemes of work designed to teach the new Edexcel specifications for English Language and English Literature.

Pupils’ notes or written tasks are kept by the pupils themselves. The work of pupils is marked and regular feedback is given in the form of written advice and G.C.S.E. grades. Your daughter will need to be organised. Lever arch files, folder dividers and plastic wallets will help with this!

Half-termly assessments take the form of exam practice papers which will completed under timed conditions in exam conditions. The results of these, along with work throughout the term provide guidance for teachers when completing pupil progress checks.

• 100% Exam& no texts in exams • Emphasis on proof reading : SPAG skills • How & Why questions focussed on language in both exams

Literature & Language • Both exams are as important as each other: Literature can

also be accepted for post 16 entry • British texts • Lots of genres • Time management skills are even more important in exam

What has changed

English Language English Literature

Autumn

Y10

Reading 19th-century

extracts Writing skills (creative)

19th-century novel

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Poems 1 – 5 Poetry Anthology

Spring

Y10

Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet

Summer

Y10

Reading 20th and 21st-century texts Writing skills

(transactional)

Post-1914 text

An Inspector Calls

Poems 6 – 10 Poetry Anthology

Autumn

Y11

Revision

Poetry

Spring

Y11

Revision

Revision of texts

Summer Y11

Revision

Revision

Course Overview

English Literature

Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature (50%) Section A – Shakespeare: a two-part question. Section B – Post – 1914 British play or novel: ONE essay question from a choice of two on your studied text. Assessment duration: 1 hour and 45 minute examination 19th – century Novel and Poetry since 1789 (50%) Section A – 19th – century novel: a two part question Section B – Poetry since 1789 Assessment duration: 2 hours 15 minute examination

English Language

Fiction and Imaginative Writing (40%) Section A – Reading: questions on an unseen 19

th – century fiction extract.

Section B – Writing: a choice of two writing tasks Assessment duration: 1 hour and 45 minutes. Component 2: Non-fiction and Transactional Writing (60%) Section A – Reading: questions on two thematically linked, unseen non-fiction extracts Section B – Writing: a choice of two writing tasks. Assessment duration: 2 hours.

Students must demonstrate their presentation skills in a formal setting, listen and respond to questions and feedback, and use spoken English effectively.

There are no marks for the Spoken Language endorsement. Your daughter will be awarded a grade (Pass, merit or Distinction).

Spoken Language Endorsement

Ensure that she is: • Making use of study guides and revision materials provided. • Reading a wide and challenging range of Literature. • Re-reading the Literature studied in class and creating mind maps for

characters, themes, settings and contexts. • Creating cue cards with key points and key quotations relating to

characters, themes and settings. • Learning new terminology by adding to a glossary of Literary/linguistic

devices used by writers. • Using Practice Essay questions to plan and write sections of essays under

timed conditions. • Continued work on SPaG www.cybergrammar.co.uk, KS4 Writing Skills

booklet. • Completing her homework to the best of her ability.

How can you support your daughter?

Mr Stinton

Head of Mathematics

In Summer 2017 we had our first ever results for the new GCSE in Mathematics. The girls achieved • 73.5% grade 4-9 • 54.9% grade 5-9 • 18.6% grade 7-9

Mathematics

So what’s changed ? Mathematics #1

• Mathematics retains tiers:

• Foundation (grades 1 – 5) & Higher (grades 4 - 9)

• Everyone will start off covering topics from the Higher Tier.

• There are no controlled assessments.

• The examinations are harder with several topics from the Higher Tier now appearing on the Foundation Tier syllabus such as using standard form and solving quadratic equations.

• Edexcel syllabus

• Some formulae previously given in the front of the exam paper will no longer be listed. Students will need to memorise formulae for : area of a trapezium, volume of a prism, quadratic formula (Higher Tier), sine and cosine rules (Higher Tier)

• Spelling, punctuation and grammar are not assessed. However, there is a greater emphasis on reasoning and problem solving.

• There are some ‘new’ topics such as Venn Diagrams and the equation of a circle.

So what’s changed ? Mathematics # 2

• have started the Edexcel GCSE course in year 9, at the moment all pupils are learning some elements of the Higher tier course.

• are doing regular practice assessments. • are setting regular challenging homework. • are supporting those that need it by having a focus on key topics to

get that target grade. • are ‘Pushing’ those that need it.

In Mathematics, we …

All pupils have or will have personal accounts to

access four online revision aids:

www.mymaths.co.uk – this has booster packs aimed at targeting each grade. Homework and targets on this are set and monitored.

www.mathswatchvle.com –these clips that show pupils how to answer questions on every topic on the syllabus. Your daughter can download the free app.

http://mathsapp.pixl.org.uk/- the pixl maths app is free to download from the app store, google play or on a desktop. It allows more question practice and has teaching clips on it.

www.methodmaths.com- this gives lots of practice GCSE questions that she can complete on line.

Help we are providing…

How can you help your daughter succeed?

• Make sure she does homework.

• Check she brings her calculator to class – she needs to make friends with it!

• Ask her to read new notes when she gets home to check her understanding.

• If she is not sure, encourage her to ask.

• Practice, practice, practice!

Ms James Head of Science

Biology 100% A*-C

Physics 94% A*-C

Chemistry 94% A*-C

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1. Cell Biology

2. Organisation

3. Infections and response

4. Bioenergetics

5. Homeostasis and response

6. Inheritance, variation and evolution

7. Ecology

Key ideas

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Biology

Chemistry

8. Atomic structure and periodic table

9. Bonding structure and properties of matter

10. Quantitative chemistry

11. Chemical changes

12. Energy changes

13. The rate and extent of chemical changes

14. Organic chemistry

15. Chemical analysis

16. Chemistry of the atmosphere

17. Using resources

18. Energy

19. Electricity

20. Particle model of matter

21. Atomic structure

22. Forces

23. Waves

24. Magnetism electromagnetism

Space physics (Physics only)

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Physics

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1st Term

Autumn term

2nd term

Spring term

3rd term

Summer term

Bioenergetics

Organisation/

Ecology

B8

B9

B16

B17

B18

Bonding

structure and

their properties

C3

C4 Infectious diseases

and response

B5

B6

B7

Forces 2 P10

P11 Required

Practical catch

up

Homeostasis and

response

B10

B11

B12

Organic chemistry C9

C10

C11

Electricity P4

P5

Course Overview

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Time Mark Unit Examined %

Biology

B1:Trilogy Double award 1hr 15 70 1-4 16.7

B2:Trilogy Double award 1hr 15 70 5-7 16.7

B1: Triple 1hr 45 100 1-4 50

B2: Triple 1hr 45 100 5-7 50

Chemistry

C1:Trilogy Double award 1hr 15 70 8-12 16.7

C2:Trilogy Double award 1hr 15 70 13-17 16.7

C1: Triple 1hr 40 100 8-12 50

C2: Triple 1hr 40 100 13-17 50

Physics

P1:Trilogy Double award 1hr 15 70 18-21 16.7

P2:Trilogy Double award 1hr 15 70 22-24 16.7

P1: Triple 1hr 45 100 18-21 50

P2: Triple 1hr 45 100 22-24 50

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8 mark questions

How to prepare for a Science Examination

• Subject content

• Get organised

• Key words

• Learn the content

• Practice the skills

• Identify difficulties and seek help

• Use past papers and mark schemes

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• weekly practice of exam style questions in lessons

• Assessment tests at the end of each sub topic to monitor progress.

• Revision sessions

• Access to an Online resource called Kerboodle

• Recommendation on revision materials

What we will provide for your daughter

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Mr O’Hanlon Assistant Headteacher

Head of R.E.

2017 Results A*- C = 85% 2017 Results A*- A = 27%

Paper 1. Catholic Christianity - Catholic beliefs, teachings, practices,

sources of wisdom and authority, and forms of expression

and ways of life.

e.g. Holy Trinity, God’s Creation, Catholic social teaching, eschatology

Paper 2. Judaism – Jewish beliefs, teachings, practices, sources of wisdom and authority, and forms of expression and ways of life.

e.g. The covenant, sanctity of life, Shabbat, festivals

GCSE Religious Studies

Paper 3. Philosophy and Ethics – e.g. Can we prove the existence of God ? The problem of evil.

Religious teachings on relationships and family life – marriage, family planning, prejudice and discrimination.

GCSE Religious Studies

Mr Smyth

Assistant Headteacher

• Monitoring and tracking of performance and progress Assessments 4 times a year – November, January, March and June.

• Intervention by working with HODs to find solutions and resources to ensure that pupils are back on track as soon as possible

Progress Flightpath K

S2 L

eve

l on

en

try

KS2

Re

adin

g &

Mat

hs

Sco

re

End

of

Year

7 T

arge

t B

and

End

of

Year

8 T

arge

t B

and

End

of

Year

9 T

arge

t B

and

End

of

Year

10

Tar

get

Gra

de

End

of

Year

11

Tar

get

Gra

de

Old

GC

SE G

rad

e

6 120 6e 7e 7m 7 8/9 A*

5a 115 5s 6s 7e 6 7 A

5b 110 5e 6e 6m 6 7 A

5c 107 4m 5m 6s 5 6 B

4a 103 4s 5s 6e 5 6 B

4b 100 4e 5e 5m 4 5 C

4c 97 3m 4m 5s 4 5 C

3a 93 3s 4s 5e 3 4 C

3b 90 3e 4e 4m 2 3 D

3c 88 2m 3m 4s 2 3 D

2 85 2s 3s 4e 1 2 E/F

83 1s 2s 3e 1 1/2 F/G

KS3 Mastery Bands GCSE Grades

m=mastery

s=secure

e= emerging

• Booster Classes for More Able Learners who are coasting or underachieving

• Intervention sessions during school time (for pupils struggling or falling behind)

• 1-2-1 or small group sessions where needed. • Letters home regarding all intervention

activities so please do not rely on only word of mouth.

To sum up:

• 60 weeks until GCSE Exams

• C/W gone for most subjects

• 100% exam based

10 D Mr Amenze

10 E Miss Caruana

10 L Dr Mardanpour

10 M Mr Bartlett

Key People:

First port of call should be your daughter’s teacher, if you don’t have that email, please use reception@graysconvent.thurrock.sch.uk your message can be forwarded on to the relevant teacher.

If there is a pastoral issue then please contact form tutor or myself whichever seems more appropriate.

Contacting us:

• Opportunity Thurrock Oct 4th

• Parents’ Evening: Feb 1st

• Walking Talking Mocks June 15th -27th

• Year 10 Palmers Day (TBC) June

• Mock Interview Day July 13th

Key Dates:

Wednesday 7th February & Thursday 8th February 7 pm