Introduction to Key Stage 4

See Our PowerPoint Presentation - "Welcome To Key Stage 4"

How can I help my child achieve their best?

What is expected of Year 10?

Being more self-motivated and taking more responsibility for their own learning
At least 95% attendance
Developing their ability to overcome frustrations and strategies for persisting when learning new material which they find difficult
Organisation of notes, handouts and information for different subjects and units of work within the subjects
More independent work at home
Controlled assessment – organising and planning time over a longer period
An awareness of how the course is divided up and what percentage each section is worth
Revision

What can I do to help?

You already have a good understanding of your child‛s strengths and weaknesses. Taking an interest and supporting themand encouraging them in their school work makes a massive difference to your child‛s motivation. So school and home working together is important in securing the achievement your child is capable of.

You can support your child by:

Contacting Mrs Johnson or Ms Williams early if you have concerns
Making sure there is a space for your child to work in the house which is quiet
Supporting them in homework by showing an interest but not doing it for them
Finding TV programmes, theatre productions, exhibitions, films etc which link to their work and go to see them as a family
Writing coursework deadlines on a wall planner and displaying it somewhere prominent
Negotiating some rules around homework and being flexible when needed
Trying to link their learning to aspirations for the future; a passport to the next stage of their lives
Monitoring the balance of part-time work with the demands of school work.
Remaining calm when things go wrong. Talk to them to find solutions to problems; threats have a negative impact!

English

English is probably the most important subject that your child studies at school.

It has been established that a person with a large vocabulary has a greater ability to think. This is because words are like bricks - having a large 'pile‛ in your head makes it easier for you to 'build‛ ideas. Reading is absolutely central to building up a wide vocabulary.

So, how can you help to improve your child‛s English, whether it is a fi rst or additional language? There‛s plenty you can do, even if you don‛t see yourself as an expert.

Reading

Provide plenty of reading material for your child. Newspapers, fi ction (stories), non-fi ction (factual books) and graphic novels are easy to get hold of, either from bookshops or libraries. Many children also enjoy reading information they have found online.
Ask your child key questions about what they have read.
- What is the main subject of the text?
- What is the author‛s main purpose in writing the article?
- What specifi c words and phrases have been used by the author to create a specifi c impact on the reader?

Talking about a text encourages your child to be a critical reader. This will help them in their English examinations

Writing

When your childis given a piece of written workto do, help him to plan out ideas fi rst. Teachers will often do this with a class beforehand, so they will be familiar with the idea. As your child writes, remind them of the need to break ideas down into manageable paragraphs.

Encourage your child to use linking words to join ideasfl uently and build up sentences. Help your child to use more sophisticated words in their writing, such as 'however‛, 'furthermore‛, 'in conclusion‛ and 'therefore‛.

When your child is writing about a text, they will be asked to include quotations to back up the points. If your child asks you for help, encourage them to skim-read the page to fi nd a suitable phrase and to choose a short quotation rather than copying out several lines. Remind them to put the quotation in quotation marks ("..."), too.

Help your child to check his own spelling and punctuation -avoid the temptation to go through the work and change it yourself, though, as this can be demotivating and won‛t help the teacher to identify any problems.

Maths

GCSE English and Maths are key building blocks to a successful further and higher education. It is essential that your child can show a competence in both qualifications.

Supporting your child in Maths

Equipment

There is some basic key equipment that all students should have in maths including a calculator. Students should buy a GCSE standard calculator available from all supermarkets and get used to using that particular model.

Homework

Homework is set weekly using traditional exercises and mymaths.com. Mymaths is a useful website if students are finding homework difficult as it has a number of tutorials and support pages. Other websites including Sam Learning and BBC bitesize can support students learning.

Progression from GCSE

It is worth noting that to follow Maths at A Level a minimum of a B grade is required. Students at Ridgeway get the opportunity to study statistics as well as maths, which gives them an added understanding for advanced studies.

Key Examination Dates

Summer key dates for the summer modular Exams are yet to be confirm. You will be notified when these are confirmed.

CoPE

What is it?

The Certificate of Personal Effectiveness is a recognised qualification from ASDAN. It offers imaginative ways of accrediting your work in Learning for Life lessons in Years 9-11. Students are given the opportunity to record a wide range of personal qualities, abilities and achievements, as well as experiencing new activities and challenges.

What can this qualification do?

Recognise personal achievements
Help students to manage their own learning
Broaden students' experience
Develop employability skills and personal effectiveness
Add to GCSE qualifications (Level 1 = 25 points, Level 2 = 46 points)
Provide a way in which students can gain credit for what they have learnt both in and outside of school

What is the structure of the qualification?

The CoPE Student Book comprises 12 modules. Students must complete Challenges which are worth one or two credits. 12 credits are needed to gain the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness.

The 12 Modules

Communication
Citizenship and Community
Sport and Leisure
Independent Living
The Environment
Vocational Preparation
Health and Fitness
Work Related Learning and Enterprise
Science and Technology
International Links
Expressive Arts
Beliefs and Values

Challenges are graded in difficulty and the number that must be completed for a credit are as follows:

A challenges: 5 = 1 credit
B challenges: 2 = 1 credit
C challenges: 1 = 1 credit

(Work Experience and the Year 10 Project carry 2 credits each)

CoPE (Continued)

For CoPE Level 2, at least six of the credits must be chosen from the longer challenges of Sections B and C. Students must collect evidence for each Challenge and build a portfolio which will be assessed.

Most challenges will be completed during Learning for Life lessons and as homework, although some will be delivered in other subject areas, such as IT and MFL, or even on Intensive Study Days.

How is the qualification assessed?

By building a Portfolio of Evidence as various challenges are completed, students must demonstrate competence in the following assessed skills: