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- October 13, 2021
Dear Parents and Carers
This letter is to provide an update on the year 11 examinations in 2022 and how we are preparing your child for success. The government has recently announced that exams are likely to be going ahead in the summer of 2022. We know that there will be adjustments made to individual subjects to counter the impact of the pandemic; however, teachers will not be made aware of the full details of the changes to course specifications until February 2022. As soon as staff are aware, they will of course inform the students.
Mock Examination Week
A key part of the preparations for the final exams in the summer are the mock examinations. During the week commencing Monday 22nd November, we will be holding a mock examination week. Over the coming weeks, it is vital that your child starts to prepare fully for this assessment period, and that they also utilise the half term holiday for revision. Teachers will provide and/or signpost useful resources to help your child focus their studies. Remember that your child also has full access to a wealth of on-line support materials, most notably GCSE Pod. Students who achieve well at GCSE get into the habit of regular study in the evenings and at weekends. As a guide, we recommend a minimum of 2 hours of study in the evenings and 4 hours of study at weekend. We do understand that this also has to be flexible and has to fit around your child’s other activities and commitments. The mock examination timetable for the week commencing 22nd November can be found at the end of this letter.
Additional Support Classes
Each faculty will be offering a number of additional classes to support your child. Students are encouraged to attend these sessions and in some cases, your child will be directed to attend. Whilst the additional classes will help your child, they are not a replacement for independent study at home. The schedule for the study support classes is included at the end of this letter.
Contingency Plans in the event of exams being cancelled
Should the 2022 examination series be cancelled, we will be instructed to revert to a system of Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGS) as in 2021. In the event of this, formal assessment windows will be built into our curriculum. The assessment windows will provide teachers with robust evidence, which they will use to grade each student. In the event of exams being cancelled, the November mock examinations, which are conducted under high levels of control, will be treated as a formal assessment window and the results from the mocks will inform part of the evidence base that staff use. This only adds to the importance of the November mock examination series.
Through hard work and focused study your child really can succeed. In preparing for the mocks over the coming weeks, it is crucial that you encourage and help your child to formulate strong study habits at home. Whilst we will do everything we can to support your child in school; ultimately, their success is a measure of their own hard work and commitment.
Yours sincerely
Mr P Davies
Headteacher
Intervention/Study Support Programme / Mock Exam Timetable
Click to enlarge.
