Year 10 mock examinations will begin on Tuesday 18th April and I am writing to ask for your support in encouraging your son/daughter to prepare well for these assessments. They will provide teachers with greater understanding of where students are in their journeys towards achieving their potential and it is important that students approach them seriously, ready to demonstrate their best work.
We are keen to encourage early preparation. Students have already attended an assembly where guidance on planning their time and using effective revision strategies has been given. During PSHCE students will:
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focus on creating study timetables to structure their revision during evenings and weekends and be introduced to the ‘Pomodoro’ method of building 25 minute blocks of focused revision around regular breaks
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explore how to create more effective flashcards and use them to self-test – this builds on previous work on revision strategies of Cornell notes and mind-maps.
Further information about all of these techniques can be found on our school website in our Effective Learning Strategies section.
With 9 weeks to go until mock exams begin – and only 6 school weeks, we are asking you as parents and carers to support us in ensuring that students prepare adequately and sensibly. Experience tells us that it really helps when parents:
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know the details of the exams for each subject as well as the revision guidance that has been given by teachers (please see the attached documents)
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help to create the time and environment for dedicated study – for example, you might support your child in making and sticking to a revision timetable with weekly study time for each subject planned out (an editable template is attached)
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support children to work independently on their revision for one to two hours each day, making use of the resources provided by their teachers including the brilliant GCSEPod!
Students’ individual timetables will be communicated nearer the time. For now, if you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us. You should get in touch with your child’s tutor or subject teacher in the first instance, depending on the nature of your query.
We are immensely proud of the commitment already being shown by our Year 10 students to their studies and we wish them the best of luck in their preparation for mock exams.
Kind regards,
Mrs K. Nichols
Assistant Principal
