Welcome to your exam information page

As you are aware this is an important time for Year 11 students as they are approaching their PPE exams this half term.

The PPEs will take place in the weeks beginning the 4th December and 11th December 2023 in order to provide students with an effective exam experience all examinations will be carried out formally, following the JCQ guidelines (please see guidelines attached below).

We are focusing on the importance that students PPE examinations have during this current time. Please encourage students to complete their PPEs with the effort they should be, as these grades matter and colleges and some post-16 providers may ask for them.

Below is the PPE timetable overview, Students will receive an individual examination timetable during the next few weeks. Resources are available via Teams, Go4Schools and the schools Exams page on the website.

An important part of the process of achieving the best possible grades in the summer is the preparation and revision that goes into the forthcoming PPEs. We value the support that parents provide during this critical period and would encourage you to discuss revision plans with your child.

You and your child will now have received a copy of their first monitoring report, these are available to view via Go4Schools. To view the monitoring report, please log into Go4Schools via a web browser rather than the app and you will have the opportunity to discuss revision and post-16 opportunities along with general concerns with their form tutor on Thursday 16th November 2023.

In January you will receive a Predicted Grades Report:

We recognise that many Post 16 Providers require more than just a Current Working Grade (CWG) in order to make an offer of a place on a particular course. In order to support your child in their applications we will ask staff to give a prediction of the most likely grade your child will achieve in the summer based on all of the information and data they have.

Predicted grades are not guaranteed, and students will obviously need to put in lots of hard work in their remaining time at school in order to achieve their full potential. The selective grammar schools can require an additional predicted grade form. If your child is thinking of applying for a selective school, we would encourage them to see Mr Foskett in order that we can ensure that forms are completed appropriately.

Good communication between home and school can help to sort problems at an early stage, so if you have any concerns about your child’s monitoring/minimum expected grades their subject teachers are a good place to start and can be contacted by emailing the school office. Mrs Ager is the SLT link for Year 11 and can also be contacted if there are any other concerns, both academically and pastorally which you would like to discuss. Pastoral House Managers are another useful contact as they can often have a better overview of your child’s worries and concerns

Assuring you of our best intentions at all times.

Yours sincerely

Yours sincerely

V. E. Mann – Interim Deputy Headteacher                                                      

R Brolan – Examinations Officer

Revision Guidance

Creating a supportive home environment is crucial for your teen’s academic success this term. Whether they’re preparing for school assessments, internal exams, or building a solid foundation for next year’s GCSEs or A-Levels, a consistent study routine and dedicated focus will significantly impact their results. Here are eight tips to help you create the ideal revision haven at home, not just for this term, but for the long haul.

Here are some revision support suggestions for parents:

  • Provide a dedicated study space
  • Promote healthy eating habits
  • Encourage them to explain concepts to you
  • Ensure they get enough sleep
  • Advocate for regular breaks
  • Minimise noise distractions
  • Manage their technology use
  • Maintain open communication

  1. Dedicated Study Space: Your child needs a quiet, organised space specifically for studying. While the kitchen table might seem appealing, it’s often a hub of family activity, leading to distractions. Help them create a designated area where they can spread out their materials and concentrate. Establish ground rules with the rest of the family about respecting this space and keeping noise levels down.

  2. Healthy Eating: Stress can trigger cravings for unhealthy snacks. However, teenagers need nutritious food to fuel their brains. If getting them to eat vegetables is a challenge, offer healthy alternatives like berries, dark chocolate, or energy bars. These are far better than crisps or sugary treats. Similarly, swap sugary drinks and excessive caffeine for water and fresh juices. Limit coffee intake to one cup a day.

  3. Teach You: If their schoolwork seems unfamiliar, ask them to explain it to you. Teaching you reinforces their understanding and improves recall. Ask them to explain key concepts and ask clarifying questions. If they can make you understand, they’re likely mastering the material themselves.

  4. Sufficient Sleep: Sleep is essential for memory consolidation and exam success. Encourage your teen to prioritise sleep, even when stressed. Aim for around eight hours a night. Suggest finishing schoolwork an hour before bedtime and limiting screen time to wind down.

  5. Regular Breaks: Breaks improve concentration and memory. Encourage your child to take regular breaks, tailored to their individual needs. A short break, even to watch a bit of TV, can be more beneficial than no break at all. Being flexible and understanding shows your support.

  6. Noise Reduction: While teenagers are often told to be quiet, parents can also contribute to noise levels. Try to minimise distractions, especially during exam season. While a library-like atmosphere might be unrealistic, simple steps like limiting visitors and postponing parties can make a big difference.

  7. Tech Management: Technology can be both a help and a hindrance. While online resources are valuable, social media and messaging apps can be major distractions. Encourage your teen to separate study time from social time. Turning off notifications or using “do not disturb” mode can help them stay focused. Suggest regular phone checks during breaks rather than constant updates.

  8. Open Communication: Whether your teen is facing internal exams or A-Levels, they might be experiencing prolonged stress for the first time. Share your own strategies for managing anxiety and pressure. Stress is normal, and learning to manage it is crucial for success, both in exams and beyond. Ultimately, while you can offer support and guidance, the drive and effort must come from them. Let your child know that you love and support them, regardless of the outcome.

Encourage your child by guiding them to break down subjects’ content to provide further understanding of what needs to be revised. This will help them approach their revision in a more structured and focused way.
 
A few signs with text AI-generated content may be incorrect.
 
Key Points for Parents:
Help your child go through the subject content in detail.
  • Check the exam board: Understanding which exam board your child is following will help clarify the information provided by teachers. Exam boards also offer topic areas and revision support. If you’re unsure of the exam board, please refer to the : Summer-2025-Timetable.pdf ( Y11).
  • Review the revision list: Teachers often provide a revision list in class, either as a hard copy or online. Please see this exams page for access to the revision list (Y11&10).
  • Once you’ve identified the topics for each subject, encourage your child to create a checklist and use a RAG (Red, Amber, Green) system to rate their confidence levels.
Strategic Planning:
Use the RAG checklist as the first step in their revision—this is all about understanding and familiarising themselves with the material. Encourage your child to focus on topics where their confidence is low (marked as red or amber). They can read through these areas and talk about them with you or their friends. Suggest they visit helpful websites and use revision guides to reinforce their learning.
Recommended Resources:
  • Seneca Learning: Free, interactive revision courses that are aligned with the UK curriculum. A great tool for keeping students engaged during their revision.
  • CGP Revision Guides: These guides are comprehensive, offering clear explanations and practice questions that are tailored to each exam board.
  • Sparks Maths: Useful for building confidence in math skills.
Educate: Another excellent resource for various subjects.
Help your child create a revision timetable that balances study with relaxation and other responsibilities.  Help your child to break each topic into manageable chunks and enter them on the time timetable.  There are many ways to do this; discuss the different methods below with your child to find the method that suits them.  Don’t be afraid to adapt and make changes according to need.
 
A close-up of a note AI-generated content may be incorrect.
Timetable Creation: Decide on a template. There are many on the internet, you can make your own to suit individual needs or use our templates. 
Most common are revision plans broken into focused blocks (45-60 minutes) with regular breaks in between. Here are some resources that may help:
Pomodoro Technique: If 45 minutes is too much for your child introduce them to the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused study, followed by a 5-minute break).
 
A diagram of a technique AI-generated content may be incorrect.
  • Flexibility –  Ensure that any timetable created allows for adjustments. Revision should be flexible, so there’s room to focus more on difficult topics.
How to create a revision timetable
  1. Using the RAG system completed last week identify the topics and break them down into manageable chunks/subtopics
  2. Working backwards add the exams to the appropriate timetable for that week.
  3. Now add the subjects allowing enough time for each and space them out over the time period.
  4. Reflect on the topics & subtopics you have RAG rated for each subject.  Think about which ones you need to prioritise.
  5. Use this information to start inputting topics & subtopics under the subjects you have already entered. Add those topics that you wish to prioritise or those you are most uncomfortable with nearer the start of your revision period– this allows you time to do the very necessary revisit of the topic later.
  6. Aim to include topics a few times but space them out.
You may find that you need to edit your timetable as you go along – a basic overview to begin with and a more detailed version every two weeks.  This allows you to make changes depending on what s going well and what isn’t sticking.
Additional resources for help:
How To Make A Revision Timetable That Works! | The Exam Coach
Year 11 How to make a revision timetable
Y10 – how to make a revision timetable 
SENECA LEARNING
A fantastic revision tool to help with those marginal gains building up to exams.
 
A close up of a logo AI-generated content may be incorrect.
 
What is Seneca Learning?
Seneca Learning is an online revision platform designed to help students prepare for their exams, including GCSEs. It covers a wide range of subjects, including Maths, Science, English, History, Geography, and more. The platform uses smart learning techniques, like active recall and spaced repetition, to make revision more effective and engaging.
 
Benefits of Using Seneca for GCSE Revision
  1. Seneca provides revision courses tailored to your specific exam board (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, etc.), so you’re learning exactly what you need for your exams.
  2. The platform adapts to your progress, reinforcing areas where you need more practice and helping you remember key information for longer.
  3. Unlike just reading a textbook, Seneca uses quizzes, animations, and quick-fire questions to keep revision interesting and effective.
  4. The way Seneca structures revision means you can cover topics more efficiently than traditional note-taking.
  5. You can see how much you’ve revised and which topics you still need to work on, helping you stay organised in the run-up to your exams.
  6. Most of Seneca’s content is completely free, so you can get high-quality revision materials without having to pay.
  7. Available Anytime, Anywhere. You can access Seneca on your phone, tablet, or computer, making it easy to fit revision around your schedule.
With just a few months left before your GCSE exams, using Seneca alongside other revision methods can really help boost your understanding and confidence. It’s a great tool to make sure you’re revising effectively and not just rereading notes without actually learning.
 
Students should download the Seneca Learning app onto their mobile device and log in using their school email account and password.
Alternatively, students can access Seneca Learning at the following website: https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/
 
Using past papers and practice Apps
 
Implement revision strategies tailored to Maths; ensure your child is practising past papers and solving a variety of problems regularly.
 
Edexcel GCSE Maths Past Papers | Edexcel Mark Schemes
 
Key points for parents – how to use past papers effectively for impactful revision:
  • Ensure you use the right exam board – EDEXCEL for Maths. (Check the website if unsure for other subjects)
  • Check out command words carefully to understand what the question is asking for!
  • Use past papers to make sure that time is managed well. Set a time frame to complete each question
  • Go through past paper answers with a different colour pen to highlight any marks lost or mistakes made
  • Encourage your child to test themselves. Find out if the revision has been effective by using past papers or encourage them to ask someone to test them
  • If notes are all bullet points, past papers might be the first chance to have to write in clear and linked sentences!
  • Examiner reports can give you an idea of where students went wrong in previous exams
  • Repeat testing – it is important you test yourself more than once. Try it ten minutes after revising a topic, one day after, then a week later.
BBC Bitesize: Revision: How to use past exam papers – BBC Bitesize
Using Maths Apps
There is a plethora of maths practice Apps for your child to access.  Here are a few recommended by our Maths department.
  • Sparx – Sparx Maths
    • Good if knowledge of topic is completely missing
A close-up of a logo AI-generated content may be incorrect.
 
Exam Documents and Policies
Exam Documents and Policies