14th February 2020 Dear Parents/Carers,

Year 11 Pathway to Success

This is the next edition of a regular email to Year 11 parents. Every two weeks we will send out this bulletin with details of support offered over the coming weeks. As you would expect it is very important to make sure that students continue to complete coursework and attend any necessary extra sessions. Hopefully this email will help you as parents and carers to encourage your son or daughter to make the most of what is on offer.

As part of meeting the challenges of Year 11, I would ask that you encourage your child to act upon any advice or information received in the fortnightly emails. The impetus is now on them to put their best effort into achieving the results to which they aspire. Thank you for your continued support and please do not hesitate to contact me with any concerns in this vital year. Kind Regards, Mrs Katy Tavaga Head of Year 11

General

With the WAVE exams quickly approaching, students need to re-assess how effective their revision is. All students will revise in different ways but one method that can help is Chunking. Chunking is a technique which can improve the memory. Chunking is the process of taking individual pieces of information (chunks) and grouping them into larger units. The chunking process encourages students to break down larger amounts of information into smaller units, identify similarities or patterns, organise information and group information into manageable units. Studies have shown that students have gone from remembering seven pieces of information to over 80 by using the chunking technique. Tips for Parents: • Support your child to challenge themselves to remember lists of things, whether it’s a shopping list, vocabulary words or important topics they are learning about. • Help your child to separate their revision into relevant sections as this will help them digest everything and remember the information more easily. Encourage them to create links between different bits of information and put them into meaningful categories because it can help them remember them better. • Chunking works well if work is organised and neat, so help your child to use headings and titles for different sections, use tables to summarise data, bullet points to summarise key points and also combine illustrations with text to create visual associations.

Pathway to Success

Learning Bursary If your son/daughter is in receipt of the Pupil Premium Grant they are entitled to support in buying equipment to support their study. To find out more please see here or email hudsonj@crispins.co.uk

Sixth Form

St. Crispin’s Sixth Form: Application Meetings

The Sixth Form Application meetings are now complete! As a team, this is always one of our favourite parts of the application process. It is the students who

make our Sixth Form the success that it is, and we have genuinely enjoyed meeting you, hearing about your aspirations, and learning which strengths you will bring to our Sixth Form community.

Following your meeting, keep an eye on your school inbox ensuring that you respond to offer emails by Friday 6th March.

If you have any further questions following your Sixth Form meeting, do not hesitate to contact us

and we will happily make time to talk with you including your parents if you would prefer.

Business

Students are advised to review unit 4 and make mind-maps/revision cards. There will be a short knowledge test on all of unit four after half-term. The content can be found in the Course Companion. Regular review of key terms is also useful – listed and defined in the appendix of the course companion. There is also a specimen paper that can be download from our website.

Computer Science Repeated from 31.01.2020

The PPEs have now been reviewed in the lessons with any corrections noted by the students. The students will spend the next few weeks completing the Programming Project. The project lasts 20 hours and students have currently completed between 10 and 14 hours. The work can only be done in lesson time. The students are required to work independently of the teacher but they can use the internet for research. The Project requires students to solve a set of programming tasks and then write a report. The report has the following sections:

1. Design of the solution 2. Complete listing of the code created with commentary 3. Testing 4. Potential enhancements and refinements to the solution.

Drama Repeated from 17.01.2020

- Revision in your subject Students need to focus their revision on Component 1. To help guide students with WHAT they need to revise, please click on the following documents

o Year 11 Drama PPE Feedback Sheet - All students will have this feedback sheet attached to their most recent PPE answer paper. The feedback and marks are broken down by questions and there is a summary on the back. There is also an exemplar answer for each question as well as the mark scheme imbedded in the feedback sheet. This resource will allow students to redraft and self-assess or re-submit for further feedback.

o Year 11 Drama PPE Reflection sheet - This sheet identifies the students journey before, during and after the PPE. It should help them identify the key areas where they need to improve.

o Noughts and Crosses PLC – This resource allows students to assess their own knowledge and understanding out our set text. This resource will be used multiple times to ensure the students keep coming back to reflect on the areas they still need to improve upon.

- Revision materials o Students will have their set text, folders, handout outs,

past papers. They could purchase a generic drama revision guide the AQA GSCE Drama text book is also useful and will have set text specific questions and context below: Amazon GCSE Drama

English Repeated from 31.01.2020

Students have now been given revision booklets for a number of their Literature texts. These contain both information and tasks to aid students with focused revision. These will also be used in class. The key to success for Literature is a thorough knowledge of the examination texts. Students are, therefore, encouraged to reread the texts before the summer examinations. Students are reminded that GCSEPod remains a valuable, free resource. Another resource available to students has been launched by BBC Bitesize (see below). Students will need to register by following the instructions on the BBC Bitesize website.

Geography

Year 11 have started their final topic, Environmental Threats to the Planet, and continue to be set Remember Me? Personal study worksheets each week. Thank you for the continued support of your students.

History Repeated from 31.01.2020

Students should be completing revision tasks from their Germany revision guide, which students were issued before Christmas. Each week they will complete a worksheet which has ten subject knowledge questions. We also encourage students to attempt the practice exam questions at the end of the booklet. Any question they attempt will be marked by their teacher. After School revision sessions are continuing to run every Tuesday after school from 3.10pm-4.00pm. A timetable of the sessions can be found below and posters are located around the department as a reminder to students. The department is continuing to run its weekly GCSE Drop In Clinic. This runs every Friday at lunchtime. If students miss any lessons or need any extra support then they simply need to bring

their book so that the teacher can help them with any missed work.

If students need any additional resources or materials then they simply need to contact a member of the History Department who will try their best to accommodate their needs.

DATE

EXAM TOPIC COVERED

21st Jan PAPER

2 Elizabeth

EARLY PROBLEMS 1558-1569

28th Jan PLOTS 1569-1587

4th Feb SOCIETY AND EXPLORATION

11th Feb

PAPER 2 Cold

War

CAUSES OF THE COLD WAR

25th Feb CRISES OF THE COLD WAR

3rd March END OF THE COLD WAR

10th March

PAPER 2

Germany

WEIMAR 1918-1928

17th March

RISE OF HITLER AND THE

NAZIS 1919-1933

24th March

CONSOLIDATION OF POWER

AND LIFE IN NAZI GERMANY

1933-1934

31st March PAPER 1

Crime &

Punishment

CRIMES

21st April ENFORCEMENT

28th April PUNISHMENT

“Say I’m glad I did, not I wish I had”.

Health & Social Care

Well done to all the students who sat their Health & Social Care exam on Friday 7th February. We will get the results on 1st April and share with students on this date.

Information Technology (Cambridge National) Repeated from 31.01.2020

Over the coming weeks in lesson time we will be either: Doing science intervention or have independent study time in your ICT lessons. Make sure you come prepared to your Friday lessons with a plan of what you will work on, or I will supply you with some science work. Chat with your Maths and English teachers about possible extra revision you could do independently, this is a real opportunity to improve your grades!

Languages Repeated from 31.01.2020

French

Prepare chosen General Conversation Theme.

Intervention Speaker booster Ongoing up to exam Thursday Week B Lunch time

Intervention groups Open to all After school on Tuesdays (30 minutes)

Spanish Work on strategies for all skills Practice vocab in Seneca and Quizlet Ms Martin, Mr Marticorena & Mrs Angel to run intervention in different rooms on

Friday lunch Time (Foundation). Speaking boosters will take place on Thursday with Miss Bradshaw and Mr Marticorena (Higher).

German Group intervention on Tuesdays for specific groups. Friday lunch time – open to all.

Homework is available on Doodle so that students can practise their chosen language in preparation for the upcoming oral exams.

Maths Repeated from 31.01.2020

Year 11 Maths March PPE's

Paper 1 (Non calculator) - Wed 4th March AM

Paper 2 (Calculator) - Thurs 5th March AM

Paper 3 (Calculator) - Friday 6th March AM How to revise for Maths

1. Students have now received their colour coded PLC (personal learning checklist) Look at the topic lists for each paper you did for the PPE and use Corbettmaths to watch a video and complete practice questions.

2. Review sheet provided with Corbettmaths videos linked to each question 3. Watch the Corbettmaths video then complete the practice questions and mark them from

the links on the website. 4. www.corbettmaths.com

Corbettmaths

Welcome to Corbettmaths! Home to

1000's of maths resources: Videos,

Worksheets, 5-a-day, Revision Cards

and much more.

www.corbettmaths.com

Pixl Maths App

You should have received the login details for Pixl Maths app. Download it and complete the revision questions personal to you Login : Smithj PW: Smithj+344+a word Code : CR803

Past Papers

Students will be issued with one past paper every two weeks until February half term. Mark schemes will be emailed after the deadline for completion

GCSE Exams 2020

19th May 2020 Paper 1 (Non calculator)

4th June 2020 Paper 2 (Calculator)

8th June 2020 Paper 3 (Calculator) Students should ensure that they have a working scientific calculator and that they are regularly bringing it to lessons to practice using it. To revise these topics they have 3 options:

1. Use their online textbooks to go back over the topic on www.kerboodle.com (institution code: lu1 ask your teacher for your login details)

2. Choose the online revision lessons and tasks on these topics on www.mymaths.co.uk (login: crispins and password: trapezium, ask your teacher for MyPortal login details)

3. Use Corbettmaths.com to search a topic, watch a video and complete exam style questions.

Booster Packs on Mymaths

There are revision packs available on mymaths for all target grades. Please look at the Assessment and Revision section to use them. For additional revision resources please look at the Stretch and Challenge section of the Maths KS4 webpage.

Music

Listening:

Information on musical elements online at BBC Bitesize

Auralia/Musition for independent use in addressing skills-based content

Yellow Pages a useful ‘first-stage’ revision resource for applied recall The use of an AQA-specific GCSE Music revision guide is highly recommended from this point onwards, as it presents the key information required for the listening exam. CGP’s ‘Complete Revision & Practice’ guide comes complete with a CD to accompany practice questions provided (follow hyperlink to purchase by clicking on the picture to the right).

Composition: Having received teacher feedback on their draft composition work, students should ensure that they are working to complete their pieces in line with the feedback. Currently, coursework catch-up time is available during form time on Thursdays, and after school. Performance: Performance recordings are scheduled for Friday, 28th February. Times for students recording on this day may be found in the table below:

Time Performance Period 1 9:00-9:30

Dominic Regnes (Solo)

Period 1 9:30-10:00

Amy MacDonald (Both) / Ruth Opiela (Solo)

Period 2 10:00-10:30

Lucy-Anne Meaning (Solo)

Period 2 10:30-11:00

Amy MacDonald (Both)

11:00-11:15

BREAK (Cody to set kit in Mu2)

Period 3 11:15-11:45

Josh Hogan (Ensemble)

Period 3 11:45-12:15

Cody Lee (Solo)

12:15-1:00

LUNCH

Period 4 1:00-1:30

Shannon Bennett (Solo) / Poppy Evans (Solo)

Period 4 1:30-2:00

Max Barr (Solo) / Millie Rosenberg (Solo)

2:00-2:30 Shannon Bennett & Caitlin Edmondson (Ensemble)

2:30-End of Day

Max Barr & Daniel Vartsaba (Ensemble) / Patrick Dumitrache (Ensemble)

3:00-3.30 Emily St Clair (Ensemble)

PE

Repeated from 17.01.2020

Please see links below: Knowledge Summary Paper 1 Personal Study Booklet

All GCSE video evidence will need to be completed and handed in by the 4th March at the latest.

RS Repeated from 31.01.2020

Following PPE feedback, Year 11 students are now studying their final unit of the GCSE: The Existence of God.

Students should ensure they engage with verbal and written feedback given in class and in their books and act on this feedback to improve their answers to exam questions.

Students will sit an exam question in timed exam conditions in the final week before Half Term.

Personal study tasks will be to practise GCSE exam questions – students should ensure they complete these tasks to the best of their ability to ensure that feedback really does address what they can and can’t do with full effort.

In addition to Personal Study tasks students should be reviewing and consolidating their learning outside of lessons as well as continuing with their own personal revision ahead of the final exams.

If students are looking to purchase a revision guide we recommend: ‘My Revision notes OCR GCSE Religious Studies (9-1)’ GCSE Religious Studies Revision Notes We also recommend some new knowledge quiz books for both the Christianity and Islam papers.

Knowledge Quiz: Religious Studies - Christianity Knowledge Quiz: Religious Studies - Islam

Science Effective vs Ineffective Revision There are now approximately 11 weeks until study leave, which is the perfect length of time to cover all the science revision topics without it being a mad rush. Students should all have a PLC and there are 27 topics across the three sciences, so at a pace of 1 topic per subject per week, they will have covered the course and have time to practice and revisit topics too. At this point though, students start to regress in the revision skills that they use, going back to just reading books from the start. Please keep encouraging them to use effective strategies

1 Identify areas of weakness. Ideally for the next two weeks this should be paper 2 content to help with the March PPE.

2 Revise it and record it in a knowledge organizer, a mind map, flash card (but make sure they are detailed) or book.

3 TEST yourself. Students often want to use a past paper, just to see how well they are doing… the reality is, all this achieves is to make them focus on what they already know. They spend time doing a paper to which they know a large chunk of knowledge already and pat themselves on the back with the questions they got right. But we want them to improve, so pick out those weaknesses! The Brazilian football team, unlike the UK (until recently) do not encourage young children to play match after match after match, because they do not learn to be better players. Instead, they spend a long time working on their skills and only play games when they are older.

4 Update your progress to show what you are now achieving and feel good by the gradual progress you are making.

Tassomai We have lots of great progress on Tassomai and we have included our fortnightly tables of success! Unfortunately the teacher portal is down at the time of writing so I cannot share scores. Next time!