KS4 Micro-Site

Contents


Welcome to the Key Stage 4 Micro-Site! A source of information for Tytherington School’s KS4 students and their parents…

Also, don’t forget the other information, revision support and materials that are available for access via FireFly.

 

Summer Examinations

What's in your hands...? - Click for larger version
What’s in your hands…? – Click to see a larger version

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) has published the Key Dates in the Examination Cycle information for GCSE, GCE and Project qualifications in the Summer 2023 series.

The date of the first exam on the common timetable is Thursday 9th May 2024. The afternoons of  Thursday 6th June 2024 and Thursday 13th June 2024, and the full day of Wednesday 26th June 2024 are Contingency sessions in the event of national or significant local disruption to examinations in the United Kingdom. All candidates are expected to make themselves available up to and including the Contingency Day.

Wednesday 19th June 2024 is the date of the final exam on the common timetable for GCSE and Tuesday 21st June 2024 is the date of the final exam on the common timetable for GCE (A-Levels).

It is time to get yourself prepared for you summer examinations at the end of Key Stage 4. “What’s in your hands…?” is a reminder of the power that you have to impact your own future through the efforts that you make now. Consider the message that it gives and what you can do…

 

Exams Timetable

The national exams timetable has been published and you can download an Excel spreadsheet that you can filter to create a personalised timetable by clicking here.

Please follow @TythyDHTMrP on Twitter for updates to this.

 

Mock Examinations and Assessment Windows

When mock examinations are due to take place, details of them will appear here.

From To Formal Assessment
Monday 6th November 2023 Friday 17th November 2023 Year 11 Core Subject Assessments (English, Maths & Science)
 Monday 15th January 2024 Friday 26th January 2024 Year 11 Mock Examinations Timetable
 Monday 17th June 2024 Friday 5th July 2024 Year 10 Mock Examinations Timetable

Please follow @TythyDHTMrP on Twitter for updates to this.

Professionally Predicted Grades

PPGs are a prediction of how well a student is expected to do when considering their controlled assessments, ongoing assessment and effort and attitude:

Professionally Predicted Grade

Other subjects, especially the core subjects of English & Mathematics, will be running “Walking-Talking Mocks” and other mock examination style sessions in order to support our students in their readiness for the real thing.


Getting Started with Revision in 2024

To help our Year 11 students get started with their revision, Mrs Pearson has produced this “Getting Started with Revision” video that takes you through steps to take to get yourself organised with your revision in the February 2024 half-term holiday, and a few revision strategies that may work for you – This can be viewed on this page plus on FireFly (click here to be taken to the FireFly resource page).

Mentioned in the video are the following resources that you can download here:

You can also download the slide deck from the video here:

“Getting Started with Revision” Evening on Tuesday 27th February 2024

This will be combined with a “Getting Started with Revision” in-person evening event on Tuesday 27th February 2024 in our Main Hall:

  • 17:30-18:30 for students in 11BG, 11CW, 11DB, 11HM & 11CS
  • 18:30-19:30 for students in 11LJ, 11PP, 11KS, 11RS, Bridges & KS4 Hub

At the evening event, all students will be given a personalised revision booklet that will help them organise and plan out their independent revision schedule, plus make use of the “Revision & Support Sessions” below and those that are being arranged for Easter and May School (please see below).

Students are free to come on their own to the evening, or can be joined by one parent/carer if they wish as well. Coming together will help with an understanding in the household of the planning, organisation and carrying out of revision.

You can download a copy of Mrs Pearson’s Revision Planner by clicking here.

Revision & Support Sessions

As the year progresses details of revision and CA or other coursework support sessions will appear here.
The following table shows the targeted revision and controlled assessment improvement sessions that are running at present for Year 10 students in the final weeks of the academic year and in preparation for their mock exams:

Subject Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Other/Notes
English After School, 15:10-15:40 for Year 11

Jubilee Block

 –
Mathematics After School, 15:10-16:00

Year 11 in M2

Year 10 in M4

Biology After School, 15:10-16:00 in S1
Chemistry After School, 15:10-16:00 in S6
Physics After School, 15:10-16:00 in S10
Art & Textiles Lunch Time in the Art Dept.  Lunch Time in the Art Dept.  Lunch Time in the Art Dept.
Classics Week 2 After School, 15:10-16:00 in J2 Week 1 After School, 15:10-16:00 in J2
Drama After School, 15:10-16:00 in PA4 Lunch Time, 13:25-14:00 in PA4

After School, 15:10-16:00 in PA4

Lunch Time, 13:25-14:00 in PA4
Physical Education Before School, 08:15-08:45 in MLB

After School, 15:10-16:00 in MLB

Click Here to Download Session Programme
Psychology After School, 15:10-16:00 in L6

Please see FireFly for the GCSE Essentials resources page, plus a wealth of general and subject specific revision materials to support your independent study.

 Please follow @TythyDHTMrP on Twitter for updates to this.

Easter and May Revision Schools

As the year progresses details of any Holiday Revision School sessions will appear here.

We are very pleased to provide the following programme of revision and support sessions for Year 11 (GCSE) and Year 13 (A-Level) students within our ‘Easter School’ for 2024:

Date Session Details (Including Time and if the session will be In School or Online)

Week 1 – w/b Monday 1st April 2024

Tues 2nd April 2024 Religious Studies GCSE (09:30-12:00, In School) – For members of 11A/Rs1 for Buddhism Unit.

With Mrs Wearne in H6

Geography GCSE (09:30-13:00, In School) – Paper 3 preparation, with exam technique workshops for 6- and 9-mark questions.

With Mr Cooke, Mrs Mellor, Miss Harris & Mrs Beardsell in the G Block

Thurs 4th April 2024 Psychology GCSE (10:00 – 12:00, Online) – Research methods, novel research scenarios, essay writing (9 and 12 marks)

With Miss Brereton – Link will be sent out via email

Week 2 – w/b Monday 8th April 2024

Mon 8th April 2024 History GCSE (09:00- 13:00, In School)- Paper 1 Exam Preparation. Part 1- Germany, 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship (interpretations questions and the 12-mark question). Part 2- Conflict and Tension: The Interwar Years, 1918-1939 (source questions and the 16-mark essay question)

With Miss Wallett in H3 and Dr Pugh in H5

Weds 10th April 2024 Music GCSE & A-Level MT (09:30-12:00, In School) – Composition finalising and Candidate Record Forms.

With Mr Lilley & Mr Beecher in PA2

Music GCSE & A-Level MT (12:30-3:00, In School) – Walking Talking Mock – Taking you through the answering of an exam paper.

With Mr Lilley & Mr Beecher in PA2 and MTR

Thurs 11th April 2024 Religious Studies GCSE (09:30-12:00, In School) – For members of 11A/Rs1 for Buddhism Unit.

With Mrs Wearne in H6

Fri 12th April 2024 Spanish GCSE (09:30-12:00, In School) – Speaking exam revision and practice.

With Mrs Keeping in H6

Please see FireFly for the GCSE Essentials resources page, plus a wealth of general and subject specific revision materials to support your independent study.

Aiding Revision & Preparing Yourself

Please follow @TythyDHTMrP on Twitter for updates to this and the other KS4 Micro-Site pages.

The table below gives you some sources of great general information and resources to help you prepare and do the best that you can when your exams come around:

Web Link Description of Resource
Parent & Student Revision Guide Our own revision guide offers information and ideas on revision, study and how parents can support their children.
Chunked & Spaced Revision Combining principles to plan revision and succeed – An article to help you understand the principles with an example and blank, printable, template of a weekly ‘Chunked & Spaced’ Revision Timetable.
Long-Term Revision Plan This sheet can be printed on to A3 paper and offers a framework for planning revision over a long period of time, using the principles of  ‘Chunked & Spaced’ revision.
SENECA Learning A highly recommended revision site that was mentioned in the Ninth Edition of ‘The Journey’.
ExamTime ExamTime is your place for Revision Tips/Sample Resources/Study Tools and much much more
Get Revising Everything you need to find, create, and share study resources
BBC Bitesize A home of both study guides and class clips
S-cool GCSE revision site with guides and question banks
Guide to Revision from OCR A guide to revision from OCR.
Skills Guides from OCR We’ve produced a set of skills guides that aren’t subject specific, but each cover a topic that could be relevant to a range of qualifications – for example ‘communication’, ‘legislation’ and ‘research’. (OCR)
Surviving Exams NHS tips on surviving exams and coping with exam anxiety

Power to Perform Recipes

(Large Download)

A collection of 20 recipes designed especially by chef Mark Lloyd, all including ingredients that will enable students to feel fuller for longer and perform well.

The ultimate key to success in your exams is to do the best that you can in your coursework and begin revising early so that you feel prepared and ready.

#TSBestYouCanBe

From Your NHS Youth Ambassador for Cheshire East

The NHS Youth Ambassador for Cheshire East, in partnership with Leighton Hospital and the Cheshire East public health team, has undertaken a project to create a leaflet informing Year 11 students about the importance of their physical health around the GCSE exam season, focusing especially on nutrition.

Having completed her GCSE’s last year she became aware of conflicting advice from both her own school and her fellow students about how to best prepare her mind and body for the challenges of the intense revision period.  She feels that the health choices she made contributed to her academic success and enabled me to achieve 3 grade 9’s and 8 A* at GCSE.

Her leaflet can be downloaded here.

VISYON ‘Space to Talk’

Visyon is a charity that supports the emotional health of children, young people and their families in the Cheshire and Staffordshire moorlands areas – see https://www.visyon.org.uk/

They run open access ‘Space to Talk’ sessions for Year 11 students that are feeling anxious about their GCSEs after-school on a Wednesday afternoon at the Waters Green Medical Centre.

Students aged 15+ can book 30 minute slots to talk to a Counsellor – call 01260 290000 to book.

 

Parental Support for Students

Parent & Student Revision Guide Our own revision guide offers information and ideas on revision, study and how parents can support their children.
From Your NHS Youth Ambassador for Cheshire East

The NHS Youth Ambassador for Cheshire East, in partnership with Leighton Hospital and the Cheshire East public health team, has undertaken a project to create a leaflet informing Year 11 students about the importance of their physical health around the GCSE exam season, focusing especially on nutrition.

Having completed her GCSE’s last year she became aware of conflicting advice from both her own school and her fellow students about how to best prepare her mind and body for the challenges of the intense revision period.  She feels that the health choices she made contributed to her academic success and enabled me to achieve 3 grade 9’s and 8 A* at GCSE.

Her leaflet can be downloaded here.

From Partners in Excellence (PiXL)

Partners in Excellence (PiXL) have been looking into support that Parents can provide to their children in the build up to and during examinations. The following documents provide information, including practical tips for supporting students and recipes to provide the “Power to Perform”:

Resource Description of Resource
Prepare to Perform A guide for parents providing 10 tips for supporting children through their exams.

Power to Perform Recipes

(Large Download)

A collection of 20 recipes designed especially by chef Mark Lloyd, all including ingredients that will enable students to feel fuller for longer and perform well.