Bulletin - 13.7.15

1. Dates for diariesMon 13th July, 3pm: BTEC Dance performance
Tues 14th July: Year 9/10 trip to Houses of Parliament
Wed 15th July: Blood donation in Assembly Hall
Wed 15th July: Whole school T&L meeting
Thur 16th July: Year 7/8 cinema reward
Thur 16th-Fri 17th July: Sports Days
Fri 17th July, 12:30 END OF TERM!

2. Timetable
I know you are all anxious to see a timetable for next year. The consultants sent through a draft last week and the needs substantial work. I have emailed the key issues and have a meeting with them on Tuesday. As soon as I have a timetable, I will share it with you all.

3. New curriculum + new Schemes of Work
I have set up a folder in the English section of Staff Resources:
In KS3: KS3 FROM 2015
In KS4: KS4 FROM 2015

Please save all new modules/resources in the appropriate folder.

4. A-level/GCSE results days
If you would like to come in to see students getting their results, school will be open from 9am on the following days:
A-level results: Thursday 13th August
GCSE results: Thursday 20th August

5. Thank you (and goodbye)
I'm not sure that there are any 'easy' years in this job but I think this one has been particularly tough, so thank you for your perseverance, your dedication and your endless good spirits in the face of adversity. No-one deserves a six-week break more than you, so do enjoy it.

And to Maud and Dan, thank you so much for everything you have done this year. We wish we could keep you but understand that some opportunities are too good to turn down: we wish you all the best.

Bulletin - 6.7.15

1. Dates for diaries
Mon 6th - Wed 8th July: Art Exhibition, Assembly Hall
Tues 7th July: Year 9 + 10 Humanutopia Day
Wed 8th July: Year 8 trip to National Space Centre
Wed 8th July: Meeting 1: College; Meeting 2: Report moderation
Thur 9th July: Year 10 Make A Change Day
Mon 13th July, 3pm: BTEC Dance performance
Tues 14th July: Year 9/10 trip to Houses of Parliament
Wed 15th July: Blood donation in Assembly Hall
Wed 15th July: Whole school T&L meeting
Thur 16th July: Year 7/8 cinema reward
Thur 16th-Fri 17th July: Sports Days
Fri 17th July, 12:30 END OF TERM!

2. Speaking & Listening next year

Ofqual have released the following statement re: Speaking & Listening in the new curriculum: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/assessment-arrangements-for-gcse-english-language

3. Grading in the new GCSE world

Here is a diagram that shows how current A*-G grades will look in the new 1-9 system. And here is a video that AQA have put together explaining how it all works. It is going to be a harder environment for English next year: the curriculum is designed to be more 'rigorous' and the yardstick (the grade 5) is more like a top C/low B than a current C.

4. Thank you for the marking...

Thank you all very much for the time you put in on the KS3 exams. Please make sure all exam scripts, feedback and marks are now with the appropriate teachers. As a little thank you (and because yesterday was Phoebe's birthday) I've bought in some edibles for everyone. I reckon most people are probably fairly caked-out by now so have gone for something healthier (and more summer-y).