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Information for Parents/Carers and

Students

Year 10

September 2019

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Dear Year 10 Student,

Welcome to your fourth year at the Community College, and I hope you had a relaxing summer

holiday and have made a good start to your GCSEs.

Year 10 is an important year when you embark on your chosen pathways for Key Stage 4. You will

begin thinking about your next step and your potential future career, and we will continue to

support with visits to colleges and universities, career meetings and work experience.

We will be working with you and with your families to tackle all of the challenges this year. Whether

you realise it or not, you are well-placed to meet this challenges because of the work we have done

together in key stage 3, however may I take this opportunity to offer you a few words of advice.

There has also been a lot of change in the education system, and you will be starting GCSE courses

which have a lot of emphasis on the final examination. These may seem to be a long way off, but

the time will fly by and a consistently high level of effort will be necessary from the beginning to

achieve what you are capable of. There are more marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar, so

maintaining an interest in wider reading and developing your subject specific vocabulary will be very

important.

You have five terms left and three of these are in Year 10 so maximising your attendance is key;

any lesson you miss is a piece of work you need to catch up on. Independent study is more and

more important and your homework tasks will be designed to help you tackle your GCSEs. If you do

not do it, or rush it, that is a learning opportunity missed. If it helps, try to see your homework as

an investment in your future rather than something you just have to do. Spend time going through

your work to make sure it is complete and that you understand it. Act on any feedback you are

getting, either written or verbal (your teachers really know what they are talking about). If you

have any problems or queries you do not want to be leaving them until Year 11.

Try to think of your GCSE studies as your job - that means complete focus in class and when

working at home, and work in partnership with those around you to ensure you will be successful in

two years’ time.

Yours faithfully

Mr R Thorley Mrs M Pope

Headteacher Deputy Headteacher

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KEY DATES FOR YEAR 10 STUDENTS, PARENTS AND CARERS.

9th September – 20th September Target Setting Fortnight

Progress review dates

14th October

11th December

11th March

2nd July

Parents’ Evening: 30th January

Year 10 Mock Examinations 23rd March – 3rd April

Full Report: 12th May

Year 10 Mock Interviews: date to be confirmed in June

Year 10 Work Experience: 6th – 17th July

Term Dates and PD Days 2019/20

Autumn Term (2019) PD day: Monday 2 September 2019 Term starts: Tuesday 3 September 2019 PD day: Wednesday 2 October 2019 Half term: Monday 28 October - Friday 1 November 2019 Term ends: Thursday 19 December 2019 Holiday: Friday 20 December - Friday 3 January 2020 Spring Term (2020) Term starts: Monday 6 January 2020 PD Day: Monday 27 January 2020 Half term: Monday 17 February - Friday 21 February 2020 Term ends: Friday 3 April 2020 Holiday: Monday 6 April - Friday 17 April 2020 Easter Sunday: Sunday 12 April 2020 Summer Term (2020) Term starts: Monday 20 April 2020 May Day: Monday 4 May 2020 Half term: Monday 25 May - Friday 29 May 2020 Term ends: Friday 17 July

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GENERAL WAYS TO SUPPORT LEARNING AT HOME

As staff, we are often asked how parents, carers and families can best support learning. Here are

some thoughts for you to share at home.

Reading Improving a student’s reading age has a huge impact on performance in their GCSE examinations. Reading supports students in developing their writing skills, particularly with grammatical structure and vocabulary. Continuing to read, particularly fiction, supports students in improving their grades. Parents’ Evening This takes place in the spring term and together with the progress review is a way for us to communicate with you about the progress your child is making. We would ask that students are present at these meetings so they can hear the positive comments and steps for improvement identified by staff. It is good for students to hear the feedback first-hand and to be involved in the discussion on the ways forward. We would also ask that when the Progress Reviews and Full Report are sent home with your child, that you sit with your child and discuss it with them, focusing in particular on their attitude to learning grades. We find this is a key indicator of how successful our students will be in their studies, particularly in their GCSEs and the criteria are attached for you to use. If you have any questions or concerns, then please contact the Head of House or subject teacher. Having the correct equipment

It is important that students are ready to learn. Although it is the student’s responsibility to make

sure they have the right equipment, many can often do with a little help. Every day students should

have their pencil case, reading book, planner, exercise books and other materials needed for the

day e.g. PE Kit or cooking ingredients. The school shop is an excellent place to stock up on those

items which are running low – all sorts of stationery is available and all is sold at cost price. We

want to develop independent learners and a good starting point is having the right equipment. A list

of the correct equipment is detailed below.

ALL SUBJECTS SUBJECT SPECFICS

Black or blue pen (at least two) for writing Small French dictionary (Year 7 upwards)

Pencils (at least two) Small Spanish dictionary (Year 8 upwards if studying Spanish)

30 cm ruler

Protractor Coloured pencils for geography

Compass Scientific calculator for maths and science.

Red and Green Pen Scientific calculator for GCSE geography

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PE Winter kit (September - Easter) CCBC sports top (short sleeved or rugby shirt) Black shorts/skort Red football socks Trainers (suitable for indoor) Football boots Shin pads Gumshields Swimming kit (inc. goggles) (Leggings, tracksuit bottoms and long sleeved zip-up sports tops are permitted, but must be plain black) PE Summer Kit (Easter- July) CCBC sports top (short sleeved advised) Black shorts/skort Red football socks or white sports socks Trainers Swimming kit (inc. googles) All jewellery should be removed for PE lessons and long hair should be tied back. It is the students responsibility to bring a hair tie. It is strongly advised that students wear a gumshield when participating in hockey lessons. It is also recommended that students bring a bottle of water to their PE lessons.

A place to study

Homes are often very busy places, with family members on different work schedules and with access to a variety of electronics available to work on, learn with and be entertained by. It is therefore more important than ever to have a zone, free from distraction, where focused reading and learning can take place. For some this may be the bedroom, but often it is better that homework is done in an area that is supervised (e.g. at the kitchen table). We often find that students benefit from having a regular time to study at home. Having a set time works well because it allows a healthy balance between work and play. If there is little homework one evening, then that time can then be used to read, complete action comments, check spellings or review work.

Independent Study (Homework)

Independent study is not provided according to a timetable. Allocations of expected time allowances over a period of time are provided to subjects to use in a way that best fits the needs of the subject at that stage. The homework will be visible to you on Go4Schools, and details of how to access this and other important information from Go4Schools (G4S) will be found later in the booklet. You will get more homework for subjects where you have a greater number of lessons, e.g. maths. Timing guidelines for homework will be provided with the task that has been set. This will vary but if the work is completed quickly we would ask that students consider the following:

Have the spellings and punctuation errors (indicated by green highlighter) been corrected?

Are all the action comments completed?

Has the work been checked through for mistakes?

If you have finished early is there any classwork you should review?

Independent study is important because it allows students to practise skills, consolidate knowledge

and carry out further research. Independent study is also about students taking responsibility for

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their learning. This is now essential as students are studying their GCSE courses and need to take

responsibility for reviewing their learning at home, developing good habits for the years of study

ahead. It is also possible to attend the Homework Hub in the school library after school until 4:30 if

requiring a calm place to work.

Attendance

Attendance at the College means friendship, shared experiences and shared learning. Attendance at

the college means academic learning, and also enrichment activities, sports activities and meeting

new people. Help us provide this to all our students by helping your child to attend every day. Most

students average an attendance of 98%. If attendance falls below 95% (i.e. 1 lesson in 20 missed)

it will start to impact on the young person’s education. The college will always seek to support

students who are unavoidably absent.

Attendance Rate Approx days absent

100% 0

95% 10

90% 20

85% 30

80% 40

If your child needs a medical appointment during school time, it would help us if it was in the

afternoon after 2.30pm. We are also keen where possible for students to return to school when an

appointment is completed.

Breakfast

There are a multitude of reasons why having a good breakfast before you come to school is really

important, but from an education point of view, it is vital. We know that some teenagers struggle to

eat their first meal of the day, but arriving at college having not ‘broken their fast’ will mean they

are far less likely to concentrate in class and will not learn as effectively. Please do what you can to

ensure they are ready to learn in this respect.

Anti-bullying

Bullying is not the same as arguing or falling out with friends; it is not a one-off event but usually a

series of repeated negative behaviours towards an individual or group of individuals. There is no

place for bullying, either at school or in the wider world. We can only stop bullying if we confront it

and explain that it is unacceptable. Repeat bullying is punished using the school systems. This

includes cyberbullying. If you are being cyberbullied, print the incident and bring it to school.

Bullying is similar to racism and sexism. If nothing is said, then nothing can change. Martin Luther

King, Rosa Parks and the Suffragettes all stood up and said that bullying because of perceived

differences is wrong.

We ask our students to operate a no tolerance approach by:

telling another student or an adult they can trust

if they see bullying then let someone know

understanding that a bully needs to be stopped and it is up to all of us to show that bullying

is wrong. If students see bullying then they must let someone know. Remember “bad things

happen when good people pretend nothing is wrong”

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ATTITUDE TO LEARNING CRITERIA (SCHOOL REPORTS)

Exceptional Good Requires Improvement Inadequate

Re

ady

to L

ear

n

Always has the correct equipment, is always punctual and never needs reminding about behaviour, uniform or focus.

Usually has the correct equipment, is punctual and only occasionally needs reminding about behaviour, uniform or focus.

Regularly forgets equipment and does not take care with uniform or punctuality. Needs reminding about behaviour and is slow to get prepared at the start of the lesson.

Often late to the lesson and missing equipment. Continually needs reminding about the focus of the work and tends to distract others or affect the learning of others by taking teacher time. Tends to ask for instructions again as they have not listened.

Par

tici

pat

ion

Always gets involved and shows an interest in the lesson, for example, by listening well, asking/answering questions, completing work to the best of their ability, working well with others, being thoughtful and considerate. Effort is consistently outstanding and care is always taken over the presentation of work.

Usually gets involved and shows an interest in the lesson, for example, by listening well, asking/answering questions, completing work to the best of their ability, working well with others, being thoughtful and considerate. Effort is consistently good and care is usually taken over the presentation of work.

Classwork and homework is sometimes careless or disorganised. Can find group work difficult, lets others carry the work load. Effort is inconsistent and presentation shows a lack of care and pride, for example in use of a ruler or drawing diagrams.

Tends to be passive in lessons allowing others to lead, will do the minimum work and leave it unfinished. Presentation is poor and does not tend to work well with others.

Ind

ep

en

den

ce

Always thinks for him or herself. Always tries to be as independent as they can be.

Are very resilient: always tries hard, even if on occasions they do not get it right.

Always act on their EBIs and other feedback, and use them to improve their work.

Normally thinks for him or herself. Tries to be as independent as they can be.

Are quite resilient: usually tries hard, even if on occasions they do not get it right.

Act on their EBIs and other feedback.

Waits for others to start then follows.

Tends to give up if help is not immediate and asks rather than trying to complete activity first, gives up on more challenging problems.

Does not always respond to the feedback comments and literacy corrections.

Depends on others, copies classwork and homework.

Gives up easily and always chooses the easiest option.

Will ignore improvement comments so that work is not developed further and does not act on literacy corrections.

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WHO TO CONTACT IN COLLEGE If you would like to discuss a matter concerning your child, then please use the list below as a guide. For pastoral concerns, please first contact your son/daughter’s Head of House. You can contact by calling the College and leaving a message and they will get back to you as soon as they are free. During the day, most teachers will be in the classroom, so we would appreciate your patience whilst awaiting a response. If you need to contact the College at any time, please telephone reception on: 01588 638257 Ask to make an appointment with the relevant member of staff. Email Address admin@communitycollegebc.org.uk Web Address www.communitycollegebc.org.uk

Staff Role Query

Mr R Thorley Headteacher Whole-school matters

Mrs M Pope Deputy Headteacher Issues related to teaching and

learning, target setting and assessment data

Mrs Plastow

Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO)

Issues relating to students with special educational needs

Mrs K Dowbiggin Business Manager Financial and transport related

enquiries

Ms S Glover Exams Officer

Exam related enquiries

Mrs S France-Pearce Assessment & Attendance Officer Assessment and Attendance enquiries

Mr J P Ward

Ms A Lane Mr E Sharp

Mrs G Medlicott

Head of Clive - Austen House Head of Darwin - Keller House Head of Sidney - Potter House Head of Curie - Webb House

Non subject specific enquiries relating to student progress, behaviour and pastoral care

Miss K Scott Assistant Headteacher Issues relating to English, History, Geography, Art, Music, MFL and Drama

Mr A Kirk

Assistant Headteacher Issues related to Maths, Science, PE, ICT and Technology

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THE HOME-COLLEGE AGREEMENT Please read and sign in your son/daughter’s planner.

The College: We will

Provide an ordered, secure and supportive environment;

Provide for the academic, social, physical and personal development of each individual. Foster a positive approach to learning and a growth mindset Let parents know about any concerns or problems that affect their child's work or behaviour

for example attendance. punctuality or equipment Set targets, which challenge our learners and send home regular information about your

child’s progress towards those targets. Arrange parents' evenings during which progress will be discussed; Keep parents/carers informed about School activities

The Students: I will Be determined to achieve the very best I can; Follow the schools code of conduct Be respectful of others beliefs, property and feelings Aim to have attendance of 100%; Arrive on time every day;

Participate fully in school life. attend the parents evening and participate in the discussion about my progress

Parents and Carers: I/We will See that my child goes to school every day, on time and properly equipped; Contact the school in the event of an absence

Support the school's behaviour policy Let the school know about any concerns or problems that might affect my child's work or

behaviour; Support my child in their independent studies. Attend parents' evening and discussion about my child's progress;

Support my child in improving their reading

Mobile Phone/MP3 player Students may bring their phone or players into college as we appreciate that our students travel long distances. We make sure that students have access to a phone at receptions should they need to contact home and ask that parents use the school contact number rather than calling a student’s mobile. We will make sure they receive any messages. These rules are to ensure learning is not disrupted and that the privacy of both staff and students is respected. Students must abide by the following rules

All phones/MP3 players will be turned off during the school day unless a member of staff gives permission for their use.

Student will not wear their ear phones around the college If a phone is seen during the day, it will be confiscated and returned at the end of the day

from reception If a device is confiscated for a second time in a half term, then it will be returned the

following day If a phone is confiscated for a third time in a half term it will be kept for 3 working days etc.

Smart surfing code The ICT facilities, internet and e-mail and provided to support students with their studies. Access is a privilege not a right. You are responsible for your behaviour and communication.

Only use the programmes needed for the lesson and specified by your teacher

Make sure you have logged off when you finish.

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Do not share your password

We monitor the internet for inappropriate use for example Facebook, Myspace, Games sites or offensive materials.

Never give out personal details- you do not always know who you are communicating with Do not respond to inappropriate requests- many teens receive inappropriate messages, which

can be scary and embarrassing. If you have concerns block and report. Sexting is illegal and we pass information to the police when we find it occurring. This

includes forwarding images.

Remember that nothing is temporary in the online world. Once something is posted, it stays even if you delete it. SAFE Surfing: Information for parents

Most websites and games use age restrictions to make sure children do not see inappropriate content.

Children must be at least 13 to register on most social networking sites. It is unfortunately quite straightforward for younger students to join. Many parents insist that they are added as friends so they can make sure their child is acting appropriately and safely. Our advice however is to respect the age guidelines.

Check the privacy settings –profiles should be private Use parental controls on your internet and ideally keep computers in a common area.

Inexperienced younger children tend to be most at risk. The NSPCC, working together with O2, have a wide range of materials to support parents

including:

O2 NSPCC Online Safety Helpline - providing personalised support for parents on privacy settings, new sites and apps and general advice.

Netaware – a popular guide to the 50 sites, apps and games used by young people. Netaware has been awarded the Best Product for Parents and is available as an app.

Guru appointment – whether an O2 customer or not, you can book an in-store appointment with an O2 Guru to get advice and support.

General advice, support and information https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety

CHECK YOUR MOOD-Do not post if you are angry or upset. BE ANONYMOUS- do not post any personal information (school, home birthday for

example), use a nickname. BE PRIVATE- never give your location. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE SENDER, DELETE.

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PROGRESS AND REPORTING Following the end of the National Curriculum Grading scheme the college adopted a system based on

the new GCSE model. This makes it clearer to see progression across the year groups for students,

parents and staff. Whilst

achieving a 2 in Year 7 does

not mean that the student

would actually achieve a Grade

2 if they sat the full GCSE at

that time, it is an indication of

the level at which they are working.

Teacher Target Grade

Your child is provided with a target grade for the academic year, which is based on CAT (Cognitive

Ability Tests) on arrival at school and their teacher’s judgements. These are expected to be

challenging targets, encouraging students to aim high. Your child’s progress through the year is

calculated in relation to their progress towards their target.

Current Grade

This is the grade you will see reported to you, which indicates the point that your child is currently

at. This will be derived from summative (formal) assessments and also formative (informal or teacher

observation) assessments.

Progress on Reports

The difference between these two grades will place your child’s

progress in a subject into a category. Over the course of the year

a grade which might have fallen into the green category ‘achieving

expected progress’ could move down into the yellow ‘working

towards expected progress’ if there is no movement upwards.

Reporting

Years 10 receive 4 Progress Reports through the academic year. The first is Attitudes to Learning

only and gives an indication of your child’s readiness to learn and participation in class. These

attributes are graded 1-4, with 1 being excellent.

The other Progress Reports are issued through the year. These will include your child’s target grade

and current grade and the indicators shown above of progress. These are all published online in

Go4Schools.

One of these reports will also include a written comment by your child’s subject teachers and

learning coach, including actions to take to progress. This report will also be printed out and sent

home with your child.

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GO 4 SCHOOLS - PARENTS You may be aware by now that we use Go 4 Schools to keep you informed of your child’s targets, progress, timetable, homework, and other useful data. A link to Go 4 Schools can be found on the school website (www.communitycollegebc.org.uk).

LOGGING IN When you first open the Go 4 Schools web page (www.go4schools.com) you will see three different areas: Schools, Students and Parents. Click on the Parents icon: Clicking the Parents box takes you to the Log In page. Enter the email address you have supplied the school with and, if you’ve used Go 4 Schools before, the password. If you are new to Go 4 Schools then enter your email address under the “First-time User” heading and request a password:

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If you have forgotten your password then you can enter your email address and you will

receive an email with a new one.

You can change your password by clicking on My Settings.

HOMEPAGE Now you will see the following information below your child’s name.

The light blue headings above (underneath your child’s name) are all links to various parts of

the page – you can click on them as “short cuts” to get where you want to be, or you can

scroll down the page.

The “At a Glance” box shows your child’s current attendance together with their Tutor Group and the name of their Tutor “Today’s Timetable” shows your child’s hour by hour timetable for the day. Clicking on ‘View

full timetable” will show the timetable for the week, and by clicking on the arrows at the top

left of the timetable you can see previous or future weeks.

Homework You can see when the homework is due, when it was set, guidance time for completion, and the subject and title of the homework. The title is in blue and is a link to more details, and sometimes to a worksheet or link to help your child with their homework. Clicking on the title will give greater detail on the task if added. With the current set-up, homework will remain visible here until it is completed and then signed off by the teacher. Viewing the full list will give you an overview of historic homework too.

Detailed Progress The “Detailed Progress” box shows all your child’s subjects, together with their current grade

and their target grade. Our assessment schedule gives a grade update throughout the

academic year, with progress reports showing this information and AtL (Attitude to Learning)

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grades. There is a full report with teacher comments once a year. The column headed

“Current” is therefore live and will change each time a grade update is entered by a teacher.

This means you are always kept up to date with how your child is doing.

Target grades are set using national data and your child’s own past performance. These may occasionally be revised during the year. Below this is a summary of your child’s attendance. This will always display the position up to and including the previous school day.

Progress and Reports Finally, the Progress and Reports section shows you your child’s current grade and also grades which have been reported previously. You can access previous reports by clicking on the “view report” link. Opening the link also enables you to view it as a PDF document, which can be printed.