Headteacher: Mrs J Veal, BA
Cheddon Road
Taunton TA2 7QP
Tel: 01823 348200
Email: [email protected]
www.thetauntonacademy.com
15 May 2017
Dear Parents / Carers
Year 11 Exam Arrangements
The exam season is finally upon us and so I am writing to you to share the plans for the final
few weeks. All students will have had their personalised exam timetables and will have been
asked to check these several times and to speak to Mr Eddy if there are any errors as a matter
of urgency. The timetables give details of the exam paper, start time and the exam board.
Students have been encouraged, as part of their revision, to be looking at past papers and
exam mark schemes.
Timings
Students should continue to attend the academy at the normal time throughout the exam
period dressed in full school uniform. If they have an afternoon exam they will be allowed to
leave when it finishes but otherwise they will leave at normal time. There is no longer ‘study
leave’ and with the new GCSE exams it is essential that students spend time with subject
specialists for as long as possible.
In order to set students up in a calm way for the exams we will get students together before
each exam in the main hall for a brief reminder from subject staff about essential things to
remember and do. Morning exams will then start at 9.30am as this means that the rest of the
school will be in lessons and so the noise from changeover will not distract them.
As in previous years we will move lunchtime for the whole school forward to the end of period
3. Lunch will run from 12.30pm until 1.10pm with a further two lessons after lunch. The
afternoon exam sessions will begin at 1.30pm so that again, the rest of the school will be calm
and settled to avoid distraction.
Exam regulations
We have to follow the external regulations of the exam boards and will be reminding students
about these again in school. However, please make sure that students arrive in school on time
with several black ball point pens and (for the Maths calculator exam) a calculator.
Students are not allowed mobile phones or smart watches on them (even if they are turned
off) during any exam. If they are found to have a phone this MUST be reported to the board
and the exam paper will not be graded. There is no negotiation over this so please do reinforce
this with your son/ daughter.
Exam boards will not be interested if a student fails to attend an exam because they have a
headache or feel a bit sick. We cannot run the exam at another time and so if they miss an
exam they will score nothing for that part. Attendance is therefore absolutely essential.
The Taunton Academy is part of the Richard Huish Trust, a company limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales
with company number 9320523
Registered Office: Richard Huish College, South Road, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3DZ
Leavers’ Day
On Friday June 16th the year group will be together for the last additional science exam. We
will get them all together after that exam to celebrate their time with us, remember some of
the experiences that they have gone through with us and to wish them well for the future.
With such a lovely year group we are looking forward to this very much. Exams will still take
place during the following weeks but not for the year group as a whole.
ECDL
You will know that during the year we have been working on the ECDL course which is
equivalent to a full GCSE qualification and is nationally recognised. A significant number of
students have completed this with an average pass rate of 81% (an A grade) and we are very
keen that as many students as possible finish their work on this. There are times set aside for
support for this in school and we expect everyone to complete this.
Lesson outline
Students will be given a lesson outline booklet for the exam period. We have added some
revision sessions prior to the exams to further support students. Please make sure that you
have seen a copy of this and we will also put an electronic copy on the school website.
Help for parents
There is no doubt that the next few weeks will be very stressful for all the students and they
will show this in different ways. The BBC website has some interesting ideas for parents
about how they can help their son/ daughter at this website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zckydxs#z8fp4qt which you may find of use.
It is still not too late for them to work towards the exams. Anything they do may well secure
a few extra marks which then might make all the difference to the final overall grade so no
student must give up.
Getting enough sleep is going to be really important as is having a good diet. Try to avoid foods
with high sugar content as it is likely that energy levels will crash during an exam. There are
some ideas on the school website for meals which may be useful to help during the exams.
While ongoing revision is clearly essential, continuing to have some relaxation time has been
proven to help the brain process information making it easier to recall.
Staff will continue to remain ready to help and support students throughout the coming weeks
and we wish everyone great success. The results will be available in school on Thursday 24 th
August 2017 when we will all meet again and hopefully celebrate some well-deserved success.
With very best wishes
Mr John Eddy
Deputy Headteacher (Curriculum)