Key Stage 3
Year 8 Information Evening
Nicola Fareham
[email protected]
Head of Department
Chris Gibson
[email protected]
KS4 Coordinator
Kate Wayman
[email protected]
KS3 Co-ordinator
Why do we have an information
evening?
• To keep you informed of the changes nationally to GCSE
exams.
• To keep you informed of the key dates this year:
-Parents evenings
-Assessments
• To explain how we set homework and what our
expectations are.
• To show you what you should see in your child’s book.
• To inform you of what your child can do in order to be
ready to learn.
The New GCSE and how it will affect your child
• Instead of the traditional A*-G grades, they will be
numbered 1-9.
• Students will be placed in classes following pathways
from Year 7 through to Year 11 on these new levels.
• New Mathematics topics have been introduced into the
syllabus to allow students to access better opportunities
after school.
• Students are either working towards the Foundation (15) or Higher (4-9) exam depending on their ability. The
tier they sit will not be determined until the end of year
10, but may possibly still change in year 11.
Maths GCSE Changes
• All students sitting their GCSE Maths exams
from 2017 will be following a new curriculum. It
will be a linear specification with students
having one sitting at the end of year 11.
• 2 calculator papers and 1 non-calculator.
• Broader and deeper mathematical content.
• Designed to be more rigorous to allow stretch
and challenge for both Higher and Foundation
students
Grading
• A similar proportion of students will achieve a
grade 4 and above as currently achieve a grade
C and above.
• A similar proportion of students will achieve a
grade 7 and above as currently achieve an A
and above.
• For each examination, the top 20 per cent of
those who get grade 7 or above will get a
grade 9 – the very highest performers.
• The bottom of grade 1 will be aligned with the
bottom of grade G.
Grading
• Grade 5 will be positioned in the top third of
the marks for a current Grade C and bottom
third of the marks for a current Grade B. This
will mean it will be of greater demand than the
present grade C, and broadly in line with what
the best available evidence tells us is the
average performance in countries such as
Finland, Canada, the Netherlands and
Switzerland.
• The new maths GCSE will be tiered, with
grades 4 and 5 available through both tiers.
Grading
• Ofqual Chief Regulator Glenys Stacey said
“We do need to caution against direct
comparisons and overly simplistic descriptions
of the approach. For example, it is not right to
say simply that a new grade 4 will equal a
current grade C.”
Year 8 Setting
• There are 7 sets in each band in year 8. They will be
working towards the new GCSE grading system.
• This has been decided based upon their attainment
levels in year 7 and will be monitored throughout year 8.
Year 8 Scheme of Work
• To prepare students for the demands of the new
GCSE we are beginning to use a Mastery scheme
of work.
• Students will spend a lot longer on each topic
than in previous years.
• Rather than accelerating students on to content
from the next key stage, the focus will be on
students developing a deeper understanding of
each topic and being able to apply their
knowledge to solve problems.
Year 8 Scheme of Work
Example
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Smile and a Kiss Method
Year 8 Scheme of Work
Example
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Year 8 Scheme of Work
Example
Testing
Students will be assessed throughout this year. This will
allow both the student and teacher to see where
progress has been made and intervention put in place
with appropriate students.
We will closely monitor students’ progress, and make set
changes based on ALL of the results that we have
available to us for each student. This is to ensure that
every student is in the set that is right for THEM, and
that they are working at the most appropriate level for
their ability.
Year 8 Test Dates
All students in year 8 will be sitting the following assessments this
year:
• Week beginning 4th January 2016
• Week beginning 4th April 2016
• End of year assessment in June 2016
There will be other tests scheduled throughout the year.
After each test we will look at the setting and decide if there are
any students who need to change sets.
End of KS3 Test – June 2016
This is the most important test in year 8 as it will determine each
students’ Key Stage 3 level and will help us decide which set they
will be in in year 9.
Students who are placed in sets 1-3 in Year 9 will be studying for
the Higher Paper, and students in sets 4-7 will be studying for the
Foundation Paper. Students have a number of opportunities to
progress to a higher ability group.
Students with a level 5 at the end of Key Stage 3 are highly likely to
leave school with the expected grade or above at GCSE.
Praising Stars
• We will use previous levels and the
assessments throughout the year to make
predictions for Praising Stars reports.
• We will now be predicting grades for the end
of year 11, rather than for the end of KS3.
Please be aware that these are long term
predictions and could change dramatically
between now and the end of year 11.
Intervention
• After school enrichments – all teachers offer
at least one hour per week to help catch up on
homework, classwork or consolidate
classwork with extra practice.
• One to one intervention – any student who is
not showing progress from their most recent
assessment is selected for one to one tuition
which takes place during the school day.
Intervention
• Some students are also given extra help with maths in
small groups during VMG time.
• This is once a week and the students are chosen for
this based on assessment results. This will be reviewed
throughout the year.
• There will be a peer mentoring scheme running this
year where students from year 11, 12 and 13 provide
extra help for younger students. There is a meeting
about this in U3 straight after this presentation.
Option Maths
• This is selected firstly on attainment – students who we identify as not being
on track to achieve expected grade by the end of year 11 will be chosen for
Option Maths.
• The second factor is progress – students who have not made progress in
Maths since joining the Academy will also be selected.
• We will use the results of the End of KS3 Tests to select students for Option
Maths and English in year 9 and 10.
• Around 25% of the cohort are selected for additional help to achieve the
expected grade in both Maths & English by the end of year 11. It cannot be
taken as a single option until Year 11.
• We have found that Option Maths helps students dramatically and has a
huge effect on a students’ chances of achieving the expected grade.
Revision
Several weeks before the End of Key Stage 3 test students
will be given access to online revision materials for them to
work through at home via our website.
They will also be working through past papers in class to
help prepare them for the test.
Homework
Homework is set on a weekly basis and students will have
one week to complete it. Homework will usually be set using
www.mymaths.co.uk.
To access mymaths you need to use the login outwood and
password congruent. Each student then has their own
individual login and password.
Every teacher runs at least one enrichment per week where
students can seek help if they are struggling with their
homework.
Homework Policy
• Maths homework is set in line with Academy policy.
• Each piece of homework must be completed by a given deadline. If
students do not manage this, they will be given an extension. If they
then do not complete the homework by the extended deadline they will
be issued with a detention (which will be recorded on a sticker in their
planner).
• Students need to achieve over 70% on their homework. Catch ups are
always on to help students achieve this.
• Students are only allowed one extended deadline in maths per praising
stars cycle, and any homework detention for incomplete homework will
result in an E3 for that cycle.
Rock Star Times Tables
What can students do?
Come prepared to every
lesson:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Book
Scientific calculator
Pen
Pencil
Ruler
Planner
Be ready to learn
• Make all appropriate notes
• Complete all classwork
• Use correct equipment (e.g.
draw diagrams with pencil
and ruler)
• Ensure all homework is
completed on time
Parents’ Evenings
•
•
•
•
Tuesday 20th October
Tuesday 15th December
Tuesday 2nd February
Tuesday 15th March
Others to be confirmed.
Thanks for listening
Any Questions?
Workshop over in U1 and U6