The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College Year 9 Parent Handbook 2018/2019
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2 Introduction The Ridgeway School and Sixth Form (TRS) is a school community which gives equal emphasise to students’ wellbeing and academic progress. We recognise that in order to achieve this parents are vitally important through encouraging and supporting at home, but also through sharing information with ourselves which allows us to create a more personalised and tailored education. We hope that we can provide you with all the information necessary to help to encourage, challenge and share your child’s educational journey. Communication We understand the importance of regular and clear information between the school, students and parents. To help you remain informed please refer to the following: TRS website – www.ridgewayschool.com Personal email The Ridgeway School and Sixth Form Ridgeway Review The Ridgeway School Facebook page Absence Line – 01793 846100 School Office – admin@ridgewayschool.com Reporting Parents are involved in every aspect of their son/daughter’s education and are kept regularly informed as to the progress students are making towards their targets. Through this system of monitoring and communication with home, we are able to intervene early to discover the reason for any under-attainment and to provide the support necessary to get students back on track. 2
3 School Contacts Below is a list of useful contacts for you if you need to contact someone regarding your son/daughter. Please be aware that staff will endeavour to reply to your email within 48 hours. Year 9 Key Contacts Mr James Povoas Principal Mr Matt Pauling Vice Principal Mrs Gina Moody Assistant Principal: Student development and wellbeing moodyg@ridgewayschool.com Mrs Rachel Harper Assistant Principal: Raising Standards Leader harperr@ridgewayschool.com 3
4 Mr Matthew Wakefield Progress Mentor Coordinator (PMCO) for Year 9 wakefieldm@ridgewayschool.com Mrs Rachael Giles Assistant Mentor Coordinator (AMCO) for Year 9 gielsr@ridgewayschool.com Mentors 9A1 – Megan Humphreys 9A2 – Cait Gallagher Humphreysm@ridgewayschool.com gallagherc@ridgewayschool.com 9A3– Tiff Winters wintert@ridgewayschool.com 9B1 – Inma Munoz 9B2 – Sarah Stewart munozi@ridgewayschool.com stewerts@ridgewayschool.com 9K1 – Michaela Tuck 9K2 –Marion James tuckm@ridgewayschool.com jamesm@ridgewayschool.com 9K3 – Kate Gray grayk@ridgewayschool.com 9S1 – Jess Mowat 9S2 – Inga Beaurain mowatj@ridgewayschool.com beauraini@ridgewayschool.com 4
5 Progress Mentor Coordinator (PMCO) for Year 9 Matthew Wakefield Matt is responsible for monitoring the academic progress of your son/daughter, this includes: Monitoring the development of their literacy and numeracy skills Regularly meeting with teachers and team leaders to discuss student progress Supporting students to develop and maintain high aspirations Preparing students for their GCSE options Supporting students with their choices at Post 16 Assistant Mentor Coordinator (AMCO) for Year 9 Rachael Giles Rachael is responsible for leading the tutor team and providing support to the Progress Mentor Coordinator and the Student Support Coordinator. This includes: Ensuring that the tutor programme runs effectively each day Monitoring student organisation and preparation for learning Offering support with social or emotional needs Monitoring and challenging behaviour for learning within lessons. Mentor Programme This year mentees in year 9 have the opportunity to take part in LORIC. LORIC stands for leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative and communication. In week A, Year 9 mentees will be delivered a LORIC session, related to a particular element of a theme of LORIC by their mentor and complete a LORIC task in their LORIC booklets. Mentees will then take part in a LORIC computer session where they can complete a log of experiences that relate to each of the LORIC themes. Further information on LORIC is included in this handbook. Year 9 students will also be delivered their PSHE lessons during mentoring time by their mentor once a fortnight, they will record their learning and progress in their PSHE booklet. 5
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8 The Student Support Team Each year group has a Student Support Assistant who works in partnership with the Assistant Mentor Coordinator. Their role is to oversee pastoral support and guidance for this year group addressing a range of issues such as attendance, behaviour and safeguarding. Their aim is to try to intervene as early as possible using their specialist knowledge to provide bespoke programmes of support across a range of areas such as self-esteem, social skills, as well as leading assessments and working with teaching staff to address any underlying causes of poor attitudes to learning Student Support Coordinator for Year 9 Responsible for the pastoral support and behaviour of your son/daughter. This includes: • Identifying underlying causes (SEN/ADHD), engaging with parents, intervention and staff/RSL liaison • Integrated support plans for all pastoral/behaviour issues • Multi-agency work/ safeguarding • Attendance meetings with parents Safeguarding Designated Safeguarding Lead Miss Dawn Blackler blacklerd@ridgewayschool.com The school takes its responsibilities to safeguard students seriously and welcomes contact from any parent or carer where they have concerns about their child. The Designated Safeguarding Lead in school is Dawn Blackler and she can be reached directly through email using blacklerd@ridgewayschool.com. Please do take the time to look at the school website to provide further information regarding safeguarding if so required. Please see the school website to access our full Child Protection Policy. 8
9 Subject Team Leaders Year 9 Curriculum Subjects If there are any issues, questions or concerns with teaching matters use the following procedure for contacting staff: Subject Teacher- concerns with academic issues, class homework and topics Subject Leader – timetabling issues, school trips Faculty Leader- set changes Art Technology Drama English Geography History ICT rs Mrs Z Miss A Mrs P Mrs S Mr J Mr G Mrs H Curtis - Hodge H Watts Lane Smith Slater Bister Mitchell Watts hodges@ wattsh@ lanep@ smithz@ curtis- bisterj@ mitchellg@ wattsh@ slater@ Maths Music Modern Physical Education PSHE RE Science Foreign Languages Mrs C Mrs R Mr J Mr M Mrs J Miss B Mr T Horton Jankinson McMeeking Meredith Lee Robertson Pittaway hortonc@ jankinsonr@ mcmeekingm@ meredithj@ leeb@ robertsonj@ pittawayt@ @ 9
10 Frequently Asked Questions 10
11 Absence What should I do if my child is absent? Phone 01793 846100 (option 1) before the start of school and leave a message with a brief description of your son/daughter’s symptoms on each day of absence. If your son/daughter is due to have a medical appointment i.e. doctors or dentists, please email the mentor and advising the date and time of the appointment and whether your son/daughter will be returning to school afterwards. Or you can write a letter prior to the event for child to give to their mentor during the mentoring session. Students must sign in and out of school in the book at reception – you should arrange to meet them in Reception. Absence for holidays is rarely authorised but can be requested via an email to Miss Blackler – blacklerd@ridgewayschool.com Attendance is a priority for students in Year 9. If student’s attendance falls intervention will be put in place. It has been proven that there is a correlation between poor attendance and poor academic progress. In order to ensure that students achieve their potential we try to ensure that attendance is as high as possible. Every term we hold a raffle price draw to award those high attenders with raffle tickets. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s attendance please contact Mrs R Giles – gilesr@ridgewayschool.com. Exams Students have three assessment weeks in Year 9. The first starts on the week commencing Monday 26th November 2018. The second is the week commencing Monday 4th March 2019. Then third is on the week commencing Monday 24th June 2019. In these series students will be practicing answering exam style questions under examination conditions. The aim of each synoptic is to build on prior knowledge so students are prepared for the linear nature of the new GCSE specifications. It is imperative that they do spend some time preparing for these examinations to ensure that the students and the teachers have a clear understanding of the individual needs your child may have to ensure that they reach their potential. Year 9 students will then be given an opportunity to sit full exam papers in the examination rooms in Term 6. This will help them to prepare and reduce anxiety when sitting the exams next year. If you feel that your child would benefit from access arrangements or you have any concerns over the assessment weeks, please contact; Matthew Wakefield – concerns regarding the examination room or medical concerns allbrook-dunng@ridgewayschool.com Becky Kneeshaw – concerns regarding learning support kneeshawr@ridgewayschool.com 11
12 Independent Learning What are the expectations? Students are responsible for checking Show My Homework to ascertain any homework they have been set. It would be helpful to go through this with them, discussing deadlines and checking that it has been completed to the best of their ability. Year 10 should be spending 45 minutes per subject per week. In Year 10 often this homework is coursework or exam questions, both valuable to ensure that students achieve. There is a homework club in the Learning Resource Centre from 3.15pm to 4.30pm Monday to Thursday, students just need to turn up. Here they have access to computers and a printer should they require. There is also targeted revision or catch up sessions ran during the week, these are run by subject specialist staff with the aim of supporting students who have gaps in their knowledge. These sessions run from 3.30pm until 4.30pm Monday through to Thursday. Students are required to register in the dining hall where squash and biscuits will be available before moving through to their subjects. If students fail to complete homework, or it is not to a standard that represents their ability they will receive a homework consequence. The Late Bus How can my son or daughter use the late bus following extra-curricular activities? The late bus leaves from the main reception at 4.45pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursday’s. The cost to travel on the late bus £1.60 unless you already have a day rider or a young person’s travelpass. Thamesdown 155 – Lawn, Liden, Elden, Stratton Thamesdown 157 – Thorney Park, Chiseldon, Liddington, Wanborough, Hinton Parva, Bishopstone You do not need to book to use the late bus prior to attending extra-curricular activities. Extra-Curricular Activities How can my son or daughter be a part of the extra-curricular activities available? There are a number of extra-curricular activities that run between 3.30 – 4.30pm – These are available on the school website. http://www.ridgewayschool.com/extracurricular/extra-curricular-timetables/ The majority of extra-curricular activities are cost free, however please be aware the occasional club may ask for a small contribution. Please discuss and make arrangements with your child for any after school activities. This avoids students having to phone home and worried calls from parents. Students can volunteer or may be asked to play in school matches via sign-up sheets in the PE department. It is then THEIR responsibility to inform their parents/carers they are taking part in a fixture. If you would like confirmation of start/finish/travel arrangements, please contact a member of the PE department. We would advise parents/carers to ensure the students have a mobile phone they can use to advise them of delayed finish times so that they can arrange to be collected from school if need be. 12
13 The House System What is the school house system? There are 4 houses: Avebury Barbury Kennet Silbury Students are allocated a house and they stay in in that house throughout their school life – siblings often follow into the same house. Students are able to wear house ties that show which house they are a part of. They are particularly important for events such as Inter-house competitions and Sports day. Lost Property What happens if my son/daughter loses something? If your son or daughter loses any item during PE it is likely that their kit or item will be found either in the PE office or the leisure centre office. If your son or daughter loses an item around the school site, they can check the following places: The classrooms they have been in that day. The Student Support office. Behaviour and Standards – lots property cupboard. Information for students Where can students find important information? Information for students can be found on the display screens around school. Each tutor room has a mentor notice board which is regularly updated by the mentors. The Assistant Mentor Coordinator will also regularly email home any relevant information to keep you updated which can be shared with the students. The school website is a useful resource for both students and parents. If students have any questions they can ask at student reception. Medical What happens if my son/daughter is unwell at school? In the event of accident or illness, students go to student reception, where they are able to administer First Aid and supply any medicines etc. Any medication given is done with consent from yourselves unless indicated in their care plan. If there are any problems during the school day which require a student to go home, parents will be contacted by school. As a result, please ensure that all phone numbers and contact details are kept up to date in case of an emergency. 13
14 Payments We use a thumb print (cashless) system to pay for all food and drink within the school. You can top up your son or daughters thumb via two methods: - Provide your son or daughter with money to bring to school to put into the machine to automatically top up. - Use Parent Pay https://www.parentpay.com/ to add an online sum to your son or daughters account. All payments and donations made for school trips and visits are made via parent pay. If you have any issues when trying to make payments, please contact Mrs Walke in finance, walkej@ridgewayschool.com Loans – Your son or daughter can request a loan through student support are repayable before each term ends. Parent Portal The parent portal is easy to access through the Ridgeway School website. https://portal.ridgewayschool.com/CookieAuth.dll?GetLogon?curl=Z2FsitesZ2Fparents&rea son=0&formdir=2 It is an opportunity for you as a parent to keep up to date with your son or daughter’s day to day life at the Ridgeway School. You are able to access information such as your son or daughters timetable, attendance and achievement and behaviour points. In order to access the Parent Portal, you require both a username and a password. This is issued when your son or daughter starts at the school. If you are having issues with access, please contact your child’s mentor. Immersion Days What are Immersion days? Immersion days are when the normal timetable for the whole school is collapsed and students take part in a range of subject specific or cross-curricular activities. For Year 9 these will have a focus around fully preparing them with the skills necessary for the future, they will look at creating motivating targets, careers and much more. The dates for immersion day are listed below: Wednesday 6th December: Immersion day 1 Wednesday 23rd January: Immersion day 2 Thursday 21st March: Immersion day 3 Thursday 4th July: Immersion day 4 14
15 Year 9 Curriculum 15
16 Attendance - Every School Day Counts! Assessment reports will include important information on attendance. Any missed days over the school year could drastically reduce your son/daughter’s chances of success. Continued persistent absence could see a reduction in GCSE results across all subjects. Attendance information to parents is explained as follows: Approx days lost Approx weeks lost Attendance Description per year per year 98-100% Excellent 0-4 Less than 1 95-98% Good 5-9 1-2 93-95% Satisfactoy 10-13 2-3 85-93% Unsatisfactory 14-28 3-6 Below 85% Persistent Absence More than 29 More than 6 The relationship between exam results and attendance is quite simple – the more students attend, the better the chances of examination success. Please note that HOLIDAYS and requests for absence taken during term time are NOT AUTHORISED. 16
17 Reporting and Assessment Throughout Year 9, parents and students will receive regular updates on student progress. Many assessment updates will be sent home to ALL students via the mentor. Please ensure that your child brings these home. They can also be accessed via the parent portal on the website. If you have any concerns from this data, then please contact your child’s mentor in the first instance. GCSE number grades Your son/daughter will be completing the new style GCSEs in many of their subjects in the coming years and will be allocated a 9-1 grade (9 is the highest). A U grade is also possible if your child is not yet working at a pass for the course. Current guidance from the government suggests that a grade 5 will be considered as a ‘good’ pass so it is likely that employers, universities, colleges, etc will regard this as equivalent to a current C grade. BTEC grades Students are sitting BTEC First Award qualifications which are the equivalent to GCSEs as follows: BTEC grade GCSE equivalent Distinction* (D*) 1 x A* Distinction (D) 1xA Merit (M) 1xB Pass (P) 1xC Level 1 Pass (L1) 1xF Fail (F) U 17
18 Assessment Week This year there will be three formal assessment weeks, which allow students to practice consolidating their knowledge in a formal exam environment. These assessments will provide students, teachers and parents with a clear picture of performance and will help formulate next steps for each individual. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Assessment Window 1 Assessment Window 2 Assessment Window 3 02-Jul 27-Nov 19-Mar Christmas Hols Summer Hols Easter Hols Half Term Half Term End of Year Faculty Synoptic Assessment Half Term Content 1 Content 2 Content 3 Content 4 Content 5 cyc Rep 5 (Exam Grp Int.) Y11 PPE Y11 PPE cyc Rep 1 (Yr10-13) cyc Rep 3 (Yr11-13) cyc Rep 6 (Yr7-10 + 12) cyc Rep 2 (All Years) cyc Rep 4 (All Years) Mid term assessment Mid term assessment Mid term assessment WS Assessment WS Assessment 18
19 Parent Information Evenings Year 9 parents evening is on Thursday 24th January 2019, these events will start at 2pm ending at 7pm with the school closing for all pupils at 1.10pm. Booking opens for appointments approximately two weeks before the event. An email will be sent to all parents and carers when the booking system opens. We do ask that you attend only one of these evenings to ensure that all parents have an opportunity to make appointments. Post 16 Information Students’ Post 16 Options At 16 you have many options to considerer after you finish your GCSEs: Post-16 College Apprenticeships You can apply for as many options as you wish, please read below for further information. Post 16 Students should talk to teachers about what subjects involve and whether they think students are suitable to do the course. Ensure you attend local Open Evenings to see what each Post 16 option offers. What qualifications are needed? What are the target grades? Level 3 courses (A Level over 2 years) want at least 5 GCSEs at A*–C grade, courses may need higher grades for entry Students will usually need to study 3 subjects Students should consider what subjects they need for their career plan/University A friendly, supportive and productive environment enables R6 Sixth Formers to thrive. The dedicated Sixth Form common room was decorated by students and designed with them in mind. There’s comfy chairs and plenty of space for working and relaxing. They are also proud of their very own R6 Café which sells pizzas, deli style sandwiches, paninis and more. Freshly ground coffee, hot chocolate and cold drinks are available too. The Sixth Form facilities support your learning, with a modern and interactive approach to teaching and working. They have both silent and quiet Sixth Form study areas with computers and working space, as well as a Sixth Form resource area to encourage independent study. 19
20 They also provide… • A dedicated mentoring programme with weekly group meetings and individual tutorials to check progress and offer support; • Sixth Form Student Advisor available for help, support and guidance on a range of issues. Achievement at R6 is exceptional and they are proud of the achievements of all of their students whether they continue their studies at university or go on to secure apprenticeships or jobs. Particular successes from last year include; College Main reasons for going to college: College does the course students want – as well as A levels (do different subjects to school) college also do more vocational courses Wanting a fresh start. Things to consider: Does it fit with career plan? Does it qualify you for specific job, or is it general? What grades required Do you need to apply soon? You may get called for an interview, this could involve taster lessons and assessment tests. You will probably have to pay some material fees – can ask for help from college towards this based on family income Travel every day – think about costs of bus, time involved – can’t just pop home if they have free period Open Events It is always advisable to go along to open events to see what colleges and sixth forms are offering. You can find all this information on their websites, or if you need some help speak to your mentor. Apprenticeships Students should consider what occupational areas they’re interested in and consider the local labour market. Companies such as Airbus, Rolls Royce, Royal Mail and MOD may need early applications - check their websites Apply to Training Providers/ College in the Spring Term (with/without employer – they may be able to help with the employer search) and ALWAYS have a full time course or another plan as back up. Search for an apprenticeship here: www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship. Best to search by postcode rather than look for Bristol. This gives actual current vacancies. Must have employer with real vacancy before apprenticeship can start 20
21 Will usually have to do assessment tests – especially more technical apprenticeships, or at least basic literacy/numeracy May involve day release to a college Pay may only be £95 week – although some e.g. Rolls Royce/Airbus pay more Confused about what you would like to do? Don’t panic you have lots of time. Speak to your parents or to your mentor. You can book an appointment with Polly Wiggins – the careers adviser – speak with your mentor. Ways to Support Your Son/Daughter ‘Parental support is eight times more important in determining a son/daughter’s academic success than social class,’ according to the Campaign for Learning (TES). Below are some tips for helping your son/daughter achieve their best in this important exam year. If you are at all concerned about their progress, please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any extra support. Attendance – Ensure that your son/daughter is in school! As you have seen from the research, attendance has a massive impact on final grades. We appreciate that there are days where your son/daughter will not be well enough to come into school however, it is crucial that they catch up on missed work. Aspiration - Does your son/daughter know what they are going to do next year/the year after? Evidence shows that students who have a career aim do better in their GCSEs. Take your son/daughter to Open Evenings at Post 16 centres and colleges. Encourage your son/daughter to apply to several different institutions. Talk to them about careers and the grades that they will need for different jobs or courses. Balance - Agree the balance between work and social life and stick to the agreement. Again, flexibility is the key – if a special night comes up, where your son/daughter will not be able to work, agree that they can make up the work at another specified time. Communication – Keep the communication channels open between home and school. If you have any concerns about your son/daughter’s progress contact the school to arrange a meeting to discuss! Flexibility - Be flexible – use the 80/20 rule. If your son/daughter is sticking to what they are supposed to be doing 80% of the time, they will be doing alright. Help with creating a revision timetable - Attention to good planning in the first place on how to ‘chunk’ revision into manageable bits will stop revision from becoming overwhelming. You can help with this and also help your son/daughter to create a revision timetable which can be displayed on the wall in bedrooms’/study areas with key examination dates and times highlighted. Crossing off weeks and exams as they are completed helps psychologically. 21
22 Remember to include ‘down time’ in each week’s plan. ‘I don’t have any homework’ – In Year 9 there will always be the opportunity for ‘extension’ that students can complete even if they do not have any ‘official homework’. There are a wealth of websites available to help with consolidating knowledge – these can be found on the subject information pages on the website. Interest – Show an interest in your son/daughter’s school work and Independent Learning (IL). Help your son/daughter to get into a routine of completing Independent Learning every school night. Make sure they get enough sleep - To help make sure your son/ daughter is getting enough sleep try some of these tips:- Stick to regular bedtimes Make sure they get regular exercise Allow time to relax and switch off before going to bed Don’t try to force them to sleep if they are feeling very active Avoid caffeine after 6.00pm Avoid ‘blue light’ devices an hour before bedtime i.e. Mobile phones, laptops, tablets etc. Remove phones and tablets from bedrooms at night It is generally recommended that teenagers aim for at least 8 hours of sleep a night Make sure they take enough breaks - Encourage your son/daughter to find time to take his/her attention completely away from sources such as revision and exams. Encourage regular breaks and enjoy their hobbies and interests. Throughout the examination period, make sure your son/daughter has plenty of time to relax as well as to revise. Do not allow them to ‘burn out’ by doing too much. Too much work can be as detrimental as too little! If you find them feeling too stressed, try relaxation techniques and put work to one side until the feelings of panic subside. Things often do not seem so bad after a break. Motivation - All students fall behind, feel demotivated or overwhelmed, or struggle with the balance of social, work and school demands at times. When your son/daughter feels like this, berating and threatening them will have a negative effect. Talk to them about the issues, acknowledge their feelings and adopt a sensible attitude in wanting to find a solution. 22
23 Offer incentives - Pay for grades! On a sliding scale, of course! You could promise rewards when your son/daughter achieves his/her target grades or completes work on time. When coming to such arrangements, make sure that the targets are challenging but fair – and also affordable! It is worth saying though that research has proven that aspirations and intrinsic rewards have far more impact in the long term than short term extrinsic rewards. Provide a healthy diet - Some foods are known to prevent stress and improve our brain power. It is a good idea to research into this. Hydration is equally important, so encourage your son/daughter to drink plenty of water. Provide a suitable place to study and revise - SPACE: It is really important that your son/daughter has enough space in which to complete their work. Access to a computer and desk is ideal but sometimes your son/daughter may need to spread out a bit more and so might take over a kitchen table, especially for subjects like Art or Product Design. It is not ideal to lie in bed with books and notes strewn across the covers: work needs to be organised to be effective. Quiet: It is not always easy to find a quiet place but it is very important that your son/daughter is able to work somewhere peaceful without distractions or interruptions. They may think being in front of the TV is a good place to revise but a TV is very distracting, as is music, Twitter and Facebook! Half an eye or ear on any of these distractions means they are not fully concentrating on their work. These should be ‘treats’ when work is finished. 23
24 Key Dates Thursday 11th October: 6.30-8.30pm 6th Form Open Evening Friday 19th October: End of Term 1 Monday 5th November– Term 2 begins Thursday 8th November: School finishes at 1.10pm (Y8 Parents Evening) Thursday 15th November: School finishes at 1.10pm (Y11 Parents Evening) Friday 16th November: Children in Need Monday 26th– Friday 30th November: Assessment week 1 Wednesday 6th December: Immersion day 1 Monday 10th-Tuesday 11th December: Christmas Showcase rehearsals Tuesday 11th-Wednesday 12th December: Christmas Showcase Friday 21st December: End of Term 2 / Sparkle day non-school uniform Monday 7th January: Term 1 begins Wednesday 23rd January: Immersion day 2 Thursday 24th January: School finishes at 1.10pm (Y9 Parents Evening) Thursday 31st January: 6.00-8.00pm Year 9 Options Evening Friday 15h February: End of Term 3 / Snow Dome Ski trip 24
‘Inspiring Learners for Their Future’ 25
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