Dear Parent/Carer
The second half of the summer term this year is our Kick-start half-term; we will be kick-starting courses for our students in order that they get ahead of the game. The term will run differently to others in that all students will have lessons in blocks of whole or half days. There are numerous significant advantages to reorganising the curriculum in this way for every year group and all students will benefit greatly.
Year 7 will be able to experience activities that the usual curriculum time given over a week has not previously allowed, for example whole day projects including field trips into the local environment. They will also get the opportunity to experience subjects that they may decide to pursue later on in their school career, such as media and dance. They will have the opportunity to experience a more broad and balanced curriculum. Additionally they will have end of year exams within this time which will begin to mimic the GCSE style exams so that they will be experienced and not so shocked when they enter key-stage 4.
Year 8 will be able to have a taster of the option choices they have made – this will enable them to be certain that they have made the right choices before they begin their 3 year key stage 4 at the start of year 9. Year 8 will also benefit from having end of year exams within this time within core subjects which begin to mimic the GCSE style exams so that they too will be experienced and unafraid as they enter the demands of key stage 4.
Year 9 will benefit the most as they are in the difficult position of being about to begin the increased content GSCE programme with only 2 years to undertake it. Kick-start will give year 9 the extra curriculum time they desperately need, as they begin their option choices at this time and gain whole chunks of curriculum time to get ahead of the exam demands. Schemes of learning have been rewritten for Kick-start to enable the students to access more than they would during normal curriculum time.
Year 10 will be able to experience PPEs (Pre-Public Exams, formerly known as mocks) in the most realistic style as the Kick-start term affords them a morning of revision followed by the exam in the afternoon: exactly how the real exams take place with extended sessions of revision beforehand. These PPEs will take place at the start of Kick-start to enable teachers to identify gaps early on and plan intervention accordingly.
Year 11 will have extended periods of revision in a bespoke timetable for each of them, in all subjects which still have exams remaining. All students, with exception of those 21 students taking Further Mathematics, will finish this term after their final science exam on 15th June, when their extended summer break begins.
Year 12 and 13 lessons will continue as usual without any changes.
This is an exciting half-term which will significantly improve the chances of the students in their exam subjects as they head through their school career.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Kate Finch
Headteacher
