‘This time of the year is particularly important because…’
It is always tempting to start an article for the e-Newsletter with ‘This time of the year is particularly important because…’ as we feel that every week is extremely busy and important, and of course significantly busier and more important than the previous one! Truth be told, every week is essential from the start of the academic year until the start of the next academic year. Missing one week of school equates to almost 3% of the academic year. If you need a reminder on the critical role attendance plays in a child’s chances of success, please refer to the article on our 100% Attendance celebrations. Holidays are also a crucial moment in a young person’s life as they allow some time to explore personal interests and develop skills that transcend their school experience. As such, every week offers unique opportunities to work and learn, and bridge the gap between where one currently stands and where one would like to reach.
Talking about unique opportunities… The coming week sees the start of our IGCSE and AS Level exam-focused sessions, on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 13:40 to 14:40 for our Year 11 and Year 12 students. Although the lesson time offered at school is greater than the number of guided learning hours recommended by Cambridge and Edexcel for each subject, these sessions specifically target areas for improvement, examination skills and revision tips, and form an essential part of our preparations for the summer examinations. We believe that these sessions provide students with an additional chance of teacher support, where they can work on specific topics and skills, ask questions and tailor their examination preparation to their individual needs. In order to support study skills and ensure that all students have access to a purposeful study area, there will also be an additional ‘open revision’ session on the same days for students to have a quiet place to work alone, with friends and to gain additional support, should they wish to remain on site to study.
IGCSEs and AS Levels start in 69 days!
A special thank you to all our parents who took the time to come and meet our Key Stage 3 teachers last Monday and Tuesday to discuss learning strategies for their children. End-of-term-2 assessments start on Sunday 10 March.
