History

GCSE Reforms House Life

6th Formers can use their mobiles in the 6th Form Centre.

House telephones If your parents need to contact you, they should try your mobile or Matron’s phone (01256 860341). The main house telephone should not be used without specific permission from a member of the house staff.

POST Post is delivered to the House daily and can be collected from Matron’s room. You can leave letters for posting with Matron, or you can buy stamps and hand in letters to post at the main College reception.

POSTERS We like you to bring posters and pictures to liven up your dorm but please make sure you only pin them to the notice boards provided - do not blu-tack or sellotape any to the walls or furniture. Prospective parents, staff and other visitors will often be shown around the house and therefore any posters you put up must not cause offence to anybody. If a member of staff thinks a poster is unsuitable you will be asked to remove it. Posters containing the following should definitely be avoided; racism, nudity, sex, bad/crude language, blood and gore, anything which sets out to shock. Rule number one on posters: If grandparents wouldn’t approve…!

• All GCSE subjects are now graded and assessed using the new 9-1 structure; • 9 is the highest grade, awarded to the very best candidates in the subject. The official definition of a grade-9 candidate is that they will be ‘in the top 20% of those achieving grades 7-9 in the subject’; • In every subject, the content is more demanding and the assessment more rigorous than previously; • The assessment will be mainly by exam. In some subjects such as Drama and Art, other types of assessment will be used only where they are needed to test essential skills. For further information about assessment, please speak to the relevant Head of Department. Tiering of exams The new GCSEs are only split into foundation tier and higher tier if one single exam paper does not give all students the opportunity to show their knowledge and abilities. Consequently, exams are tiered in Biology, Chemistry, French, German, Maths, Physics and Spanish. New grading structure Current grading structure 9 A* 8 7 A 6 5 4 C 3 D 2 E F 1 G U U

9 is awarded to those pupils achieving what would currently be a top A*: perhaps at around 96%+

GOOD PASS (DfE) 5 and above = top of C and above Schools are no longer AWARDING assessed on A*-C 4 and above = bottom of C and above statistics, but on ‘9-4’ statistics.

SATURDAYS Under the updated structure, the ‘good pass’ for Maths and B Attendance on Saturday morning is encouraged to enable you to take advantage of the varied array English is a 5, which is of additional activities and clubs which take place over the two 50 minute sessions. Attendance is on the border between optional but it is expected that all those who board on Friday night will wish to benefit from the a C and a B under the advertised Saturday programme and day boys will appreciate the later registration time of 9.10am (full boarders must attend). old system. You may go home after your last activity if you have no afternoon commitments. All boys must stay on Saturday afternoon if they are required for a school commitment. SHOES IN HOUSE

So that we don’t get mud trailed through the house… we ask all 3rd-5th Formers to take off their shoes on entering the house. Some slippers in house are not a bad idea!