Kesgrave High School Sixth Form Parent Information Evening

Kesgrave High School Sixth Form Parent Information Evening Thursday September 21 st

What you need to know… ■ Students can come into school and use our facilities from 8 am to 5 pm ■ Students can work but they are not allowed to do this during school hours ■ We recommend that students work no longer than 10 hours a week ■ Students can have driving lessons during one study period a week (not PSE) ■ Students are not allowed to wear ripped jeans or anything too revealing ■ Students are expected to be at school all day, including study periods

New Attendance Protocol ■ As parents you need to tell us if your child is not coming in to school. ■ 01473 618993 or email 6 thformoffice@kesgrave. suffolk. sch. uk before 9. 00 a. m. on every day of absence ■ Truancy Call: ■ Trial period of one month ■ Each student absent from morning registration and first lesson you will receive an automated text message. ■ You can text back and this will automatically be recorded.

Why this change? ■ Poor Attendance can have a huge impact on learning and grades: ■ Attendance below 90% equates to a drop of half a grade. ■ Below 80% equates to a drop of one whole grade. ■ References requested for UCAS, training courses and employers will include student’s attendance record.

If attendance becomes an issue: ■ Step 1 –a meeting will be arranged with the student. ■ Appropriate targets will be set. ■ Attendance will be monitored for two weeks. ■ Step 2 – If no improvement the student will be put on daily attendance/punctuality check for two further weeks. ■ This will be reviewed at the end of each day by the Head of Year. ■ A letter will be sent home to parents informing them of this step.

If attendance becomes an issue: ■ Step 3 – If attendance remains poor a meeting with the student, Parent/Carer and Head of Year will be arranged. ■ Step 4 – If there is no improvement and attendance is below 90% the school reserves the right to charge for exam entries. ■ If attendance falls below 85% this is deemed by the government to denote a persistent absentee and unless there are extenuating circumstances students will be withdrawn from their courses.

The school does not authorise absence for the following reasons: ■ ■ Holidays ■ Part-time or full-time work which is not part of the student’s programme of study ■ Leisure activities ■ Birthdays or similar celebrations ■ Child-minding siblings ■ Non-emergency Dental appointments ■ Non-emergency Doctor’s appointments

Monitoring and Assessment ■ We monitor both students attainment and Commitment to Learning (CTL) throughout their time in 6 th form. ■ ■ ■ You will receive this information at the following points. October 2016 (attainment and CTL) January 2018 (full reports) March 2018 (attainment and CTL) July 2018 (mock exam results and CTL) ■ Parents evening is 21 st November 2017

Study leave and Mocks Exams Year 12 study leave for mocks is from Monday 4 th June until Friday 15 th June. – Mock exam results will be given to students and parents in July. – Students who do not achieve at least an E grade will not be allowed to continue that subject into year 13. – Students need to pass at least two of their subjects to continue in to year 13.

AS Public Exams Some students may choose to sit the public AS exam in May if it is possible for that subject. This decision has to be made by February 2018 and staff will ask their classes at the time. If a student decides to continue the course the AS grade will not count towards their A level and they will be required to pay for their AS exam (as with any resit).

Subjects that can be sat as an AS exam ■ ICT ■ German ■ Ancient History ■ Government and Politics ■ Biology ■ Maths ■ Business Studies ■ Further Maths ■ Chemistry ■ Media ■ Dance ■ Physics ■ English Lang ■ Psychology ■ Environmental Science ■ Religious Education ■ French ■ Sociology

BTECS that have public exams ■ Children’s Play ■ Engineering ■ ICT ■ Creative Media

Maths and English re-sits Maths: Paper 1 – 2 nd Nov Paper 2 – 6 th Nov Paper 3 – 8 th Nov English: Paper 1 - 1 st Nov Paper 2 – 3 rd Nov

Science re-sits ■ Additional Science 7 th and 8 th Nov ■ Core Science 3 rd and 6 th November ■ Triple science students can sit the Additional science paper and use controlled assessment they did in the summer.

Firefly ■ This is our online learning platform ■ All homework is set on Firefly ■ Parents can see what the homework is and when it is due in ■ Parents of new students to Kesgrave should email Caroline Hunt on chunt@kesgrave. suffolk. sch. uk ■ You will be sent log-in details for the parent portal and a guide

A level Mindset ■ ■ ■ Vision Effort Systems Practice Attitude

Sleep ■ Across the country there is an issue with young adults not getting enough sleep ■ Has a huge impact on their learning ■ We cannot emphasise enough how important a good sleep routine is ■ If sleep is an issue do come and see me for support

Sleep hygiene – good sleep habits ■ Go to bed a regular times ■ Do not have naps earlier in the day ■ Stop playing games online an hour before bedtime ■ Don’t look at mobile devices for at least an hour before bedtime ■ Exercise helps us sleep but it must not be too close to bedtime ■ Chocolate and fizzy drinks can keep people awake as well as coffee/tea

5 Steps to good well being: ■ There are 5 practical things we can all do to improve our happiness and mental well being. ■ These are recommended by a number or organisations including the NHS and Mind. ■ They are really useful at times of stress but it is recommended that they become part of our daily lives.

Be Active ■ Try and do a physical activity everyday. ■ It doesn’t have to be huge – for example, Go up and down some stairs to get to a destination. Go and speak to someone instead of sending a text or email. ■ Walking is an excellent way to be active. ■ Release the endorphins and adrenaline

Connect There is strong evidence that indicates that feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world. Some suggestions: ■ Talk to someone instead of sending an email ■ Speak to someone new ■ Ask how someone’s weekend was and really listen when they tell you ■ Put five minutes aside to find out how someone really is ■ Do activities with people.

Take Notice ■ Be in the moment. Stop worrying about past and what has happened as you can’t change this or the future as it may or may not happen. ■ Practise the art of mindfulness ■ Any activity that allows you to focus and just concentrate on the here and now is important.

Learn ■ Learning something new or revisit a long forgotten skill. . ■ This allows you to focus fully and can help with staying in the moment. ■ Is there something you have always wanted to try/learn? ■ Set yourself a challenge. ■ Join a club.

Give ■ Give something back ■ even the smallest act can count, whether it's a smile, a thank you or a kind word. ■ Larger acts, such as volunteering, can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks ■ Random acts of kindness #40 acts

And finally… We have been impressed with the positive ethos adopted by year 12 students so far and look forward to their continued focus and application during this term and beyond. Thank you for coming We are now available for questions. Mrs Wheatley and Mrs Mc. Laughlin