Exams and Assessment
National Curriculum
The Governors of The Chase have agreed the following aims:
- The school will seek to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum in terms of programmes of study and attainment targets, and to respond to any changes and updates proposed.
- The curriculum will reflect the school mission statement, which seeks among other aims to prepare students to become ‘successfully independent' irrespective of gender or background; this will involve a high level of active and practical participation by the students themselves.
- The curriculum will be based on schemes of work which will set out: aims and objectives; teaching approaches; expectations of students of differing abilities and the development of skills and ideas from one year to the next.
- The progress of individual students will be assessed, recorded and reported in a positive way and will include the opportunity for evaluation by the students themselves.
- The school's curriculum will be supported by the way in which resources are allocated, the timetable organised and students grouped.
- The school's pastoral system, both in and out of the classroom will provide the positive framework in which students feel happy, valued and safe, so that the curriculum can flourish.
- The rich extra-curricular life of the school is seen as a highly valued extension of the curriculum, which will support the aim of ‘successful independence.'
Parents should forward any enquiries about the School Curriculum to the Headteacher initially.
Public Examinations
"We were delighted with (our son's) 6 A* grades and 7 A grades at GCSE, and are grateful to staff for their role in preparing him so well for his examinations."
The school policy is to encourage students to sit examinations felt to be appropriate for their needs and abilities. Parents are consulted and consideration will be given to their wishes. It must be pointed out that a great deal of public money is involved in the payment of fees and, therefore, parents are required to take the responsibility of reimbursement where students fail to sit an examination or complete a course without a valid reason.
Students will be prepared for a wide range of GCSE and Diploma subjects. The school offers up to 30 subjects at both GCSE and A Level, and also the opportunity to study GCSE Latin, Spanish or Japanese in the Sixth Form.
Results of examinations are included in the Appendix.
Homework/Extended Learning Assignments (ELA's)
All students are expected to do homework, but the length of time spent on each subject area will vary according to the age and aptitude of the student and the course that the student follows.
Key Stage 3
It is important that students are given the opportunity to extend the learning that they have begun in the classroom and to develop a variety of skills which will equip them to become independent learners; to that end, in the Lower School, students will be issued with Extended Learning Assignments.
Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 follow the Extended Learning Assignment Programme. This programme was judged by Ofsted 2009 to be "successfully developing students' independent learning skills." Each week of the school year will be dedicated to extended study in a single subject. The dates for each subject are published in Lower School Planners and on the school website. Extended Learning Assignments will be available on the school website. Students are, therefore, able to organise their week of study to suit themselves. In addition to Extended Learning Assignments, we recognise that it is important for students to complete additional learning tasks as directed by their teachers. Specific learning tasks in Maths and Languages may be set by subject teachers which should take a maximum of twenty minutes to complete and should be recorded in the student's Planner.
Those students starting GCSE courses in Year 9 (in combinations of Maths, Science and English) will be given separate homework in those subjects and follow the Extended Learning Timetable in all other subjects. These students will not need to complete their English Maths or Science Extended Learning Assignment unless they wish to.
Key Stage 4
In order to support GCSE work and to continue to develop the skills of independent learning, homework will continue to play an important role at Key Stage 4. Students in Years 10 and 11 have a separate Homework Timetable, which is published in their Student Planners.
Deep Learning
Deep Learning aims to improve learners' ability to learn by teaching them the skills and attitudes that effective learners display. Through a series of learning, thinking and reflective tools, learners are given the opportunity to understand more fully their own part in the process of learning. It brings together current ideas in ‘learning to learn' and ‘emotional intelligence' to create a climate where students can be given the skills for lifelong learning. Over the last year, The Chase has been developing its commitment to Deep Learning in various ways. The new Secondary Curriculum stresses the importance of ‘Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills'; various schemes of work were trialled in this area over 2008-2009 and will now form the basis of a Year 7 Personalised Learning unit. Likewise, all Year 7s were involved in a successful cross-curricular week, developing their own knowledge of themselves as a learner and given the opportunity to apply these skills in different subject areas. A Deep Learning Focus Group also meets on a regular basis to discuss in more detail how these ideas can affect classroom practice.
Reporting and Assessment
"My daughter has always enjoyed school and been highly motivated, but The Chase has allowed her to mature and develop even further...I wanted to write to say thank you for acknowledging her good work and behaviour and to praise your staff for inspiring her to want to learn and achieve."
Parents receive a summative Annual Report on their child's progress at the end of each academic year (June) which they may keep for future reference. This report includes:
- details of all the courses covered;
- teacher comments;
- academic data including targets.
Report booklets also contain a reply slip, with space for parental comment, if desired. Parents are asked to sign and return this.
Continuous assessment is undertaken throughout the school in the form of a newly introduced student tracking system. Targets, based on prior data are set at the beginning of each year in the form of Key Stage 3 Levels in Years 7-9 and Target Grades in Year 10-13. At the end of every half term, teachers indicate each student's performance and progress made towards these targets through the completion of a Progress Report. These progress reports help to monitor student progress and highlight, for example, if a child is falling short of a target and therefore underperforming in any subject area. Early intervention is deemed the key to success in ensuring that students perform to their full potential. Curriculum Leaders and Year Leaders are quickly alerted to any issues arising from each progress check during the year, which will enable a swift response in the form of a range of intervention strategies including, for example, student interviews and parental contact. At the end of each term (December and March) a Progress Check detailing student performance during the term are sent home to parents.
"This (Progress Check) is a marvellous way for parents (and children) to see at a glance how our child is doing in every aspect of her education. Thank you very much for your encouragement and support of our daughter."
A Target Day is held in November for students in Years 7-11 during which Form Tutors meet with students (and parents) to discuss academic targets and set three personal SMART targets for the year ahead. These are then reviewed on several occasions during the year.
There is a formal examination period for students in each year group.
Our Assessment Policy is straightforward, simple and easy for all students to understand. It is a common policy adopted by all departments within the school. Students' work is marked in accordance to learning objectives and assessments will be reported to parents as current and target levels (Years 7-9) or current and target grades (Years 10-11). Our Marking Policy is published in Student Planners.
SEE MARKING POLICY AND EFFORT GRADE DESCRIPTORS UNDER "POLICIES AND CODES" SECTION
Consultation Evenings
"The Consultation Evening was so well organised...and appointments ran to time. It was a great pleasure to attend. Please give my thanks to everyone involved."
Consultation Evenings are held at various times throughout the year for parents to discuss their child's progress with members of staff; the Year Leader may be contacted by appointment at any other time to discuss progress, or any problems.
During the Autumn Term a meeting is held after school for Year 7 parents to meet Form Tutors and Pastoral Staff to talk about the early settling-in process. (This is not a meeting at which academic progress is discussed).
A Parent-Governor usually attends each Consultation Evening.