English and Maths are for life; not just exams!

1. English and Maths are for life; not just exams! 40 4 28 Tweet using #parentscount How do these numbers link Mathematics and English? What four words come to mind when you hear “maths” or English? Tweet #parentscount maths or #parentscount English

2. Hollywood

3. Tonight’s Aims To answer your questions so that you can support your child gain a good grade in English and Mathematics at GCSE To be aware of Academic Mindsets and how deliberate practice raises attainment To know the resources that are available to support revision and the ways to use them To recognise how you can support the process

4. Parents’ own lack of skill, knowledge and confidence was a recurring theme, with maths in particular being a source of much family angst Onslow, 1992

5. Although many parents do consider mathematics to be important, they also tend to think it is dull and boring and based on the memorisation of rules and procedures McNamara et al. ,2000

6. We need to produce people who know how to act when they’re faced with situations for which they were not specifically prepared Dylan Wiliam; Leeds Conference; 2012

7. Parents have the greatest influence on the achievement of pupils through supporting their learning in the home rather than supporting activities in the school. It is their support of learning within the home environment that makes the maximum difference to achievement Harris and Goodall 2007

8. “A fixed view of intelligence is unhelpful in motivating students to do well. Research shows that emphasizing the role of effort rather than natural ability improves performance.” Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment Report OUCEA/13/1 ; April 2013

9. Academic Mindsets • Is your child in a position to learn and make progress? “to be successful, students must choose to learn and to persist when schoolwork is challenging” “It’s the teacher’s duty to teach and the student’s duty to learn”

10. Academic Mindsets I see the value of my work I belong to this learning environment I am confident I can succeed, and I have the resources and support I need to do so My ability and competence grow by putting effort into challenging work I belong to this learning environment`

11. Mathematics education and the economy Children with high mathematics scores at age 10 earn 7.3% more at age 30 than others, even after pupil characteristics & later qualifications are controlled for 9% wage premium for holding a maths degree compared to holding a degree in other subjects Those with maths A-level earn 7%-10% more than similarly educated workers without this qualification Earn 19% more than workers in other occupations

12. Top Ten Tips for Parents 1 Remain calm 2 Praise the effort being put in 3 Remove possible distractions 4 Encourage sufficient sleep is taken 5 Check revision timetable being followed 6 Encourage build up in effort 7 Arrange fresh air and physical breaks 8 Ensure your child is eating well 9 Contact teacher with any questions 10 Always follow point one

13. Attendance is Critical

14. Our Mission is for our students To be sufficiently prepared to gain the grade that is within their capability, by using the time before and during the examination effectively GCSE MathematicsAiming forA* - C Students need to use materials and teacher time and always have the correct equipment

15. GCSE – Edexcel Board 2 papers each of 1 hour 45 minutes 21 May and 4 June 2015 – one with calculator 100 marks – one without calculator 100 marks Typical marks for each grade Higher 32% for C 50% for B 70% for A 85% for A* Foundation 75% for C 60% for D 50% for E 40% for F 25% for G

16. Additional Mathematics OCR 1 paper of 2 hours with a calculator 40 % for E 60% C 80% A Number and Measure - Edexcel 1 paper with 2 sections Section A with Calculator 1 Hour Section B without Calculator 30 Mins 65% needed for a pass

17. For every lesson and examination remember Easier questions are at the start. Aim to get them all correct. Questions must be read carefully. Summarise and write down what each question says before finding the answer. Use the survival guide which shows the topics to be understood and gives more hints for preparation for examination. Internet resources. Use www.mymaths.co.uk and www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize . Practise, practise, practise. There is no other way. Memorise key formulae. Exam questions. Try answering as many different types as possible. Never write nothing. Marks can be gained but not lost. Tables. Need to instantly know basic numeracy facts.

18. What does Grade C look like? This is a list of ingredients for making chicken soup for 4 people. Bill is going to make chicken soup for 6 people. Work out the amount of each ingredient he needs. Simplify 4y + 2x – 3 + 3x + 8 Expand 4(x + 2) Expand and simplify (x – 5)(x + 3) Rita is going to make some cheeseburgers for a party. She buys some packets of cheese slices and some boxes of burgers. There are 20 cheese slices in each packet. There are 12 burgers in each box. Rita buys exactly the same number of cheese slices and burgers. (i) How many packets of cheese slices and how many boxes of burgers does she buy?

19. What does Grade A look like? Solve the simultaneous equations 3x + 4y = 5 2x – 3y = 9 A company makes monsters. The company makes small monsters with a height of 20 cm. A small monster has a surface area of 300 cm2. The company also makes large monsters with a height of 120 cm. A small monster and a large monster are mathematically similar. Work out the surface area of a large monster. AB is a line segment. A is the point with coordinates (3, 6, 7). The midpoint of AB has coordinates (–2, 2, 5). Find the coordinates of B. y is directly proportional to the square of x. When x = 3, y = 36. Find the value of y when x = 5.

20. Additional Mathematics Creates challenge, builds depth into GCSE and includes new topics New topics use and improve GCSE skills Find the gradient of line with equation y = 3x + 5 Find the gradient of line with equation 2y + 3x = 5 Possibly the first experience where students can’t immediately see how to solve a problem

21. What is available ? Past papers and revision booklet Questions by topic and grade Maths Watch Extra lessons using study periods Many web sites Lunch time sessions

22. Useful websites

23. How to Approach Revision Practise every week; ideally every night after a lesson to consolidate Use FIXIT sheets to identify topics that need to be improved Treat the mock seriously Practise what is not known, not what is known

24. ENGLISH SLOT Ms Simmonds

25. Only a very small number of students here at Farmor’s are taking an ‘English’ GCSE! • The vast majority of our students are taking 2 separate GCSEs: English Language and English Literature. • There is a lot of ground still left to cover in Year 11; the pace will not decrease. • Intellectual fitness is the key to success. How can they get fit and stay that way until May 2015?

26. GCSE English Language & English Literature What lies ahead in Year 11?

27. Where are we now?

28. English Language A651 Imaginative Writing Controlled Assessment 15% A680 Information & Ideas Exam 60% A 651 Extended Literary Text: Poetry CA 15% A652 Spoken Language CA 10% Y10 Y11

29. English Language A680 Information & Ideas Exam 60% Y11

30. English Literature A661 Poetry Controlled Assessment 15% A 663 Prose from Different Cultures Exam 25% A661 Shakespeare Controlled Assessment 10% A662 Modern Drama Exam 25% A664 Literary Heritage Prose & Contemporary Poetry Exam 25% Y10 Y11

31. English Literature A 663 Prose from Different Cultures Exam 25% A662 Modern Drama Exam 25% A664 Literary Heritage Prose & Contemporary Poetry Exam 25% Y11

32. Don’t worry, Dad. English is common sense… I’ll just read the study guides; I’ll be fine.

33. So, what should they be doing in Year 11 to get ‘fit’ for all of these exams?

34. Attend lessons. We learn through discussion as well as reading and writing. Ever tried learning from someone else’s notes? • Read the set texts – at least once independently as well as in class. Knowledge is essential. • Read good quality non-fiction (for English Language) – online newspaper articles are just as good as the ‘real’ thing. Biography, autobiography and reviews are good too. • Practise exam-style questions. Teachers will give lesson time for this, but it’s a good homework activity too (and parental involvement can be key). • Do the homework set by their teachers. We can’t cover it all in class. Reading, note-making and questions will need to be done at home to consolidate their learning.

35. Knowledge + Skills = Success

36. Over to you… Please look at the English Language A680 paper on your table. What knowledge and which skills do you think students need to answer the questions well? 3 minutes…

37. Did you get them? • The ability to read, select material and summarise. • The ability to write concisely using own words. • The ability to identify a writer’s attitude and techniques. • The ability to support points with relevant quotations. • The ability to devise, structure and compose a piece of writing. • The ability to write with accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar. You need to know your simile from your metaphor! You need to know how to use paragraphs and discourse markers for audience/purpose… You need to know how to spell, when to use a semi-colon and which participle to use!

38. English Literature Papers Again, what knowledge and which skills do you think students need to answer the questions well? 3 minutes…

39. English Literature • The ability to identify the passage and the themes it illustrates. • The ability to analyse a passage using the appropriate terminology. • Questions invariably begin ‘How does (the writer) make this passage such a … • They are given writing frames, model answers, revision booklets and plenty of timed practice. They need to know the context of the passage and how it fits in to the wider text. They must know their critical vocabulary: similes, euphemism, symbolism, noun, verb, adjective…

40. It's a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can get you into hot water. ~Franklin P. Jones

41. I admire people who dare to take the language, English, and understand it and understand the melody. Maya Angelou

42. Q & A

43. Farmor’s School an Academy Keys To SuccessChild AttitudeParent Support Thank you for coming Clip

44. Farmor’s an Academy Keys To SuccessChild AttitudeParent Support Thank you for coming Clip