USH Newsletter 10th June 2016

Hello

We don't have a magic wand that can make exams go away but we hope that providing you with access to this dedicated Newsletter and the supporting information relevant to year groups, that your son or daughter can be helped to feel more in control. It's absolutely natural to feel under pressure during exam season and as terminal testing at Key Stage Four is set for centralised changes in the years to come, we feel that an appropriate level of ‘rehearsal’ will help students develop the discipline of remembering things and extended writing; two key aspects to exam success. In addition to the practice of succeeding in exams, the results will help our teachers plan and provide the correct level of challenge for your child through their day-to-day learning. 

I remember the times when students were permitted a lucky gonk on their desk…long since outlawed for fear of concealed answers.  That said, we know it’s preparation not luck which makes the difference so anything you can do help them revise and (most importantly) feel good in the run-up will be greatly appreciated.

I wish our students every success in their forthcoming exams.

Stuart Woods
Headteacher

My name is Jenny Murphy. For the last 15 years I have worked with children and young people at various stages of their education and I truly enjoy spending time in their company. It has been great to see and work with so many students who I have known since they first started school.

I have been working at Upper Shirley High since 2014 as the Exams Officer and DofE Co-ordinator. My job involves working with teachers and support staff to ensure that students are entered for their exams, sorting out timetables, arranging seating plans, and organising invigilators who will oversee exams when they are taking place. As it is important that the school follows the regulations for examinations, part of my job is to liaising with the awarding bodies to ensure we are kept up to date with any changes to the regulations and to deal with any issues that may occur during the examination period.

As DofE Co-ordinator I have the privilege of working with students who are keen to participate in this award. I am on hand daily to help students work towards their award, we meet every Friday for training before undertaking an expedition in the New Forest.

We know that some parents find "Exam Season" almost as stressful as their children, so with this in mind, we wanted to reassure you that we have been running 10-minute Revision Activities with your children during Tutor Time to help them prepare strategies for how to tackle revision.  This is the list of what has been taking place and what will happen in the lead-up to exams:

Activity One

Learning Style Questionnaire

Learning Outcomes: Pupils will have a greater awareness of their preferred learning style and what techniques could be useful for revision

Activity Two

Making a revision timetable

Learning Outcomes: Pupils will know how to structure a revision timetable

Activity Three

Revision techniques; mind maps

Learning Outcomes: Pupils will understand how to use a mind map to revise a topic

Activity Four

Revision techniques; command words and mnemonics

Learning Outcomes: Pupils will understand the meanings of common command words and how they are used in exams

Activity Five

Revision techniques; circle maps

Learning Outcomes: Pupils will understand how to use a circle map to revise a topic

Activity Six

Revision techniques; flow maps, explain to a friend

Learning Outcomes: Pupils will understand how to use a flow map to revise a topic

Mr Clench and Miss Williams
Assistant Headteachers

An online revision booklet has been put together for students and parents in Year 7.  This can be found by clicking on this link:

http://uppershirleyhigh.org/documents/Year%207%20Revision%20Overview%202015-16-2016_06_07_16_41_12.pdf

If the link doesn't work, you can find this book on our website by clicking on the "Parents" navigation tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

An online revision booklet has been put together for students and parents in Year 8.  This can be found by clicking on this link:

http://uppershirleyhigh.org/documents/Year%208%20Revision%20Overview%202015-16-2016_06_07_16_40_41.pdf

If the link doesn't work, you can find this book on our website by clicking on the "Parents" navigation tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

An online revision booklet has been put together for students and parents in Year 9.  This can be found by clicking on this link:

http://uppershirleyhigh.org/documents/Year%209%20Revision%20Overview%202015-16-2016_06_07_16_41_26.pdf

If the link doesn't work, you can find this book on our website by clicking on the "Parents" navigation tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

An online revision booklet has been put together for students and parents in Year 10.  This can be found by clicking on this link:

http://uppershirleyhigh.org/documents/Year%2010%20Revision%20Overview%202015-16-2016_06_07_16_54_56.pdf

If the link doesn't work, you can find this book on our website by clicking on the "Parents" navigation tab on the left-hand side of the screen.