to the Year 8 Parents Information Evening Tuesday 27 th September - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Welcome to the Year 8 Parents’ Information Evening

Tuesday 27th September 2016

Achievements of the Year

Mr A Tamplin

Associate Assistant Headteacher for Standards and Culture in Year 7 and 8

atamplin@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

GCSE Success

Headlines

2014 2015 2016 % 5+ A*-C including GCSE English & Maths 75 73

77

% A*-C English & Maths 75 75

80

% 5+ A*-G (inc E&M) 98 96

97

% English GCSE A*-C 84 91

91

% Maths GCSE A*-C 81 77

82

Headlines

• Outstanding Ofsted (Nov.2015)
• Highest performing outstanding school in Oxfordshire
• Superb results: 80% A*-C inc. English & Maths
• Ranked in the top 20% for achievement for the fourth year

running

• 63% of students achieved at least one A*/A grade
• Twenty eight students achieved 7 or more A or A* grades

Why were we so successful?

• The hard work from staff and students
• Exam practice and opportunities
• Revision school
• Record attendance
• Detailed analysis of the progress of each and every

student to ensure that everyone is following the curriculum which best suits them

• High expectations and standards

Standards

The bedrock for success …

Behaviour Values Attitude Uniform Respect Responsibility Ambition Attendance

Every DGS student …

“Every DGS Student Aspires to be Outstanding”

• a desire to do well
• a growth mindset

There are three things successful students share:

Mrs A Bass

Head of Year 8

abass@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

Mrs K Miller

Year 8 Student Manager

kmiller@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

The Year 8 Team

FORM TUTOR TG CONTACT Ms A Eccleston 8ALE aeccleston@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk Dr P Comina 8PJC pcomina@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk Dr J Shaw & Mrs P Hemsley 8JSS jshaw@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk phemsley@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk Miss E Thursfield 8EBT ethursfield@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk Mrs L Turner 8LXT lturner@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk Miss E Higgins 8SXH ehiggins@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk Mr C Byrne 8CXB cbyrne@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk Mrs C Howard-Saunders & Mrs C Hughes 8CHS chowardsaunders@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk chughes@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

Jewellery: One pair of earrings, studs or sleepers, may be worn: one earring, stud or sleeper in each lobe. Ear „stretchers‟ are not permitted. A watch may be worn. Make-up, if worn, should be discreet but no nail varnish. No extremes of hair colour or hair style are permitted. Plain navy blue trousers – no combats, flares, drainpipe-style, „skinny‟ trousers or leggings. No tight trousers; trousers must hang from hip. No exposed zips/studs on trousers. Plain navy blue knee-length pleated skirt - no shorter than 5cm above the knee. Shoes, black or navy, with low heels - sandals, trainers (including black leather), boots or backless shoes may not be worn. Canvas black pumps or trainers are not permitted. Toes must be covered by shoes.

Uniform

• Weekly tracking by tutors.
• Phone call in to school if they are

unwell.

• Letter/email to let us know of

appointments.

• Holiday requests must be submitted

in advance and on a holiday request form – available from Pupil Services.

Year 7 – 96.7% (July, 2016) Year 8 Target – 97%

Attendance

Attendance during one school year Equals days absent Which is about x weeks absence Which means this is the number of lessons you miss 95% 9 2 48 90% 19 4 96 85% 29 6 144 80% 38 8 192 75% 48 10 240 70% 57 11.5 276

Participation & rewards

• Numerous clubs – shared in tutor time and on the website
• Year 8 Committee
• School Council
• Leadership Ladder
• Volunteering for events, eg. Open Evening
• Year 8 events – Disco, BBQ, theatre trip, PGL residential
• Postcards home from tutors, HOY and teachers
• Merits / House Points
• Vouchers in celebration assembly for attendance and

merits

• Recognition on the Year 8 Blog
• Celebration breakfasts

Key dates

• Snapshot 1 – 25th November 2016
• Snapshot 2 – 27th January 2017
• Snapshot 3 – 23rd June 2017
• Y8 Parents Consultation Evening;

Thursday 9th February 2017

• Y8 Options Evening;

Thursday 9th March 2017

What can parents do to help?

• A quiet space
• Dialogue – talk about her learning
• Share the experience
• Keep lines of communication open
• Help with resources
• Communicate with teachers
• Support the school in terms of standards
• Emotional support
• Realistic expectations and achievable goals

Year 8 English at Didcot Girls’ School

Mr J Cross Head of English and Media

What will my daughter be studying this year?

• Oracy: delivering effective speeches
• Detective writing unit
• Famous People, Famous Speeches
• Novel extracts: Great Expectations
• Shakespeare: Macbeth
• Short stories: reading and writing

How does this build on Year 7?

• Increasing confidence…

– when speaking aloud in a range of situations – when writing for a wider range of purposes

• Greater precision…

– in spelling, punctuation and grammar – in vocabulary choice, tone and expression

• More ambitious analysis…

– of more challenging texts and genres

What opportunities are there?

• Reading for Pleasure: a library lesson per fortnight
• Creative writing club: weekly (day to be confirmed)
• Paired reading, with Year 11 students
• External writing competitions throughout the year
• Opportunity to be the school‟s Poet Laureate
• Public Speaking Club

How can I support my daughter’s learning in English?

• Listen to her read
• Talk to her about books and the wider world
• Encourage her to read regularly on her own
• Take her to a local library
• Help her to learn the weekly spellings/key words

Ms King

Head of Maths

• Every child can “do” maths – we have a growth mindset
• We have high expectations of written work
• We set bespoke weekly homework to meet

the needs of the students

• We provide lots of support including

lunchtime clubs on Tuesday and Wednesday (S8)

• We have a really engaging and positive curriculum

including project based learning.

Year 8 Maths: Ethos and Expectations

Year 8 Maths: Parental support

You can support your daughter by:

• Talking to her about her homework – encourage her to look

back in her book if she is stuck or come to a lunchtime club

• Look out for an email each term with the maths revision

checklist for that term

• Be positive about maths and your daughter‟s ability in maths

Miss Painting KS3 Lead in Science

ppainting@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

Science in Year 8

In year 8 students are taught in sets.

They were set in September using:

 Assessment results from year 7  Performance in class during year 7  At the end of each long term sets will be reshuffled if necessary

At KS3 students are taught using the Activate scheme of work written by OUP. “Activate is an exciting new KS3 Science course designed to spark curiosity in science and support you on your journey through KS3 to KS4 success.”

During year 8 students will cover topics within all 3 of the sciences:

At the end of each term students will complete an assessment. In order to revise for these students can use:  Their exercise book  Checklists for the relevant topic  BBC Bitesize  CGP Revision guide (£2.50 from science)  CGP workbook to accompany the revision guide (£5 from science)

Exercise books:  Lesson activities such as worksheets, practical write ups, quick quizzes  Homework tasks  Students may have brief notes on some topics Lessons:  Mixture of oral & written tasks  Independent & group work  Learning through interest, engagement & an enjoyment of the subject

Projects: In year 8 students will have the opportunity to undertake up to 3 projects during the year. There will be a biology, chemistry & physics project. The purpose of the project:

• extended piece of work
• work as a team & collaborate
• draw on knowledge from different chapters

Fun in science: Students can follow us on twitter: @dgs_science Lower school Science Club takes place in C21 on Tuesdays 3.15-4.30!

Students can “use their creativity & practical skills in experiments & challenges”

A new and exciting

• pportunity…

“Environment Club”

 Enhance different skills  Make new friends  Leadership opportunities  Make a difference to the school!

Starting after October half term – More information to be revealed…

Teaching and Learning

Mr Cross

Teaching & Learning Team

Teaching and Learning Priorities

• 1. Oracy

‘You can’t find your voice if you don’t use it.’

• 2. Homework

Timely and effective homework tasks to support student learning

Oracy: To speak fluently, with accurate grammar and with impact.

Fluent Accurate Confident Effective

• 1. No opt-out
• 2. A clear, audible

classroom voice, using Standard English

• 3. Detailed verbal

responses

Homework

• Departmental policies have been designed

which outline expectations in each subject.

• Tasks designed to maximise student

understanding and inform classroom study.

• Students will still have regular homework,

updated on Show My Homework.

Assessment and Reporting Changes

How we assess and report your child‟s progress in Year 8

New BEP Targets Explained

• All pupils are now given a BEP target grade

for the end of Y11 instead of for each year

• We have created our own BEP targets,

based on the all of the data available to us

• We now assess progress towards these

grades using our own „level ladders‟ which are published on the school website

• Achieving them will likely place students in

top 25%+ nationally

Snapshots - What we Report

• GCSE BEP (target grade)
• Learning in class
• Learning out of class
• A progress letter: B, E or W

B – On course for the BEP target (Better than Expected) E – On course for Expected Progress (one grade below BEP and what most students with that student‟s KS2 score will get) W – Working towards Expected Progress

Options – Key Dates

• Y8 Parent Consultation Evening – 9th

February

• Options Assembly – 20th February
• Options Forms Out – 6th March
• Options Evening – 9th March
• Deadline for choices – 23rd March

Student Leadership House System

• Dr. Khan

Head of Ethos

gkhan@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

Why Leadership Matters

• To be independent, responsible and

critical thinkers

• To strive hard and aim high
• To lean in and develop a greater sense
• f self worth

Why the House System Matters

• Healthy friendly competition
• Strong way of developing positive relationships

across the school

• Brings upper and lower school together
• Identity
• School life – extracurricular activities
• Develop a greater sense of responsibility
• School pride

The House System at DGS

• We have seven houses at Didcot Girls‟ School. They

are all named after inspirational women who have been incredibly successful in their own fields. They have worked tirelessly to overcome hurdles, accept challenges and show resilience to become the best they could. We admire them and feel inspired by them, and we would like us all at school to talk about and be motivated by them more than we have before.

House System

Opening Ceremony Tuesday 4th October House parade and obstacle race. Dress in house colours

School Charities

House Adie Bussell Ennis

Greenfiel d

Kennedy Macarthur Wilson Charity Helen and Douglas House

Yellow Submarine

The Gatehouse Sobell House MIND Emmaus RSPCA

At Home

• Check your daughter‟s Leadership page.
• Share success with us.
• Talk about the BIGGER PICTURE of

Leadership

The Options Process

Mr Goodenough Assistant Headteacher

tgoodenough@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

Broad and Balanced Curriculum

Maths History English PE Science Drama Maths Science Geography History English D & T MFL Art English Music Science Geography Maths PE RE MFL D & T PD

What stays?

• English
• Science
• Maths
• PE
• PD

To choose from…

For example:

• Drama, Dance, Music
• Food, Catering, Textiles, Product Design
• Art, Graphics
• History, Geography, Citizenship
• Psychology
• Media Studies
• PE
• Health & Social Care
• Business Studies
• Religious Studies
• French, German , Spanish, Mandarin
• Computer Science

Options process

Options Assembly - 20th February 2016 Options booklet Parental Consultation Evening – 9th February 2016 Year 8 Options Event – Evening – 9th March 2016 „Taster sessions‟. Individual advice -as appropriate Options choices returned – 23rd March 2016

E-Safety

Private Lottery 1st Prize £ 250 2nd Prize £ 150 3rd Prize £ 100

(If 500 Members)

Every Month Only £2 per month or £24 annually in advance Application Forms available tonight