GOVERNMENT REFORMS AND CURRICULUM CHANGES FOR YEAR 7

GOVERNMENT REFORMS AND CURRICULUM CHANGES FOR YEAR 7

YEAR 7 CURRICULUM CHANGES

We will be preparing our current Year 7 students for examinations in 2017/18 quite differently to our current examination groups. The Government have made significant reforms to education at both Primary and Secondary levels; and Secondary level in particular. The Secondary plans have been described by the Department of Education as “more precise and challenging.” The following statement from Mr Gove, the Secretary of State for Educations, sets the context for the changes being made in our education system. These changes have translated into a significant set of educational reforms which are beginning to influence school practice; “We’ve looked at what’s been happening in parts of the world like Massachusetts and Singapore where children are facing a much tougher curriculum, sitting much more rigorous exams and as a result are better equipped to succeed than our own children. I’ve got every confidence that our own children and, indeed, our own teachers, are the equal of anyone in the world, but we do need a more rigorous and relevant curriculum to help them achieve everything of which they are capable.” Year 7 pupils will sit the reformed GCSEs in 2018 and reformed A-Levels in 2020. They will also probably have to work until about 2070! This information leaflet explains in more detail the educational reforms being made and how Oldbury Wells is responding to the reforms.

The Top Ten Key changes being made:1.

English and Maths remain key subjects and will have an increased content; they are also expected to be more demanding.

1b.

English examinations will change significantly from what they look like now. There will be much more emphasis on an English written examination. For example 20% of the English mark will be on spelling, grammar and punctuation.

1c

English Literature is to be given higher status in schools’ measures. By doing this schools will have to ensure that pupil’s skills in English Literature enable them to access and perform well at GCSE.

2.

We know examinations are getting harder. Grade Boundaries are being raised. Getting good grades is becoming more challenging.

3.

There will be increased difficulty in Geography, History and English Literature with spelling, punctuation and grammar marks also being awarded in History, Geography and Philosophy & Religion.

4.

There will be no resitting of examinations – apart from English and Maths for students over 16 years of age.

5.

All exams will be linear. This means that a whole course is studied and pupils are examined at the end of that course. Pupils will no longer be able to sit ‘modular’ exam papers, which test smaller chunks of knowledge.

6.

The “English Baccalaureate” remains. To fulfil this, a pupil needs A* to C in English, Maths, two sciences a humanities and a language.

7.

There will be greater content in some subjects.

8.

There are plans to move from the A* - G grades to a 1 – 8 point scale. It has been suggested that 1 = G grade up to 8 = A* grade.

9.

All existing titles of exams have been renamed to see if they fit the new definition of a GCSE. The option of students being entered for either a Foundation or Higher examination paper will be removed. All students will sit examination papers of the same level of difficulty.

10.

We also understand that there will be no use of technology and little practical application in future examinations. More emphasis will be on long written essay answers.

What will these changes demand of our pupils? All GCSEs in terms of their subject content will be reformed ready for teaching in 2015. The reformed qualifications will also require:• • • •

Writing by hand Writing for long periods of time Writing from memory Being ready for all exams sat at the end of year.

What we will do

Impact

Increase our curriculum time for English and Maths

Ensure we give time for students to acquire all the skills required for the new style examinations. Provides time for frequent assessments, time to revisit knowledge for an end of year examination

No longer enter students early for exams or have modular exams

Students sit exams when they have frequently practised the skills required of them. We will give the maximum amount of time to develop their knowledge and understanding before they are tested. Students will need to be fully ready for an exam as retakes will not be possible, and their first result will be the one which counts.

Increase our Key Stage 4, (currently Years 10 and 11) from 2 year groups to 3 year groups (becoming Years 9, 10 and 11). Condense our Key Stage 3 to 2 years. Key Stage 3 will be revised to meet the needs of the new Key Stage 4 requirements.

Introduce more formal routine of regularly testing our students

Take you and your Year 7 child through the Options for Key Stage 4 process during the Spring term of Year 8. Ensure the Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) is founded on aspirations, enjoyment and success.

This will reduce the intensity of Year 11 and the pressures on students at Key Stage 4. Provides students with more time to focus on the subjects they will be examined in. Provides more time to revise materials during the final year before the exam period. Reform to the Key Stage 3 content gives several subjects greater flexibility with a less prescriptive content. Preparing all students for final exams in all of their subjects will be essential. Improve our pupils approach to independent learning including revision skills.

Decisions enable students to focus on 10 or 11 subjects at Key Stage 4 for 3 years rather than study 15 subjects for 3 years and examined subjects for 2 years.

Questions: Q.

Will my child sit exams early? No. All pupils will sit exams at the end of their Key Stage 4, in the Spring and Summer term of Year 11.

Q.

What will be the benefits of the changes for my child? We will provide pupils with a curriculum which enables them to be successful in the areas that are scrutinised the hardest and to be sure we have prepared our students well for the increased level of competition for Universities, College places and the job market.

Q.

Will my child be ready to start GCSE/BTEC courses in year 9? Our subject teachers will carefully plan new schemes of work which will provide a foundation of learning appropriate to the exam content. This will ensure students are fully ready for the GCSE/BTEC specifications.

Q.

Might my child get bored with studying for exams for 3 years? We believe not. We anticipate having greater opportunity for enrichment activities within subjects because they will have longer. With three years there will be more opportunity for active learning lessons to be incorporated into subjects. We will also be able to set more independent learning tasks which will improve pupils’ ability to work in a more independent, self-directed and motivated way. Core subjects, English, Maths and Science and also Geography already start their Key Stage 4 work during Year 9.

Q.

What if my child changes their mind about a subject part of the way through Year 9? This does happen with the current system. At the moment with less than 2 years for an examination course it is almost impossible for a student to change courses/subjects after 2 or 3 weeks into the start of Year 10. Having longer for a course will give us more of an opportunity within the first half term to change a student’s course with no detrimental impact on outcomes.

Q.

The shorter Key Stage 3 means my child will have to choose their Options in Year 8. Will my child be ready for this? We will put the Options process as far as possible into the Spring Term during Year 8. We will give students careful Information Advice and Guidance based on their potential, interests and aspirations. Parents will be fully involved in the process. There will be Parents Evenings and Options Evenings to help you and your child decide with us the best courses and subjects for them to follow. We will also ensure pupils have been given sufficient in-class assessments and formal exam weeks to determine which subjects might be their strongest ready for the Options process.

Q.

What are ‘Options’? All pupils in England have to sit examinations in the ‘Core’ subjects. For Year 7 students these will be English, English Literature, Maths and Science. They also have to follow a programme in Citizenship and Philosophy & Religion. They will then have to choose 4 other subjects or a Vocational course and 2 other subjects from a list of subjects. For example:- Art & Design; Business Studies; Drama, Food Technology; French; Geography; Geology; History; Information Technology; P.E.; Philosophy & Religion; Resistant Materials; Spanish; Textiles; Triple Science.

Q.

What are Vocational Courses? Vocational courses include:- Construction; Hairdressing and Motor Vehicle. The Hairdressing course is delivered at our purpose built Hair and Beauty centre whilst Motor Vehicle and Construction are at a purpose built centre at Idsall School.

Q.

What are other schools doing? We recently carried out research into the systems high performing schools operated and compared them with our own. We found that a number of these schools have already altered their curriculum models to give students more time to study examination subjects. Some schools have adopted a three year Key Stage 4 and all of the schools we looked at gave students more time in the Core subjects.

Q.

Can I discuss this further with someone? We will hold two sessions for parents/guardians who may have further questions. They will be held on: Wednesday, 9th April from 3:15pm to 4:15pm Monday, 12th May from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. Both sessions will be held in the West Hall.

Q.

What happens next? 1. There is no change to your child’s curriculum for the remainder of Year 7. 2. In September 2014 you will see more Maths and English on your child’s timetable. You will see a specific time for Drama and Music, which replaces the ‘Creative Media’ that you will currently see on the timetable. 3. We will contact you in January 2015 to help you and your child with the ‘Options process’. 4. Each child’s individual Options Programme will be finalised by June ready for Key Stage 4 to begin in September 2015.