Presentation given by Angela Howe at the March 2015 Parental Revision Guidance session.

1. Countesthorpe Community College
How to help your child revise
Monday 16th March 2015
Angela Howe
Kat Russell

2. Recent research suggests …
• Effective revision occurs when
students revise, then test themselves
• Spreading revision over time
• Revision is a habit
• Little and often is the key

3. Work at home is key …
Students
spend:
• 15%
of
their
4me
at
school
• 85% of their ,me at home
• Revision
needs
to
be
done
at
home
• Easter
holidays
and
half
term
are
an
ideal
revision
opportunity

4. “Sometimes I
don’t think he/
she works hard
enough.”
It’s about
working SMART
now!

5. Top Tips for Parents …
• Everyday – Make revision a habit for each day
• Organised – Plan revision time with them and get
them to stick to it
• Display the plan - Tick off what’s been done to
motivate
• Motivation – WIIFM. Think rewards!
• Be interested - Look at work. Ask questions. Test
them
• Be informed - Know exam dates etc.
• Contact – Contact subject staff if you have questions
• Equipped – Ensure students have revision materials
for all subjects including, highlighters, cards, pens
etc.

6. How can they revise?
These are the ideas we have given students.
These are just some of the hundreds of ways you could revise.
• Practise past papers under timed conditions – get them marked by your teacher
• Read your books and create summaries on cards, mind maps or post its
• Highlight key information in your exercise book
• Read a section, cover it up and see how much you can recall. Go back and check it!
• Create a display on topics at home
• Write yourself or a friend a quiz on a topic
• Timed activities – e.g. length of a piece of music to write all you know about ...
• Get up and move during revision to get oxygen flowing
• Walk and talk about topics with parents or friends
• Each day or week give yourself a reward to aid motivation
• Check you know what’s on which paper
• Draw and label key points
• Create a 7 point fact file on key topics
• Writing frames – Find out how to use these in your exams
• Talk through key ideas before writing to avoid re-writing due to mistakes
• Make sure you have a clear ideas of how much to write
• Answer questions after time to think
• Spiders – 8 legs = 8 points e.g. for exam question
• Avoid unnecessary lengthy writing

7. And more ideas …
• Use grids and tables
• Create a list of features and phrases to help with extended writing
• Multiple choice – who wants to be a millionaire – design your own
• Create a file for each subject of your best work
• Use websites to support revision and add variety – be sure you revise what your
syllabus will test you on
• Evaluations – Practice how to write an evaluation well. Your views with reasons
• Use support sheets to boost confidence
• Get hold of all the resources the departments offer. These will be the best help you
can get
• Catch up on any work missed to ensure you don’t get caught out in the exam
• Use the Learning Link, there’s more on there to aid revision than ever before
• Attend after school booster sessions.
• Converse with your subject teachers – what do they say you need to focus on
• Be clear about exactly what you have to do in the exam e.g. how many questions do
you need to answer
• Use mnemonics to remember key words and orders
• Use colour, pictures and symbols in notes and on mind maps to aid memory
• Link items together to remember them
• Use rhymes and tunes to remember key points e.g. to the tune of Big Ben
• Get people at home to test you

8. Other important features of
learning at home
• Encourage students to use every opportunity to
revise e.g. on journeys
• Try to boost self esteem
• Create a productive learning environment
• Encourage students to drink plenty of water, eat
well and get plenty of sleep
• Control brothers and sisters to give space for
revision
• Try recording TV programmes that might be
useful
• Encourage them when things get bad
• Let your son/daughter try to teach you the topic
• Spend time with them
• Encourage them to visualise success

9. The Exams – When are they?
• Planning a revision timetable based
around this should help
• We have provided a revision timetable
to help with this

10. Equipment – What do they need
for the exams?
• For all examinations they will need a BLACK pen.
We would suggest them bringing a pencil, pencil
sharpener, ruler, rubber and calculator for all
exams, as unless otherwise stated they can use
this equipment for all exams. If the students have
pencil cases they will need to be transparent for all
the exams. Please see below for the more
specialised equipment they will need to bring to
certain exams as well as the normal things:
• Maths – Calculator, Compass, Protractor, Ruler
• Design – Coloured pencils, Sharpener, rubber,
Ruler (Set Square also for Graphics)
• Media – Coloured pencils, Pens, Ruler, Pencil,
Rubber, Sharpener
• Science – Black pen, Ruler, Calculator
• IT and Business Studies – Black pen, ruler,
calculator

11. Countesthorpe Community College
Subject specific info
The parent area of the website has a wealth
of information:
http://www.countesthorpe.cc/

12. Science
Additional science revision and help
session
Tuesday 3-4
Triple science revision and help session
Thursday 3-4
Tutor time interventions for targeted
students

13. English
Reading paper Bootcamp – Tuesday 3-4
until Easter
Writing paper Bootcamp – Thursday 3-4
between Easter and May half term
Wed and Fri registration interventions
on SPG
Target group sessions once a fortnight in

14. Maths
GCSE Level 2 Further Maths – WJA in M06
B to A class – JLA in MO8
Monday 3-4
Key Stage 4 Clinics in M08 on
Tuesday 3-4 – SBA/JLA Thursday 3-4 – TIO Key Stage 4 in M08
4 LOP Intervention group – DCU in MO2 – Tuesday 3-4
Soon to start SBA – 3 LOP Intervention group – Thursday 3-4
Thursday and Friday registration intervention with support from
6th formers

15. Business
DATE
W/
C
MONDAY
TUESDAY
THURSDAY
OTHER
23.2.15
X
Business
enterprise
Group
KCH
X
2.3.15
X
Business
enterprise
Group
MLE
1.1
SPOTTING
A
BUS
OPP
KCH
9.3.15
X
Business
enterprise
Group
KCH
1.2
ENTERPRISE
KCH
16.3.15
X
Business
enterprise
Group
MLE
1.3
&
3.3
FINANCE
KCH
23.3.15
16+
WORKSHOP
KCH
Business
enterprise
Group
KCH
1.4
&
3.1
MARKETING
KCH
30.3.15
EASTER
HOLIDAYS
EASTER
HOLIDAYS
EASTER
HOLIDAYS
EASTER
HOLIDAYS
6.4.15
EASTER
HOLIDAYS
EASTER
HOLIDAYS
EASTER
HOLIDAYS
EASTER
HOLIDAYS
13.4.15
X
16+
WORKSHOP
20.4.15
X
16+
WORKSHOP
3.2
CUSTOMER
NEEDS
/
PRODUCTION
27.4.15
16+
WORKSHOP
16+
WORKSHOP
3.4
PEOPLE
MANAGEMENT
4.5.15
X
16+
WORKSHOP
1.5
&
3.5
EXTERNAL
ENVIRONMENT
11.5.15
X
16+
WORKSHOP
GCSE
WORKSHOP
18.5.15
16+
WORKSHOP
16+
WORKSHOP
GCSE
EXAM
TECHNIQUE
MON
18/5
AS
HOT
TIPS
AM
WEDS
20/5
GCSE
HOT
TIPS
AM
25.5.15
HALF
TERM
HALF
TERM
HALF
TERM
HALF
TERM

16. Geography
Revision and help sessions Tuesday or
Wednesday after Easter – to be
confirmed
Revision session one day during Easter

17. ICT
Easter revision session with Tony 9th
April

18. Healthy body, healthy mind …
- Research suggests short bursts of revision work best
- Also it is nice and beneficial to have regular breaks from revision
so consider a bit of exercise
- Getting the blood flowing round the body and increasing the
amount of oxygen getting to the brain will increase performance
- Energy drinks are bad
- Water is good. Stay hydrated
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – on exam days
bacon bap, fruit and porridge etc.

19. Countesthorpe Community College
Easter Revision opportunity
Details TBA

20. E-shop on the school website

21. Any problems …
• Call us 0116 277 1555.
• There are also a whole host of useful
websites as well as all the information
on the learning link:
• www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/

22. Countesthorpe Community College
Any questions?
Date for the diary –
Year 11 Prom 25th June 2015
£28