This document provides information about Ryedale Secondary School's senior leadership team, GCSE results, priorities for the 2018-2019 school year, and the new GCSE format. It discusses the school's setting structure, timeline for GCSEs, importance of attendance, homework policy, revision strategies, and who parents should contact with different types of concerns.

1. Senior Leadership Team
Domenica Wilkinson Secondary Director
Katie Hunter Assistant Headteacher Teaching, Learning, and
Curriculum
Robert Pepper Assistant Headteacher Raising Achievement
Luke France Assistant Headteacher Whole School Organisation
and Standards
Carolyn Williams Assistant Headteacher Inclusion
Donna Wallis Associate Assistant Headteacher
*Email addresses for all Ryedale staff can be found on the website

2. Success at GCSE
Format of the Evening
1. The three year GCSE course and expectations in school
2. Supporting memory for learning
3. The new homework policy
4. Managing the learning environment
5. Additional information for parents

3. Headline figures 2018
82% 9-4 inc Eng and Ma
61% 9-5 inc Eng and Ma
Progress 8 Scores over time place
us very comfortably within the top
10% of schools in the country.

4. WHOLE SCHOOL PRIORITIES 2018-2019
 Teaching and Learning - Ensuring students receive a consistently high quality learning experience. Encouraging the
development of independent, reflective and resilient learners. Raising the achievement of boys.
 Curriculum - Ensuring a broad and balanced curriculum across both key stages. Embedding the new GCSE courses
and developing a quality three year Key Stage 4 programme. Ensuring a high quality programme of careers education
for students in Years 8 – 11.
 Quality Assurance - Ensuring self-evaluation is effective, accurate and focused on student progress.
Supporting continuous improvement through rigorous quality assurance procedures.
 Communication - Enhancing systems of communication between staff, students and parents which support
learning. Further develop formal and proactive communication with parents.
 Personalised Learning - Ensuring progress and attendance are maximised for all groups of learners.
Ensuring CPD is personalised so that all staff are supported to be even better.
 Leadership - Ensuring staff have the professional development opportunities and capacity to be effective leaders.
Providing students with opportunities to develop leadership skills.
 Community - Promoting positive mental health and well-being amongst students and staff. Promoting the safe and
responsible use of technology online.

5. Setting Structure for 2018
Eng Y9 and 10
L1 R1
L2 R2
L3 R3
Maths Y9 and 10
H1 F1
H2 F2
H3 F3
Science Y9 and 10
Triple Science
L1 R1
L2 R2
Set 3

6. The New GCSEs

7. 9-1 GCSEs
• Deliberately made more challenging
• Terminal examinations, not modular
• No coursework or controlled assessment for academic subjects
• Larger emphasis on examination in practical subjects

8. Lessons learnt so far…
• More examinations per student (in the 20s)
• The exams test a wider range of knowledge and skills than before
• Cramming isn’t possible
• Students are finding them challenging
• Our results are better than ever

9. Spring Autumn Summer
Year 10 Year 11
Parents
Evening
Year 11 Mock
Examinations
Summer
• Work
Experience
• End of Year
Examinations
GCSEs begin!
GCSE Timeline
Reports
SpringAutumn
Post 16 and
Careers
Information
Evening
• Parents
Evening
• Practical
deadlines

10. Mind-Set and Environment

11. In lessons…
• Make good
decisions
• Put your hand up
• Focus
• Persevere
• Be curious
• Smile

12. Missing Lessons

13. ThelinkbetweenabsenceandattainmentatKS2andKS4(DFE,March2016)

14. Catch-Up Policy
Sports and arts participation has been proven to improve students’
academic results (Sutton Trust/EEF)
• Find a study buddy to collect your sheets and explain what you’ve
missed
• Catch-up straight away
• If you still don’t understand ask you teacher for help
• If you don’t catch-up you can’t go

15. At Home
• Homework
• Revision
• Environment

17. Will listening to
classical music whilst
studying help you
learn?

20. Long Term Memory

24. Leaving time between the sessions (extending the spacing) also
improves long term retention.
Dunlosky et al (2013)

25. ‘People tend to think their learning is more
complete than it is.’
The Fluency Illusion.
(Willingham 2008)

28. • ‘Learning requires repetition.’ (Carpenter 2014)
• ‘To avoid forgetting, we need to overlearn.’
(Willingham 2008)
The Power of Three

29. The purpose of homework at
Ryedale School is to consolidate
and revise learning.

31. Quantity
KS3:
Approx. 3 hours per week
KS4:
Year 9 approx. 4 hours per week
Years 10 and 11 approx. 5-6
hours per week

33. Parental Strategies
“I’ve got to write an
essay on An Inspector
Calls and I don’t get it.”
“I’m stuck!”
“I got 12/30.”
When is it due?
Do you have a WAGOLL?
Is there a mark scheme?
Have you ever
done a question
like this before?
What are the command
words in the question?
Explain the task to me in
your own words
Can you break the task
down into smaller tasks?
Is it content or technique that
you are finding difficult?
Find Miss/Sir tomorrow with
a precise question
What did you do well?
Where do you need
to improve?
Could you improve the way you
approached this task?

34. Environment
• A quiet place to work
• As few distractions as
possible
• Establish a good
routine

37. Android

38. iPhone

40. Books not screens!

41. Who to Contact
• Day to day issue/general progress concern = FORM TUTOR
• Incident = MRS HUMPLEBY
• Subject specific concern = CLASS TEACHER
• Serious incident/issue requiring immediate action = MR FRANCE
• Safeguarding concern = DR WILLIAMS
• Curriculum query/options = MISS HUNTER

42. Some Important Information
• Communication will be via email (parentapp)
• Parent Pay – keep topped up!
• Water bottles – please ensure your child has one
• Extra-curricular letter – thank you in anticipation of your support