On Thursday 23rd March, we hosted our first Ryedale School Parents’ Forum. The evening was well attended with over 30 parents involved. The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive and having the opportunity to hear from the leadership team on the rationale behind key school decisions was welcomed by those in attendance. The date for next term’s forum will be published within the Easter newsletter. Please see below the powerpoint presentation from the evening.

1. The Purpose of this Forum is….
• To provide parents with the opportunity to raise questions with the
leadership team of the school
• To ensure parents understand the rationale leading to key curriculum
and organisational decisions
• To facilitate positive communication between parents and the school
in an environment based on mutual respect

2. This Forum is not….
• The place to raise questions/make comment about individual
members of staff.
• The place to discuss a specific incident or dissatisfaction with the
school’s response to a specific incident relating to your child
• The place to make personal, accusatory or unprofessional remarks
relating to any of the information discussed

3. Parent Forum: Ryedale School’s
response to reformed GCSEs

4. Reformed GCSEs (9-1 GCSEs)
• Increased content
• More rigorous and challenging content
• Linear exams
• Longer exams
• Increased number of exams
• No tiers (maths, science some MFL)
• No controlled assessment
• Increased theory weighting

5. Ofqual and DfE summary of GCSE changes
Core
• English language a robust foundation of reading and good written English with skills required for further study
• Twenty per cent of marks awarded for accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar
• English literature encourages students to read, write and think critically – range of challenging and substantial whole
texts, and unseen texts
• Mathematics – focus on ensuring students master the fundamental mathematics that is required for further education
and careers
• Demands deeper and broader mathematical understanding
• Larger than the current mathematics GCSE – implications for teaching time and assessment.
Other Ebacc subjects
• Sciences – New content including the human genome, life cycle analysis and space physics. A greater level of
mathematical challenge across the three sciences.
• Modern languages – greater demand including new stipulation that most exam questions are asked in the respective
foreign language.
• History – A wider range of historical periods than now and will cover three eras: medieval, early modern and modern.
Stronger emphasis on British history.
• Geography –greater use of maths and statistics. At least two pieces of fieldwork outside the classroom.

6. • An example of a
historical
source from the
new reformed
GCSE history
specification

7. Science GCSE: increased content and challenging content
• This is A level
content that
now appears in
GCSE physics

9. Low stakes testing

10. KS3 exams: Years 7-9

11. KS3 exams: Years 7-9
Benefits:
Demystify the examination process- students will be doing more exams than ever at KS4 and so we
need to ensure that they are prepared for this.
Take some of the stress and pressure out of exams at KS4.
Subject specific exam practice- gives students an idea of what skills and knowledge are required for
examinations in their subjects.
Another way of us tracking, supporting and giving feedback to students and parents.
Testing is beneficial for memory and retention. End of year examinations will allow students to build
cumulative knowledge and skills across their five years at Ryedale School.

12. Three year KS4
• English, maths and science September 2017 (current
Year 8)
• All other subjects September 2018 (current Year 9)
• GCSEs to be delivered across three years rather than
two
• Options process in Year 8 rather than Year 9

13. Three year KS4
Challenges
Is two years enough time to cover the KS3 curriculum?
• The KS3 curriculum guidance doesn’t stipulate number of hours, but
content and skills. Our Heads of Department will plan to ensure students
get a great experience at KS3, develop their skills and knowledge and are
well prepared for KS4.
• Skills and cumulative knowledge are already developed across five years.

14. Three year KS4
Challenges
Is Year 8 too early to be choosing options?
• What they enjoy and excel in doesn’t change in one term of Year 9
• Careers guidance
• 1:1 options interviews
• Options evening for parents
• Year 9 two terms of studying things they haven’t chosen for options

15. Three year KS4
Challenges
Doesn’t it narrow the curriculum?
• We encourage a broad and balanced curriculum for all students.
• Options grid enables and allows for this.
• Free choice/ guided options means that the curriculum isn’t narrowed.
• Maths, English, English Literature, two sciences, R.E, P.E, PSHE, citizenship
are all mandatory and so whatever students choose, they will still have a
broad complement of subjects.

16. LINE 1 LINE 2 LINE 3 LINE 4
Spanish History History History
French Geography Geography Geography
Design and
Technology
Art Language GCSE P.E
Art Triple Science Computer Science F.P.N
Drama Support Design and
Technology
Art
F.P.N Music

17. Three year KS4
Benefits
• More time to cover increased content to ensure it is delivered to the same standard as the old GCSE.
• More time to develop and refine skills required for the new courses.
• For students that find the reformed GCSEs particularly challenging, it gives them more time to develop their
skills and knowledge. Allows teachers to re-teach concepts and topics in a different way.
• The opportunity to learn broader and deeper- the new spec is so content heavy that without an additional
year we would be purely teaching to the test.
• Planned time to consolidate and over-learn: this is important for memory and retention which is crucial as
exams and theory make up a higher proportion of the marks.

18. Ryedale School’s response to
reformed GCSEs
- Low stakes testing
- KS3 exams
- Three year KS4

19. Growing the School
Why?
• To secure the school’s financial long term sustainability
• To ensure we can maintain and further develop the educational provision for our
students
How?
• Through developing our learning environment to include 9 additional classrooms, a
science and art room refurbishment, additional office space and a lift to the first floor
(financed through a loan from the LA)
• With increased in catchment numbers and our ability to continue to attract a similar
proportion of out of catchment students
When?
• The building project will be completed, we hope, by January 2018
• We have already increased our Year group PAN to 140, with an aim of increasing our
student population to approximately 700 students over the next three years

20. Implications
• Class sizes will increase for the next academic year (2017-18) until the
build is complete, however pupil/teacher ratio will be significantly
lower for September 2018 (6 set groups, 7 technology groups and
increased staffing).
• There will be a number of room changes in the autumn term due to
the loss of the geography block and refurbishment of the art and
science rooms.
• Organisation of lunchtimes/form times and assemblies to be altered
to support increased numbers.