Year 11 Welcome Back Letter
April 2022
Dear Parent
I hope that you and your family have enjoyed a peaceful Easter break and have taken the opportunity to enjoy some of the lovely weather that we have experienced recently. I am pleased to have seen your children return for their final term in College refreshed and ready for the upcoming GCSE examinations. I know that the majority of students would have been revising and preparing for these and it was lovely to see a large number of students taking advantage of the revision sessions provided by staff during the Easter break.
For the final few weeks, exams will be a key focus, with most lessons and homework based around revision and exam preparation. After school revision sessions will continue to be provided by teaching staff right up until their final exams in respective subjects. The key message that has been shared by myself and my colleagues is that it is never too late to carry out some effective revision. We always remind students that the extra 10 to 15 minutes spent on a topic may mean the difference between one grade and another. I have been continually impressed with the hard work and efforts of many of our students and I am confident that this will be reflected in their achievements in the Summer. We are also conscious that whilst exam results are important, our College is so much more than that and we always seek to develop the young people in our care into people of good character ready to make a positive impact on an ever changing and challenging world.
There are some key dates surrounding the arrangements for the final few weeks. These are outlined below
11th May – Hoodies and yearbooks will be handed out. Students will be reminded that hoodies are not to be worn in lessons or exams but can be worn at breaks and lunchtimes.
13th May – Year 11 Leavers Mass and Final Exam Preparations
16th May – GCSE Examinations begin. Students should attend College every day and will be expected to attend normal lessons if they are not sitting an exam. Please ensure that your child has all the necessary equipment (pens, pencils, scientific calculator etc) so that a prompt start can be made to all exams. The full exam timetable can be found on our College website.
27th May – Year 11 Final Day – Students should arrive ready to sit the Chemistry Exam. When this exam is finished, they will have an early break where they will be able to sign shirts. At 11.45pm, they will have pizza with their teachers and then will leave the site by 12.15pm. The only exception to this will be students taking the Computer Science exam in the afternoon.
27th May – 6th June – Half Term – Please note that some departments will be running revision sessions in this week and details of these will be shared with students nearer the time.
6th June – 29th June – GCSE Examinations will continue. Students are only expected to attend College when they have exams. They should be in full school uniform for all exams. Revision sessions will also be held for those students who wish to access them. These will be held at the same time as their timetabled lessons. In this case, students will need to sign in and sign out at Pupil Reception and go to their normal timetabled room. Please note that students must remain available for exams up to and including the 29th June.
13th and 20th July – Pastoral Check in at 3pm via Google Classroom.
19th July – Year 11 Prom at Stanbrook Abbey – Letters for this event have been given to students recently.
25th August – GCSE results day – Further details will be sent to students in due course.
Please be assured that this final stretch towards the GCSE examinations can prove to be quite a difficult and stressful time for students, parents and teachers. We are conscious that some of your children will be worried. This is normal and we will support them both academically and emotionally in these final few weeks. However, please do not hesitate to get in touch if there is anything that we can support you with.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, on behalf of my colleagues and your children, for all your support over the last five years. It has been a privilege to have been your child’s Head of Year and I have no doubt that they will leave this College ready to take the next step in their own individual futures and to make a positive contribution to our society.
With very best wishes
Mr C M Taylor
Head of Year 11