Our Virtual Welcome Welcome We want to welcome you to this - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Y6 Open Evening September 2020 Our Virtual Welcome

Welcome We want to welcome you to this presentation. Whilst we regret we are not able to meet you in person, we hope that this presentation will give you a good understanding of our school, our values and our beliefs. The presentation includes information on the following; - Our school and our history - A Catholic education experience - The Y7 Curriculum - Our Pastoral Care - How the admissions process works - Expectations, including uniform and mobile phones - A message from the Headteacher, Mrs Dengate

Our School Prayer Loving God, as I begin this day help me to live my life to the best of my ability. To be open to those who love me, forgive those who hurt me, respond to those who need me and to appreciate the lift in which I live Amen

Our school and our history. St Mary’s is a Roman Catholic High school with a proud heritage in Chesterfield and within the Hallam Diocese. As a school community we live by the values Jesus taught in the Gospel; values such as humility, patience, tolerance, and unconditional love of others. Our Mission Statement, which runs through everything we do, is that we will ‘Live, love and learn in the Light of Christ’. This means that as a school we endeavour to give pupils and staff an opportunity to live out the teachings of Jesus and the Catholic Church; to be witnesses to our shared faith. Alongside this, all members of our community are encouraged to embrace the unconditional love that Jesus speaks of in the Gospels; we are asked to be Good Samaritans to all those we come across, sharing our gifts and talents to help those in need and to be examples of forgiveness. Our school is a place of academic learning, but also an environment where everyone can engage in their own spiritual development and access all the necessary resources to fulfil their own personal vocation.

A truly comprehensive school St Mary’s Catholic High School is proud to be a comprehensive school serving children from a wide catchment across Northern Derbyshire. Learning daily from each other, students enjoy cultural diversity and richness of tradition and know how to live harmoniously with those from different backgrounds and experiences.

The Catholic Educational Experience St Mary’s was opened in 1854 by the society of Jesus (the Jesuits) based at the Annunciation Parish Church. St Mary’s is a school which nurtures faith and where all are challenged to be the best that they can be. We have Religious Education at the centre of our curriculum, to which it devotes 10 % of time in Years 7 – 11. We believe that a thorough understanding of our Catholic Christian values, of what it means to be religious, of a variety of religious standpoints, especially the major world religions and of those who do not have religious faith, is essential to understanding what it means to be human and alive in our contemporary world. At the heart of this is our view that religious belief and practice must liberate people in their living and their thinking, allowing individuals to be fully human and creative. Fundamentalist and extreme practice can be identified when this liberating and positive view of the world and of life is missing.

The Year 7 Curriculum St. Mary’s offers a broad and balanced Key Stage 3 programme, providing pupils with the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects and explore a rich, varied curriculum. Key Stage 3 lessons are designed to engage our pupils and create a life-long thirst for learning. The ethos in our classrooms is one in which pupils are encouraged to be inquisitive, resilient and proud of their talents and successes.

How many lessons each week? • Monday – Thursday you will have 6 lessons each day • On Friday you have 5 lessons • Each lesson lasts 50 minutes. This is an example of a typical Y7 timetable

Religious Studies x3 Physical Education x2 x1 Music x4 Mathematics x2 x4 English Geography x2 x3 Science History x1 Modern Foreign Drama x3 Languages x1 ICT Design Technology x2 Lessons per week

How will I I be grouped? At our school, Key Stage 3 pupils are taught in ‘Teaching Groups’ which are banded according to ability. This ensures that all pupils are taught in an environment more suited to their particular needs. Pupils will take our Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs) in the summer of Y6 which will be used to form the banding process. Pupils will change teaching groups as and when their needs and learning styles change.

Your lessons in Year 7 Religious Studies Our curriculum There is no national curriculum for Religious Studies at KS3, however, Catholic Schools are expected to follow the Curriculum Directory (as set down by the Bishops of England and Wales). As such, our programmes of study are bespoke and have been created to give students a coherent understanding of Catholicism and other world faiths. In Year 7 you will study; · Beliefs about human beings · Beliefs about Jesus: what is His role and why is He important? · Sacraments · Lent and Forgiveness · Hinduism Religious Studies enables pupils to develop the key skills of research, problem solving, empathy, critical analysis, interpretation and evaluation and has a high standing as a rigorous, academic subject. Head of Department Miss H Loxley

Your lessons in Year 7 Mathematics Our curriculum In Key Stage 3 pupils follow the programs of study prescribed by the National Curriculum. They learn new techniques in each of the set areas of Number & Measure, Geometry, Algebra, Statistics, Probability, Ratio and proportion and Rates of Change and apply these to problems. We challenge and extend their thinking often going beyond that set out below. The pupils are encouraged to explain their thinking and to set this down on paper. They meet simple proofs and are encouraged to develop their talents of reasoning, interpretation and problem solving in the context of real life problems. Mathematics is a cornerstone to success in life. By doing well in Mathematics we believe that you will have the freedom in later life to choose a job that gives you real satisfaction. See the next page for the topics covered in Year 7 Head of Department Mr K O’Sullivan

Number and Measures Geometry Algebra Statistics Factors, Multiples, Angle facts. · Using letters in place · Work confidently with Squares, Square Roots, · Properties of 2D and of unknowns & variables discrete data. Representing Primes and Divisibility tests. 3D shapes. and simplifying expressions. and interpreting data in Powers and roots. Finding · Area and perimeter of Create and use formulae. graphical form. Comparing HCF and LCM logically. rectangles, triangles, · Solving simple two data sets. · Simple estimation and parallelograms and equations. rounding to decimal places composite shapes. · Generate sequences and significant figures. · Volume and surface from term-to-term and Ratio, Proportion and Rates · Multiplication – area of cubes and cuboids. position to term rules of Change standard methods up to 4 · Metric and Imperial · Understand the digit by 2 digit. Units and their connections. relationship between ratio · Negative numbers · Reflective and and proportion. including +/-/x/÷and order rotational symmetry in · Solve proportional of operations. shapes, transformations & and ratio problems. · Conversion between formal constructions. metric units. · Coordinates and · Time including time in straight line graphs. decimal form. · Fractions, decimals, and percentage problems

Your lessons in Year 7 English Our curriculum In Key Stage 3 pupils follow the programmes of study broadly set out by the national curriculum and adapted to fall into line with the demands of the new GCSE syllabus. Students cover a range of reading materials (fiction and non-fiction) from the 20 th and pre-20 th century; study and create different forms of writing; take part in debates and poetry recitals and continue to develop their analytical skills in order to become strong writers who can apply inference skills across a variety of genres. In Year 7 you will study; Reading Writing · Class novel (e.g. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Skellig, Holes, Stormbreaker, Cirque Du Freak). · Autobiography · Shakespeare (e.g. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The · Beowulf newspaper article New Play ). · Descriptive writing Pre-21 st Century short story (e.g. The Red Room, The · Speckled Band ). English is a highly important academic subject, that gives our pupils linguistic competence and good Head of Department communication and analytical skills. Mrs E Taylor

Your lessons in Year 7 Science Our curriculum In Year 7 all students follow an in-house programme of study that is largely based upon the National curriculum. The course is designed to be activity-and practical-based to make the learning both relevant and fun. They learn how to conduct practical work safely and methodically whilst investigating scientific principles then forming their own conclusions. Students develop the necessary skills and scientific understanding to prepare them for their Science GCSEs in KS4. In Year 7 you will study; · Cells · Particles · Energy · Reproduction · Acids A good foundation in science gives pupils the · Electricity confidence to succeed in our modern and · Mixtures innovative world. · Variation · Forces Head of Department · Atoms and elements · Sound Mr D Greenslade