SUPPORTING WHAT??? COURSES COMPLETING COURSEWORK GETTING READY FOR - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

SUPPORTING WHAT??? • COURSES • COMPLETING COURSEWORK • GETTING READY FOR EXAMS • THE JOURNEY ONWARDS

The Journey Onwards *working to 70 *changing jobs and working patterns

Working Life Income 1,650,000 1,450,000 1,250,000 1,050,000 850,000 650,000 No 5A*-C GCSE 5A*-C A level Degree

Times are tough!  18,000 A level students with 3 Grade A's!  17 applicants for every Apprenticeship  73 graduates chasing every graduate vacancy  Nearly 1million young people unemployed (NEET) and more than ever unemployed at Level 3!

The Journey Onwards *COLLEGE – ACADEMIC OR VOCATIONAL *APPRENTICESHIP *EMPLOYMENT – NO! *NOTHING – NEVER!

The Journey Onwards  what type of college?  what type of course?  what level?  reference

What post-16 routes are available Level Academic VOCATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL Entry Certificate of Achievement One GCSE grades D - G NVQ 1 Certificate BTEC Introductory Two GCSE grades A* - C NVQ 2 Intermediate BTEC First/Diploma Apprenticeship AS/A Levels NVQ 3 BTEC Three International Baccalaureate Advanced Apprenticeship Subsidiary/Extended Diploma NVQ 4 BTEC Higher National Four First Year of Degree Higher Apprenticeship Diploma (HND)

 LEVEL 3 – requires 5 A+ - C grades usually English & Maths at C  NOW NEED AVERAGE POINT SCORE – nearly average B for 4 AS levels and strong C average for 3 AS levels  LEVEL 2 - requires 4 D grades  LEVEL 1 / ACCESS / E2E

AS & A-LEVELS  A/S and A – Levels *usually require minimum 5 A*-C *increasing request for minimum average points score eg 5.8 *take 4 A/S in year 12 *reduce to 3 A-levels in year 13 *mix of exam and coursework

Am I an ‘ A Level ’ Candidate?  Be aware of the massive leap in difficulty in going from GCSE to A-Levels  Do I enjoy learning large quantities of information and sustain the pressure of exams once a year?  Am I good at independent study and research?  Consider the University Course .... you might be thinking of ..Look at the requirements Can you achieve these?

 MINIMUM B IN MATHS AND SCIENCES FOR MATHS A-LEVEL AND SCIENCE A-LEVELS

International Baccalaureate * 6 subjects including an arts, science and humanities *Extended Project *favoured course in Europe

Vocational - BTECs *BTEC National Certificates and Diplomas (equivalent to two or three good A level grades) *full-time and study only one *possibility of extra course eg 1 A/S *mostly coursework which can be revised *accepted by universities – but look at course requirements

Am I a BTEC Student ?  Do I like doing Project Work ?  Am I a Coursework-type Person?  Do I like breaking a qualification into small manageable chunks?  Do I find the pressure of exams too much?

*City & Guilds *CACHE

APPRENTICESHIPS  JANUARY WORKSHOPS

WHERE?  SCHOOL SIXTH FORM  SIXTH FORM COLLEGE  FURTHER EDUCATION (FE) COLLEGE  TRAINING PROVIDER (APPRENTICESHIP)  PLACE OF WORK

HOW? 1  Career Plan requirements especially medicine, veterinary science (law)  What you are good at  What you enjoy  Balance  Pre-course requirements

HOW? 2  MOCK INTERVIEW DAY – 14 NOVEMBER  INTERNET SEARCH  PROSPECTUSES  OPEN DAYS/EVENINGS  TALKS & 16+ ROAD SHOW (6 NOVEMBER)  CAREERS INTERVIEW  PSHE  MANY APPLICATIONS

 List of college contact information and dates of open evenings www.ucasprogress.com www.direct.gov.uk www.apprenticeship.org

WHEN?  THIS TERM  JANUARY  FEBRUARY  AUGUST

What makes someone successful?  Motivation  Planning  Knowing how to learn  Ability to deal with the pressure of exams

Get Serious about Revision  Preparation 1:The Audit  Preparation 2 : The Planning  Where ?  How?

Preparation 1: The Audit  Know the specification and the assessment: ~content ~number, length of exam papers ~question style ~language used an expected ~when the exams are

Preparation 1: The Audit Look on exam board websites  www.edexcel.org  www.aqa.org.uk  www.ocr.org.uk

Preparation 1: The Audit

Preparation 1: The Audit Subject Area Topic Resources Priority Maths Numbers Equations Revision Low book Class notes Past paper Graphs Pie Charts High Class Notes (some missing) Past paper

Preparation 2: The Planning • Plan the revision: prioritise difficult topics first, get them sorted and move onto easier areas in good time for the exams. • That means the student (and you) need to know when exams are and how much time you have left for each subject. • Remember that 40 minute sessions are best then have a short break. • It’s better to do 2 hours a night over a long period of time than cram it all in at the last minute • Aim for 3-4 hours on a non-school day (over Easter for example)

Date Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4 30.3.13 MATHS SCIENCE ENGLISH AREA numbers Circuit Anthology Electricity METHOD Mind- Past paper Reduce mapping notes AIM understand Recall & embed apply 31.3.13 AREA METHOD AIM

REVISION: Why do we forget?  Poor Understanding  Poor attention and listening skills  Poor physical state ie. tired, anxious, bad mood  Improper Organisation ie. Not learning things in the correct order.  Dehydration your brain needs lots of water to conduct electrical impulses fast.

How can we aid our memory?  Use a multisensory approach- employ a combination of audio, visual, and physical.  Be relaxed- have non lyrical music playing quietly in the background.  Be imaginative with your notes- doodle, underline, highlight, draw a cartoon, use colours, draw spider diagrams etc.

Revision techniques  Do a revision timetable  Break each subject down into minute chunks  Do 2 blocks of 45 mins and then take a break of at least 15 mins.  Only repeat this once then take a good break.

Highlighters

MIND-MAPS

Revision Cards Useful way of breaking down information into manageable sections • • Allows you to organise your notes into a logical and ordered way Forces you to transfer information and make sense of it • They are portable • Write a question on the back to turn them into an active revision technique • More flexible than a notebook or folder •

Memory Techniques  Memory techniques are a good way to remember,  Finding out how you remember is the key.  Acronyms – Use the first letter of the prompt word to make another.  Mnemonics – make silly sentences to remember orders of text - Sometimes the sillier the sentence the easier you will remember.

 Order of colours in the rainbow,  or visual spectrum.  Richard RED  Of ORANGE  York YELLOW  Gave GREEN  Battle BLUE  In INDIGO  Vain VIOLET

Revision Guides

PAST PAPERS & QUESTIONS  Look on exam board websites  www.edexcel.org  www.aqa.org.uk  www.ocr.org.uk

ON-LINE SITES www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize www.s-cool.co.uk

• Booster sessions and after school revision sessions

Study Buddies

Also encourage...... Brain Boosting Tips: GET SWEATY! One of the best ways to revise effectively is to stay active. Our brains need lots of oxygen to keep working at their optimum level. Physical exercise such as walking and jogging improve circulation to the brain.

Feed Your Brain  Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish e.g. sardines and tuna and available as supplements are thought to improve cognitive abilities and mood. B vitamins may also have brain boosting properties and one good source is Marmite.

Sleep on it Not only does lack of sleep kill creativity and decision making skills but in a warm exam hall in June the urge to ‘nod off’ can be quite high. 7-8 hours sleep a night is essential for most people and it has also been found that learning facts just before you go to sleep helps cement what you have learnt.

Drink Water Our brains are 80% water so dehydration is bad news for your brain. It is recommended that you drink between 1.5l and 2.5l of fluids a day.

SO IT’S ALL ABOUT:  BEING ORGANISED  NOTES  REVISION TIMETABLE  KNOWING POST 16 OPTIONS  APPLYING  READY FOR EACH DAY

SO WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AS A PARENT?  Attendance Officer  Banker: Provide the tools, files and revision guides. Provide snacks and regular drinks for revision periods.

 Organiser: Create a work area. Help organise your child’s time, using the wall planner marking commitments to clubs and revision sessions.  Agree to a realistic revision timetable that fits in with social and home life. Use the exam dates to structure revision times.  Finally - Plan a reward structure to motivate your child (don’t think these rewards have to be financial, but once agreed stick to them). It could be a well-deserved treat that you and your child can look forward to.