The Flagpole

14 May 2018 - GCSE And A-level Exams Begin

If pupils have any questions about the exam season, please refer to the booklet they were given in February called Candidate Booklet Written Exams. You can download a copy here. If you still have questions please come to the Exam Office in S38 or email your query to examinations@princethorpe.co.uk

A-level results - 16 August 2018
School opens at 7.00am. Results will be published to the portals at 9.00am and any uncollected results envelopes will be posted home that day.

GCSE results - 23 August 2018
For Year 11 pupils, school opens at 9.00am and any uncollected results envelopes will be posted home that day. For all GCSE pupils, results will be published to the portals at 10.00am.

If a pupil wants someone else to collect their results, they will need to advise the exams office. This can be done by email from their school email address and must include the full name of the person collecting the results. The named person will need to bring photo ID when they come to collect the results. Alternatively, pupils can come to the Exam Office in S38 and complete a request form.

Please note results cannot be given out over the telephone.

Exams information (timetables, seating, results) is available to pupils on the pupil portal. For parents to see this information on the parent portal, pupils need to enable access to each exam section, instructions are in your booklet. If you can’t remember your login details for the pupil portal, they are the same as you use to login to the school computers.

Mrs Shellagh Dodds
Examinations Officer

Please note that Upper Sixth study leave will commence after school on Friday 25 May 2018.

Ben Collie
Head of Sixth Form

Reports for Year 8 will be posted out on Friday 25 May 2018.  They will also be available to view on the Parent Portal.

Dr Digby Carrington-Howell
Deputy Head - Academic
 

Years 7 to 10 and Lower Sixth have their end-of-year exams in the week beginning 11 June 2018.

Lower Sixth students will sit internal exams in all of their subjects. These end of year exams are opportunities for the students to test their knowledge and exam technique. These exams will play an important part in teachers’ determination of the predicted grades which are included in applications to university, and also in the wider picture of a student’s progress which will be considered when advising on the suitability of next steps in the Upper Sixth. Any notable achievements in these exams will also of course be celebrated in the school’s UCAS references.

The normal teaching timetable for Years 7-10 and the Lower Sixth for that week will be suspended for the whole week in order for the exams to run. Pupils will have a busy programme of assessments and exams so sensible revision can begin now.  A draft timetable for each year can be found below so that they can plan their time.  Pupils with access arrangements will be advised of specific arrangements. Lower Sixth students are expected to come into school during that week and they are welcome to use the Sixth Form Resource Centre or Common Room to engage in revision and private study. Both of those areas will be silent study areas as the Sixth Form Centre itself is going to be given over to hosting examinations.

All Year 7-10 pupils will have slots throughout the week when they can revise silently for papers later that day or later in the week.  They should therefore make sure they have with them each day the relevant materials they wish to revise from.  It is also a good idea to have a private reading book with them, although the time allocated to exams should only be used for the paper itself.

Teachers will give guidance to their classes about what to revise and what the nature of the exam will be.  

We look forward to sharing with you how your child has done in our exam reports later this term. If you have any questions about Exams Week, do please contact us.

Draft Exam Timetable

Dr Digby Carrington-Howell
Deputy Head - Staffing and Assessment

Dr Michael Reddish
Assistant Head - Director of Studies 

Formal lessons end for Year 11 on Friday 11 May 2018 and the GCSE exam period runs from Monday 14 May 2018 until Friday 15 June 2018 (except for those doing the AQA Certificate in Further Maths on 18 and 19 June 2018).

During the exam period the school timetable will operate as normal. Should Year 11 pupils wish to study supervised in school they need only follow their normal timetable, bringing with them whatever revision materials they wish to use for whichever subject they wish to study. However they also have the option of studying at home if they wish, coming in only for their timetabled exams.

It is important that we have a record of who will be in school on any particular day and at what times so if you have not done so already, please complete the form below indicating when your son or daughter will be in school and return it immediately to Mrs Satchwell.

Please click here for Exam Period Attendance Form

Dr Michael Reddish
Assistant Head (Director of Studies)

Pupils and parents are reminded that the Textbook Return Forms, which are available to download here, are due to be completed and returned by Friday 22 June 2018.

Books should be handed to a member of staff from the relevant department with staff signing the form to confirm receipt of the correct number of books.

If a textbook has been lost, ‘LOST’ should be entered in the staff signature column on the Return Form and a charge will be made for this book. When all subjects are complete, pupils should take the form to their Head of House to sign off. Any incomplete or unreturned forms will result a charge for unreturned books.

This year Apply 2019 will launch on Tuesday 22 May 2018.  Prior to this, you can now access the UCAS search tool. This tool allows you to take a closer look at what higher education courses will be on offer in 2019, before you start applying in the autumn.  Click here to access the UCAS website.

You can search by course, provider, or location, and will have access to more information about your preferred universities and colleges – including specific admissions requirements for different subjects you are considering. Unifrog stands alongside UCAS and is used to guide students through the application process. It structures their personal statements and allows the Sixth Form team and tutors to have an informed overview of their whole application when it comes to writing their references. 

Please don't forget that you will receive your predicted grades at the start of your Upper Sixth year.

Ben Collie
Head of Sixth Form