The Flagpole

Upper Sixth Mock Exam Reports will be published to the parent portal on Friday 14 January 2022. Once published, you will receive an email notification advising that the reports are available to view on My School Portal.

There will be an opportunity for parents to discuss their child’s report at the forthcoming Upper Sixth online Parents’ Evening on Thursday 20 January 2022.

Year 11 Mock Exam Reports will be published to the parent portal on Friday 21 January. Once published, you will receive an email notification advising that the reports are available to view on My School Portal. The Year 11 online Parents’ Evenings will be on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 January.

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head – Teaching and Learning

Following the success of the extension of Bring Youir Own Device (BYOD) to encompass Year 8 and above this academic year, we will be continuing with our plans for Year 7 to use devices in the classroom from January 2022.

From January, pupils in Year 7 will need to bring a device to school every day for use in lessons. Many Year 7 pupils bought devices through the school scheme this term, and many already have suitable devices for use in school. The school systems work on most operating systems, but if purchasing a new device we would recommend Windows10/11. If your child is in Year 7 and does not yet have a suitable device for use in school we would recommend the following specification:

Windows 10 or 11
Minimum 4GB RAM (8GB preferable)
Minimum 128GB SSD
Touchscreen preferable

Parents of pupils in Year 7 will be sent instructions next week via email on ensuring their child’s device is setup ready for use in school, to help with a smooth start in the Lent term.

If you have any questions about this please do get in touch.

Please find below details regarding homework expectations over Christmas. Whilst homework is of course vital, especially for those taking external exams this coming summer, Christmas is a very important family time and it follows a long and demanding term. All pupils should make sure to include at least three days of total rest and family time.

Years 7, 8 and 9

1.  No formal homework will be set for the holiday (although some pupils may have to complete homework set for the last week of the half term).
2.  Pupils will be expected to catch up on any missed or incomplete work and sort any files or folders. 

Year 10

1.  Homework may be set for all subjects.
2.  Pupils will be expected to catch up on any missed or incomplete work and sort any files or folders. 

Year 11

1.  Pupils should be revising for their mocks beginning Wednesday 5 January. This should include revision work as indicated by subject teachers and areas of revision that pupils have identified for themselves.  Pupils should aim for at least four hours’ productive work per day.
2.  Pupils will also be expected to catch up on any missed or incomplete work and sort any files or folders.  

Sixth Form - Lower Sixth

1.  Homework may be set for all subjects. Students should aim for at least four hours’ productive work per day.
2.  Students will be expected to catch up on any missed or incomplete work and sort any files or folders. 

Sixth Form - Upper Sixth

1.  Students should be revising for their mocks beginning Wednesday 5 January. This should include revision work as indicated by subject teachers and areas of revision that pupils have identified for themselves.  Students should aim for at least between four and six hours productive work per day.
2.  Students will also be expected to catch up on any missed or incomplete work and sort any files or folders.  
3.  Review of examination papers and completion of corrections as directed by subject teachers.

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and a healthy and successful 2022.

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head – Teaching and Learning

In advance of the mock exams in January, I would like to remind parents that the College subscribes to GCSEPod, an online content and revision provider to support GCSE revision. GCSEPod can support the effort, systems and practice elements of the VESPA model, providing tailored content to help your child revise.

As a subscriber, your child has access to GCSEPod’s library of over 6,000 ‘Pods,’ 3-5 minute videos designed to deliver knowledge in short bursts. GCSEPod makes learning and revision much more manageable: every Pod is mapped to an exam board, and contains all the right facts, quotes, keywords, dates and annotated diagrams that your child needs for GCSE success – all neatly organised into topics and exam playlists. Watch this short video for a quick introduction.

One of the best things about GCSEPod is that your child can download any Pod to their mobile device, and then they can watch them at any time, in any place, with or without internet. It’s like they’re carrying a whole set of textbooks in their pocket! Make sure they download the GCSEPod app from the App Store (Apple and Android are supported) to access this feature.

For more ways to support your child using GCSEPod, please visit www.gcsepod.com/parents where you’ll find lots more information and resources.

Your child can also access a helpful video on how to use GCSEPod to revise for exams on this link (pupils will need to be logged into their school account to access this video).

Your child has already been registered with GCSEPod through their school account. If you child has already activated their account they can login using the ‘Sign in with Office365’ button, using their Princethorpe email address and password.

If they haven’t used GCSEPod before they just need to activate their account by going to www.gcsepod.com and clicking “Login” in the top right-hand corner, then following the instructions below:

1)      Click “New here?  Get started.”

2)      Select “Student”

3)      Enter their name, date of birth and the school name.

4)      Create a username, password, and a password hint to help them remember the password.

Once the account is activated they can login using the ‘Sign in with Office365’ button, using their Princethorpe email address and password.

If you have any questions regarding GCSEPod please don’t hesitate to contact me at andycompton@princethorpe.co.uk

Andy Compton
Assistant Head - Director of Digital Strategy

Now we are in to the second half term, it is important to recognise the stresses and demands on our Lower Sixth students. You should have noticed the level of study has increased somewhat but be aware that this level of load can cause difficulties and anxieties. Here are some tips to support your youngster.

Encourage your youngster to ask for help when they need it – seeking out a teacher before stress starts to build up is essential. This could be as simple as finding the teacher before class, chatting to their tutor or sharing worries with friends.

Stay organised – consider how your youngster is scheduling their time and ensure that they are setting aside time for each subject throughout the week. Encourage them to start assignments early, set deadlines and make the most of study periods in the school day.

Mix up your study routine – talk to your youngster about staying focused and positive during their study time. It is important that they use a variety of study techniques from using flashcards or mind maps, writing summaries and watching online tutorials to getting a friend or family member to quiz them, completing practice tests under exam conditions and working through questions from the text book.

Take time to research your post-school options – get your youngster thinking about their future aspirations. Taking time to research and make plans for post-school life can provide a nice break from studies, while also helping them to stay motivated by reminding them of the bigger picture. This may include researching institutions and courses of interest, organising things for a gap year and putting together course applications.

Stay calm and keep things in perspective – Sixth Form studies are rewarding but also demanding. Your youngster’s mental health is a vital component to success. Take time to encourage them to be involved in other activities and have a balanced life style.

For more suggestions, please click on this link.

Dr Liz Pyne
Assistant Head - Teaching and Learning