Year 9 Pastoral Information

Your son has been working towards the forthcoming Key Stage 3 examinations for the past two years and he will need to continue to work hard throughout this year as well. As well as formal examinations, Year 9 also contains the first real choices of your son’s academic career. He will surely be aware by now that success is not earned lightly: one has to show a great deal of commitment, self-motivation and hard work.

The purpose of this pastoral information is to give essential information to you, the parent, which will enable all Year 9 pupils to organise their own learning and revision in order to achieve success in the forthcoming teacher assessments and Key Stage 3 examinations. It is also designed to provide guidance on strategies and techniques that can be used away from the classroom to ensure that the stress often experienced during examination years does not impede your son’s performance.

Mr M. Lewis
Head of Year 9

Ensuring the best education for our pupils

Mentors

Some pupils need assistance which goes beyond the normal commitment of a tutor or subject tutor. The need may be an academic or a personal one; it may be a short-term or a long-term issue. In such an instance, the School will provide the individual with a staff mentor. This person will work with the pupil on a one-to-one basis, meeting regularly and working to ensure success through attainable goals. Mentoring is a positive way in which we can ensure that difficulties are resolved in partnership between School, pupil and parents.

Homework-ganeral guidelines

In Year 9 there is still a formal homework timetable, but boys start to use a personal organiser to record their homework. This is a sophisticated tool in their development; they will record the same information as before, but in a format which enables clearer tracking of progress by the boys themselves, and their Form Tutors. Boys will be given instruction on the use of the organiser and supplied with the appropriate stationery.

Your son will be given his homework timetable, however, some general guidelines which should be useful for parents are:

• Each pupil should be completing around 2½ hours of homework per night. There is also a need to review past work - this should be done on a regular basis.
• The nature of homework varies enormously at Key Stage 3; subjects such as Languages may ask for vocabulary to be learnt in two days, while subjects such as design or art may require a homework to be completed over a number of weeks.
• Your son should be making use of the PRIORITY ACTION sheets in his organiser; these allow him to organise his academic studies effectively.
• The use of Information Technology has been a huge benefit to our students in the drafting, presentation and completion of work. Sometimes, though, the excuse of a PC not working is used. It is crucial that your son gives himself enough time to fulfil a deadline and that the practice of printing a piece of work the night before it is due in is to be avoided
• If homework is not completed properly, or is not handed in, the subject teacher will deal with the problem. If trouble persists, the Head of Department will become involved, and the Form Tutor and Year Head will be informed. A formal detention and a letter to parents may follow. Prevention is better than cure; careful monitoring of the Personal Planner by parents is an important aid, both to boys and the School.
• Where a concern is persistently raised regarding homework not being completed, it is clear not only that there is a problem, but that the problem is not being solved. Parents are asked in such instances to check the books of their son and to ensure that the necessary follow-up is being completed

Home and School - an active partnership

The methods outlined above demonstrate how the School will seek to work alongside parents at all stages and will report back to them whenever necessary. It is crucial, also, that parents work with the School to ensure the best progression for their sons. It is not unfair to suggest that teenage boys experience personal problems as they grow up - this is a part of adolescence. What is essential is that if a parent recognises such problems to be hindering academic progress, they inform the School immediately. This allows School and home to work together purposefully for the benefit of pupils.

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IMPORTANT DATES 2008-2009

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