Senior School
Deputy Headmaster: Dr J A Sweetman
Tel: 01757 618248
Email:
Director of Studies: Ms Christina Palmer
Tel: 01757 618248
Email:
All pupils follow a broad-based curriculum during the first three years of the senior school. There are three classes in each year group and the classes are normally between 14 and 16 pupils. Each class is in the care of a Form Tutor, who is the first point of contact between the school and parents. About half of the students coming into Year 7 are new to the school and about half come from our Junior School.
It is recognised that not all pupils require the same programme in school. Adjustments to the timetable can be made for boys and girls who are gifted, dyslexic or who have other special needs, or for those whose first language is not English.
In the GCSE years, pupils study English, mathematics and the sciences as compulsory subjects, and choose a further four subjects as options subjects according to interest and need. Depending on an individual pupil’s programme of study, this will usually provide for between seven and ten subjects to be taken at GCSE.
Reporting and Assessment
Autumn Term
Everyone in Years 7 to 9 will:
- Be set a target grade which you should aim to achieve by the end of the summer term
- Sit departmental assessments at appropriate times during the term
- Be given an indication as to whether your present work is likely to enable you to reach your target level
A report containing the above information and a comment from each teacher will be sent home to your parents if you are in Year 7 or Year 9, with the end of term mailing, together with a comments slip for them to complete and return to the school. Year 8 will have a Parents’ Evening during this term, therefore an end of term will not be written.
Everyone in Year 10 will:
- Be set a target GCSE grade based on the YELLIS baseline tests taken at the start of Year 10
- Be given an indication as to whether your present work is likely to enable you to reach your target grade
A report containing the above information and a comment from each teacher will be sent home to your parents with the end of term mailing, together with a comments slip for them to complete and return to the school. You may also sit formal GCSE Science module examinations as agreed with your teachers.
Everyone in Year 11 will:
- Receive a summary report which will be sent home to your parents at half term with a target and achieved grades
- sit a trial examination in each subject you are studying at GCSE, towards the end of the Autumn Term, unless you have just completed a GCSE Science module examination
- Attend an open presentation evening with your parents to discuss possible Sixth Form study at Read and the courses available to you
An end of term report will not be written. You may resit Science and Mathematics modules in November as agreed with your teachers.
Spring Term
Everyone in Years 7 – 9 will:
- Sit departmental assessments at appropriate times during the term
- Be given an indication as to whether your present work is likely to enable you to reach your target level
A report containing the above information and a comment from each teacher will be sent home to your parents if you are in Year 8, with the end of term mailing, together with a comments slip for them to complete and return to the school. Years 7 & 9 will have a Parents’ Evening during this term, therefore an end of term will not be written.
Everyone in Year 10 will:
- Sit departmental assessments at appropriate times during the term
- Continue to have your achievement and progress monitored against your target GCSE grade
- Receive GCSE module results from November examinations
A report containing the above information and a comment from each teacher will be sent home to your parents with the end of term mailing, with a comments slip for your parents to complete and return to the school.
You may also sit formal GCSE Mathematics and Science module examinations in March as agreed with your teachers.
Everyone in Year 11 will:
- Sit departmental assessments at appropriate times during the term
- Continue to have your achievement and progress monitored against your target GCSE grade
- Receive GCSE module results from November examinations
- Attend a meeting with the Deputy Head and Director of Studies to discuss your Trial Examination results and finalise entry details for your GCSE examinations
A copy of your Trial Examinations results will be sent home to your parents and followed up with a Parents’ Evening in the first half of the term.
A summary report will be written at the end of this term containing an update in your progression towards your target GCSE grades and advice on improvements to be made.
You may also sit formal GCSE Mathematics and Science module examinations in March as agreed with your teachers. Those of you doing separate Sciences will take module examinations in January. Module examinations results from the January series will available in March.
Summer Term
Years 7 to 9
Everyone will write examinations in June based on the work covered over the full school year and your placement in setted subjects, and possibly tutor groups, may be decided on by the results in these examinations. Summer examination timetables will be sent to your parents in the first half of the term. All pupils will receive a written report in the end of term mailing, with a comments slip for your parents to complete and return to the school.
Year 10
Module examination results from the March series will be available in April. Those students doing Business Studies, Geography, History, Mathematics and Science will be sitting formal GCSE examinations in May and June. Religious Studies short course will also be taken in May by all pupils. For all other subjects, an end of year examination will be written in June. There will be a parents’ evening during the second half of term and therefore an end of term report will not be written.
Year 11
Module examination results from the March series will be available in April. You will also receive a final summary report at half term. You will write the majority of your GCSE examinations in May and June. GCSE results will be available at the end of August and certificates are usually issued in October.
House System
All pupils in the school are allocated to one of three Houses. The Houses compete in all areas of school life, receiving merits for good work, sports, drama, Team quizzes etc, and are awarded points that are collected together before the award of a trophy at the end of each term, to the winning House.
The Houses are under the direction of a Housemaster/mistress and Assistant, and each House elects their own Captain and Vice-Captain from members of Year 11 in September of each year. Members of the Sixth Form support Houses in an advisory capacity.
Each pupils is provided with a lapel badge in the appropriate colour for their designated House, and coloured jerseys are available for wearing in House sports competitions. Every attempt will be made to assign siblings to the same House.
Dragon House (Red)
Phoenix House (Yellow)
Unicorn House (Green)