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Smithdon High School

Step Up to GCSE

As a GCSE student at Smithdon High School, your Key Stage 4 curriculum will begin in Year 10 and build on the prior foundations of a Knowledge Rich Curriculum begun in Key Stage 3.

Year 10 will end with a series of examinations to check where you are in relation to your academic potential. This is the first of three series of examinations that take place to inform and guide you leading up to your final GCSE exams.  The feedback from each of these will allow your subject teachers to personalise your Year 11 curriculum. This means we will be able to use tutor time better to meet the needs of each and every one of you in preparation for your final GCSE examinations.

Included below are a range of resources that will support your revision during Years 10 and 11.

Timeline for years 10 and 11

This includes key dates for health checks, examination, reports and parents’ evenings. Please be aware that this document is subject to change.

Year 10

Term

Date

What is going on?

Autumn Term

9 October 2024

17 October 2024

 

3 December 2024

17 December 2024

GCSE Geography Urban Field Trip

Yr10 Step Up to Success and Settling-in Tutor Evening

Year 10 Reports to parents

Year 10 Rewards Assembly

Spring Term

w/c 24 March 2025
w/c 31 March 2025

26 March 2025

Year 10 PPE exams


Rewards Assembly

Summer Term

22 May 2025

22 May 2025

19 June 2025

30 June 2025

w/c 14 July 2025

21 July 2025

Year 10 Parents evening

Year 10 Reports to parents

GCSE Coastal Field Trip

Yr10 Intervention Evening (SLT)

Work Experience

Year 10 Awards Assembly


Year 11

Term

Date

What is going on?

Autumn Term

12 September 2024


w/c 30 September 2024
w/c 7 October 2024

20 November 2024


16 December 2024

Yr11 Revision/Applications and Tutor evening.


Year 11 Pre-Public Exams (PPEs)
 

Year 11 Progress Reports and Feedback Forms to Parents

Rewards Assembly

Spring Term

16 January 2025

w/c 27 January 2025
w/c 03 February 2025
w/c 10February 2025

31 March 2025

25 March 2025


01 April 2025

04 April 2025

Year 11 Parents’ Evening

Year 11 Pre-Public Exams PPEs



Rewards Assembly

Year 11 Progress Reports and Feedback Forms to Parent

Yr11 Intervention Evening (SLT)

Year 11 Reward Trip

Summer Term

08 May to 25 June 2025

20 June 2025

26 June 2025

21 August 2025

GCSE Exam dates

Celebration Morning

Prom

GCSE Results Day

 

Subject Information

Please click here to view 

50 Facts Booklet

The 50-fact booklet below will support your preparation for these exams. Each subject page includes the core knowledge that pupils need to know in order to be successful.

Please click here to view 

The Learning Scientist

All of these strategies have supporting evidence from cognitive psychology. For each strategy, we explain how to do it, some points to consider, and where to find more information.

  • Spaced Practice
  • Retrieval Practice
  • Elaboration
  • Interleaving
  • Concrete Examples
  • Dual Coding

Please find user guides below for each of these strategies.

The 6 Strategies for Effective Learning 

Year 11 Booster Sessions

Please click on the link below:

Year 11 Booster Session Timetable 

Additional Information

Please click on the links below to view: