Enrichment Opportunities

Links are established through Careers Wales. Companies such as Wynne Construction have visited school to share how Maths is used within the construction industry.

Homework

Homework can take a variety of forms including written tasks, revision exercises, online tasks and preparation for coursework or practical examinations. The aim of homework is to supplement the learning that takes place in the classroom and instil independent learning, a crucial lifelong skill. Staff aim to give ample time to complete homework tasks so learners should plan their own time carefully in order to meet deadlines. The frequency of homework can vary depending on the number of lessons offered over a fortnight.

The majority of subject areas make use of Google Classroom to communicate any homework requirements to the learners. I would encourage learners and parents/carers to check Google Classrooms regularly.

Parents/Carers should endeavour to provide a quiet space for their children to complete homework tasks. Where this is not possible, the school does provide such places for learners to access in their lunchtime or afterschool hours. Please encourage learners to discuss this with their tutors or progress leaders in the first instance.

Feedback

• All teachers will provide verbal feedback.
• Students will mark their own classwork using teacher feedback.
• Students will receive feedback on their work in one of the following ways: fortnightly book sampling; whole class feedback; live marking in lessons.
• Mini whiteboards will allow the teacher to give instant verbal feedback so that students can improve their understanding during the lesson.
• All feedback will lead to students engaging in DIRT to improve their work or go over misconceptions.
• Written comments will be used by the teacher only when required to signpost where an improvement can be made
• Verbal feedback is given through questioning methods and one-to-one conversations, as appropriate.
• Staff and students will mark using a W where needed
• Staff will circulate the room to offer live feedback and instant intervention.
• Assessments take place every half term and are marked by the teacher.

Assessment

Assessment is an important aspect of a learner’s learning journey. Apart from indicating the current performance of an individual, assessments also inform learners and staff which areas they need to develop. At Ysgol y Grango, staff continuously assess a learner’s progress through a variety of methods. This could include informal assessment, such as quizzes or observations, or formal assessments, such as written tests or coursework.

Ysgol y Grango use an online system called Go4Schools to track and monitor individual learners. Learners and parents/carers can also access information such as reports and subject progress through their own Go4schools login.

Throughout Key stage 4, learners will sit various external assessments. The timing of these assessments varies depending on the subject. Some of these assessment timings are controlled by the school but many are put in place by the examination board. As such it is important that learners are present for these assessments as missing elements of a course can significantly affect the overall grade for a learner.

Assessments take place half termly to allow pupils to reflect on which skills have been developed and which require further development. Formal assessments take place termly as per the whole school calendar.