Enrichment Opportunities

Pupils have access to a range of exciting enrichment opportunities within the faculty, through partnerships with leading STEM organisations. Through Xplore!, students can engage in hands-on science and technology activities designed to ignite curiosity and deepen understanding of key scientific concepts. Our collaboration with the Institute of Physics (IOP) offers unique experiences, including small group mentoring with physics undergraduate students. Additionally, the CyberFirst initiative have also worked with the faculty in developing novel applications of science. These programs, alongside other STEM providers, ensure that students not only excel academically but are also prepared for the future demands of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers.

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. This will be given through questioning methods and one-to-one conversations, as appropriate. Verbal feedback is given in all lessons when supporting the progression of practical skills. Examples of QER responses, or multi-step calculations will be deeply marked with written feedback as appropriate. Students are expected to act on all feedback. All feedback will lead students to engage in DIRT to improve their work or review misconceptions. All students will complete Boost Activities as appropriate following summative assessments. DIRT is embedded in lessons and students are given frequent opportunities to respond to targets.

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.

In Science, formal summative assessments are completed at the end of each topic within biology, chemistry, and physics. These will include questions on previous topics for further retrieval practice.

Summative assessments will include a range of questions, including the assessment of numeracy, practical skills, extended writing, and extracting information from provided materials (PISA style). All summative assessments are teacher-marked and individual areas for improvement are identified.

Pupils will complete the skills reflection sheets for each assessment task and regularly update their individual skills tracker document.