Year 11

Welcome to Year 11!

It seems like only yesterday that we welcomed you into Year 7, into our Covid bubble on the Humanities corridor and since then, it has been a pleasure getting to know you all and watching you grow in mature young adults. From experience, we know that the next 12 months will go quickly and we want to ensure that you are fully prepared for what is to come so that you can be as successful as you deserve to be. We have laid out here, all the things that we believe you need to know and will be important to you as you enter year 11. If, after reading this, you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask us.

Safeguarding and Pastoral Care

Mrs Haworth will remain as your Head of Year and Mr McDonald will remain as your Head of Key Stage. They have done a brilliant job of working with you and getting to know you and your families and so it is important that this remains consistent. They will be your first port of call for anything you need of a safeguarding or pastoral nature but, of course, you can speak to any member of DACA staff with any issues you have.

The tutor team for next year is also outlined below:

Lesson, Revision and Homework expectations

As we move into year 11, every lesson of the week provides us with the opportunity to shape our future. Students with the best GCSE results at the end of year 11 work hard from day one, using lesson time to progress in their subjects and utilising their teachers to gain the knowledge necessary to excel across the board. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest mistakes made by year 11 students is waiting until the last months of year 11 to ‘get their heads down’ and work hard in lessons. This year, you won’t make that mistake. Enter year 11 with a growth mindset and don’t waste a minute.

It is also really important that you begin to take responsibility for your learning and use some time at home to work on revisiting anything that you learn in school. Did you know that after learning something new, just 24 hours later you will only remember 60% of it? 7 days later, you will only remember 20% of it. But all is not lost! There is a simple way to ensure that this doesn’t happen. By reviewing and revising learning after you have learnt it, you can make sure that the information sticks in your memory and is readily available whenever you need it. The best way to do this is by revising what you learn in class one day after your lesson, three days after your lesson, then a week after your lesson. This will ensure that your knowledge builds up over the year until you need to put it to the test in your final exams.

Finally, year 11 is the year where homework becomes more important than ever before. Your teachers will begin to set you homework regularly on SENECA. We will be continuing to use SENECA as our main online homework platform throughout year 11. SENECA is an online learning platform that guarantees success with revision and home learning. You should all have received your login details via email. The aim of SENECA is to ensure that you complete targeted revision that your teachers can track to identify areas for reteach and provide targeted intervention for those that need it. If you have any questions regarding SENECA, please email Miss Flanagan, Assistant Principal of Teaching and Learning, on jessica.flanagan@daca.uk.com.

You will also have a homework timetable that subject teachers will follow to ensure that you receive the correct amount of homework every week. In a typical week, you will receive homework from core subjects twice a week, and optional subjects once a week. Homework will always be set as a form of revision and your teachers will set tasks that develop your core knowledge and skills in their subject. Every homework task set will be vital to your success in the subject and your teachers will always be on hand to support, should you need them.

Year 11 Intervention

School Intervention

From the start of the next academic year, you will be invited to attend form time and Period 6 intervention sessions for some of the subjects that you study. Your allocation will be determined from your Y10 mock examinations. This will be reviewed in line with the mocks you carry out in Year 11. All form time and Period 6 interventions will appear on your timetables so you will be fully aware of this. Other interventions during Year 11 include;

Form Intervention (all subjects) – students attending this intervention have been selected based upon mock exam performance. These sessions are designed to close gaps identified in mock examinations. These are short but very focussed sessions and it is important that your child attends these sessions. If your child has been invited to attend these sessions their timetable will have been adjusted. It is important that students attend these form tutor sessions as these will also count as morning registration. 

Period 6 intervention – the more practically based subject areas are running intervention classes Period 6 (3:10pm – 4:00pm). Similar to ‘Form Intervention’, these sessions are designed to close gaps identified in mock examinations but also have the benefit of supplying materials required in these subjects, whether this be computers, art equipment, tooling for DT. Again these sessions will be visible on student timetables (available on Bromcom).

Additional English and Maths during Core PE lessons – this intervention will focus on students that are currently attaining or projecting a Grade 4, or higher, in either English or Maths. Students currently not attaining a Grade 4, or higher, in English or Maths will be withdrawn from core PE lessons and focus on their area of development to provide students with every opportunity in achieving both English and Maths at Grade 4 or higher.

English and Maths tutoring – some students will be withdrawn from some timetabled lessons to study in small groups with one of our ‘in house’ English and maths tutors. Work will be focussed on personalised gaps identified from the English and Maths mock examination papers.

Extra-curricular support – all students have the opportunity to attend extra-curricular classes that take place before and after school. These sessions are designed to support students on whatever they need to become more confident with the subject material. This can be catching up on coursework, practising examination technique, focusing on areas of the curriculum with the guidance and support of subject specific staff, a copy of the extra-curricular support is attached to this letter.

Seneca and at home learning - all students have now have access to Seneca for all of the subjects that they study. Every week subject leaders are setting homework through Seneca in line with the At Home Learning Schedule that is attached to this letter. At Home learning is key to examination success and the mastery of the curriculum as it provides the opportunity for students to become more independent, an essential skill during the exam period. 

Saturday School

Yes, school is now open on Saturdays to all Year 11 students who either need to brush up on exam skills, practice exam questions, produce revision aids or work with our staff to master content in all subject curricula. Subjects will vary each week and you will be told in advance what you can expect. Information will be shared prior to Saturday via tutor time and social media

Half Term Support

Similar to Saturday School, a timetable is currently being produced that will allow students to attend school during the February Half Term period (12/02/2024 - 16/02/2024). Information with regards to February Half Term will be shared and will be available on the website).

Key dates

Below are the key dates taking place next academic year for Year 11: 

Revision Resources

Revision resources will be shared with you prior to mock examination windows to ensure you can prepare for mock examinations. This will be shared via the usual channels. 

In addition, if you would like to order any revision guides at a significantly reduced cost, please contact Mr Clarke on the following email:  stephen.clarke@daca.com.uk 

Student Mentoring

Next year we will run a mentoring programme for Year 11s which will start in September. We will provide you with more information about what this involves nearer the time but will be designed to ensure you have all the support you need. 

Attendance 

 It goes without saying, that attendance to school is a key priority as you enter year 11. The Department for Education (DfE) recently published their findings on the link between absence and attainment at key stage 4. The findings show that in general, the higher the absence rate, the lower the likely level of attainment.  While an attendance figure of 90% may not sound very low, it reduces your chance of achieving 5 or more 9-5 grades at GCSE from 81% to around 57%. A child who averages 80% attendance during their secondary school career effectively misses one whole year of education and significantly reduces their chances of securing good outcomes at the end of Year 11.

Even for high-achieving students poor attendance has a significant negative impact on their grades. It has been shown that missing just 17 days of school in Year 11 reduces final GCSE grades by one level across all subjects. This could easily be sufficient to prevent you getting on to the sixth-form course, apprenticeship and ultimately the university or career of your choice.

Lateness also has a negative impact on learning. Being just 5 minutes late every day equates to 3 whole days of learning lost; 30 minutes late every day is equivalent to 19 days or in excess of one grade less for each subject you take at GCSE. You need to understand not only the impact that persistent lateness and absenteeism has on your current studies and examinations but also in adult life and the workplace.

We understand that sometimes you are genuinely ill and if this is the case, your parents must contact us to let us know and you should make arrangements to catch up on any missed learning. 

Behaviour and Attitudes/Uniform

As you move into Year 11, we look to you to be role models for our younger students. Displaying respect and responsibility within your attitude to learning and your behaviour in and around school. Year 11 will still follow the same behaviour sanctions and rewards as lower year groups, however, often the incentives in Year 11 increase with things like Prom, driving you to earn more praise and reward points. We often find that come Year 11, there is a real shift in the maturity of the students, and we are very hopeful, that you will excel in terms of positive attitudes to learning and positive behaviour around school, in turn enabling us to look at how we can reward you more. Our expectations remain high but simple: be punctual, be organised and be ready to learn.

Uniform

As Year 10 move into Year 11, there will also come with that a change in uniform. We do this to create a sense of pride and to allow there to be an element of senior identity. We are largely maintaining the same uniform standards for Year 11 as in previous years, consisting of plain black blazer, white shirt, black pants or skirt, black shoes and the Year 11 black tie. There is, however, a slight change to the skirt style for Year 11, from next academic year; it will no longer be an option for Year 11 to wear a tight, tube skirt made from stretchy Lycra type material. We are asking that the skirt for Year 11 is pleated and in line with the style of lower year groups, just as with pants. Please see images below of the type of skirt we will be expecting students to wear from September. This is the only change we are making to the year 11 uniform from September 2024.

Careers and Education next steps

Year 11 is a time where things will move very quickly and even though it might seem like a long way away, you will need to start to think about future steps almost as soon as you get back in September. Even if you are not sure what you want to do for a career at this stage, it is important that you begin to consider a variety of things now, including:

• What subjects you currently enjoy. What would you like to continue studying or what do you not study now that you might need to ahead of a chosen pathway?
• What type of establishment you might want to continue your studies in. Do you want to stay at DACA and join D6, or do you want to consider another provider such as a college or apprenticeship provider?
• What type of courses you might want to study. Do you want to study traditional A-Levels and/or BTECs, for example, or would you prefer to research something more practical such as a college course or an apprenticeship or T-Level?

These are just some of the questions that you will need to begin thinking about. And this can seem very daunting, especially if you do not know what you want to do. There will, however, be things that we will do to help support you at this time. As a Year 11 student, you will:

• Receive a 30-minute, one-to-one appointment with a trained careers advisor, to help influence your next steps.
• Be given time to discuss a variety of courses with a variety of providers including colleges, universities and businesses
• Take part in a visit to Blackburn's Inspiring, the largest careers fair in the local area, early in September
• Receive support and advice at various stages of the career including lessons on how to write personal statements and how to impress at interview.
• Continue to receive information about a variety of careers and market information
• Have access to further support if needed

It is important that you are applying for courses as soon as possible. The best thing you can do over summer is:

• Think about what you really enjoy
• Think about what you might like to do or research for a potential career
• Consider whether you want to continue to study for qualifications or bring in the beginning of some days at work.
• Begin to research providers and types of courses. 

Apprenticeship People

To help further support pathways and next steps, we have signed up to watch a suite of training sessions delivered by The Careers People. The first cycle of ‘The Apprenticeship Academy’ will begin on Wednesday 11th September and run each Wednesday until 16th October. Sessions will be delivered via Zoom from 4.00pm until 5.30pm. Students can either watch the sessions from home, or they can stay in school and watch them there.

Revision support

Year 11 Nov mock revision