Dear Parents/Carers,
I am writing to inform you of the policies and procedures that we are bound to follow for your child’s GCSE exams, and to provide some key reminders so that you can help them at home with their studies.
While some elements of the formal GCSEs, such as the Food practical exam, have already started, the main series of exams starts in the week commencing 06/05 and continues until the middle of June. Please see our KS4 revision website for a full timetable of all papers.
We are confident that our students have the potential to do extremely well, and they should share this confidence. However, it is vital that they are using the time left to fill any knowledge gaps and become even more familiar with answering exam-style questions in each subject.
Revision
Students should be well into the swing of revision by now, and you should be expecting them to be completing at least 2 hours of revision each night, in addition to any homework that they might have.
In all subjects, students have access to exam questions, and should be testing themselves using these resources before checking their answers and seeing how they could improve. Resources are posted for students on their Google Classrooms for each subject, and you can also find many more resources, as well as our research-backed advice on how best to revise, on our KS4 revision website.
Easter Intervention
For several subjects, students will be invited in during the Easter holidays for Booster intervention sessions. You will receive a personalised letter inviting your child to these sessions if they are invited to take part. Said sessions will all be taking part in the second week of the Easter holidays.
Exam Procedures
Exam Arrival Times
For morning exams, all students should arrive prior to 08:20 in time to line up, ready to go into the exam hall at 08.30.
For afternoon exams, all students should arrive in time to line up, ready to go into the exam hall at 13:05.
Arriving late for an Exam
If a candidate is late for an exam, they may not be allowed to enter the examination room and sit the exam. If they are permitted to enter, the awarding body may not accept their script.
Absence or Illness during Exams
Once a candidate is identified as absent from an examination, the following action will be taken:
- The parent[s] or carer[s] will be contacted immediately as to their whereabouts and as far as possible, arrangements made to ensure their immediate arrival;
If a candidate fails to sit an examination, the following action will be taken:
- A confirmed candidate absence will be recorded on the attendance register which is sent to the examiner.
Special consideration for Absent Pupils
If a candidate is absent from a timetabled written examination for an acceptable reason, the candidate may be eligible for special consideration. This is where an adjustment may be made to the candidate’s grade by the awarding body, providing the following conditions are met:
- The candidate has completed or will be able to complete the required percentage of the assessment to meet the minimum requirements for special consideration in cases of acceptable absence;
- The application for special consideration can be supported by appropriate evidence signed by a member of the senior leadership team.
Malpractice
The list below is not exhaustive and other instances of malpractice may be considered:
- Plagiarism of any nature;
- Working collaboratively with other learners to produce work that is submitted as individual learner work;
- Copying (including the use of ICT to aid copying);
- Deliberate destruction of another’s work;
- Fabrication of results or evidence;
- False declaration of authenticity in relation to the contents of a portfolio or coursework;
- Impersonation by pretending to be someone else in order to produce the work for another or arranging for another to take one’s place in an assessment / examination / test.
In the event of malpractice Leigh Academy Blackheath must:
- Inform the awarding body immediately of any alleged, suspected or actual incidents of malpractice or maladministration, involving a candidate, by completing the appropriate documentation;
- Gather evidence of any instances of alleged or suspected malpractice in accordance with the JCQ publication Suspected Malpractice – Policies and Procedures.
Malpractice may result in penalties such as a written warning, loss of marks, disqualification from the qualification, or possibly even being banned from taking assessments for a number of years.
If you would like more detailed information regarding our examination procedures or policies, feel free to email examsinfo@leighacademyblackheath.org.uk.
Please note that students have been provided with all the information outlined above.
Finally, it has been fantastic to see all students engage with our intervention programme so far, with many making excellent progress in this most recent round of mocks. I would like to also take this chance to thank you all for your support at home during this critical period for your child.
Please be aware that we are still accepting applications to LAB16: our Post-16 provision, in advance of our taster day on Tuesday, 2nd July 2024.
Yours faithfully,
Mr D Morrison
Deputy Principal