Year 11 GCSE Information

Dear Parents/Carers,

As we approach the start of the GCSE examination period, I write to provide you with essential information relating to exams, attendance and academy expectations.

Study Leave

During the exam period, the Year 11 school timetable will be adapted to provide targeted, subject specialist teacher-led revision sessions before each published exam. Normal lessons will run alongside these sessions to provide all students with consistent high quality exam preparation and revision throughout the examination period. Therefore, please note that ALL students are required to attend school daily until further notice.

Half-Term Intervention

For several subjects, students will be invited in during the May half-term holiday for Booster intervention sessions. You will receive a personalised letter inviting your child to these sessions if they are invited to take part.

Chromebook Return

Student chromebooks and chargers must be returned to the Academy on Tuesday 18th June in the allocated time slot below. If your child has an exam on this date please ensure this is returned to us by Friday 21st June.

For any devices not returned to the academy by Monday 24th June, parents will be invoiced £50.

Prom

Year 11 students are invited to attend Prom on Wednesday 26th June between 7 – 10pm. Tickets cost £15 and payment can be made via Parentpay. Tickets will be exchanged for students’ chromebooks and chargers on Tuesday 18th June and will need to be presented on arrival. Please note: students will not be issued prom tickets unless they hand in their device and charger, or, in those cases where payments for broken chromebooks remain outstanding their account, their account is settled.

The evening promises to be a lovely celebration for both our students and academy staff. Please note, however, that in order to ensure that this event is a suitably joyous and fitting commemoration, representative of the hard work and dedication of our Prom committee, we will be operating a strict no alcohol and [e]cigarette policy, and searches will be conducted upon entry. Any students carrying, or suspected of consuming alcohol prior to the event will be refused entry and parent[s] or carer[s] will be asked to collect. It is important to note that only current LAB year 11 students are able to attend this event.

Results

Students are invited to attend LAB on Thursday 22nd August to collect their GCSE and BTEC examination results, when they will also be able to enrol in LAB16 for their IB Diploma or IB Careers-related programme. If students are nominating someone else to collect results on their behalf, they must complete the form found here. This person will also need to bring ID with them on the day. Further information regarding results day will be shared with you once the exam season has concluded.

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.

Students should wear full school uniform during the examination period (not PE kit), and the LAB behaviour and attitude expectations continue to apply to all students at all times.

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.

Malpractice

The list below is not exhaustive and other instances of malpractice may be considered:

• Plagiarism of any nature;
• Working collaboratively with others;
• 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.

Please note: as a registered exam centre, Leigh Academy Blackheath is legally required to follow the above.

Cost for Missed Exams

Please note that the academy pays entry fees in the expectation that each child will be present for the exam. Should a student miss an exam for reasons other than illness, parents and carers will be invoiced the relevant entry fee for each missed examination. 2024 Summer Examining Board charges can be found here.

Support

Finally, can I take this opportunity to ask for your ongoing support regarding your child’s engagement with a consistent, well-balanced revision programme at home. It is essential that the remaining time both up to, and during the exam period is used effectively: with a good balance between purposeful revision as well as wellbeing activities and rest. Please refer to the revision site on our website for further guidance and information on how to support your child.

Yours faithfully,

Mr D Morrison
Deputy Principal