Everything you need to know about exams in Summer 2022

When are my exams?

Year 11 pupils and year 13 students have been issued with a personalised exam timetable. Should you need to look up when an exam is taking place, you can check it on the overall exam timetable here:

https://decschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Summer-2022-Dame-Elizabeth-Cadbury-LATEST.pdf

What happens after an exam in the afternoon?

If the exam finishes after 2:40pm, pupils will be dismissed straight from the exam and will be allowed to make their way home immediately after the exam. Pupils can remain on site, if transport is not due to collect them until 3pm.

What are the rules? Can I wear a watch?

The rules of examinations are the same for all schools. You can read them in full here:

https://decschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Exams/IFC-Written_Examinations_2021_v5.pdf

Watches are not allowed. Mobile phones are not allowed, even if turned off. Pupils need to put anything which is not allowed in their bag or hand it in to the exam invigilator.

This poster is in every exam venue to remind pupils: https://decschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Exams/Warning-to-Candidates-20122.pdf

We must inform the exam boards of any rule breaking. This includes people turning around in their seats, which counts as an attempt to communicate to others. Anyone who breaks an exam rule may be disqualified from that qualification and it may jeopardise their other qualifications.

What if I’m ill, injured or something bad happens which I couldn’t do anything about?

Special Consideration is given to a candidate who has temporarily experienced illness, injury or some other event outside of their control at the time of the assessment. It is the responsibility of pupils and parents/carers to inform the school of what has happened, either right before or immediately after the exam. Even in extreme circumstances (such as the death of an immediate family member), the maximum allowance given by the exams authority is 5% additional marks.

You can read the full details here:

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Guide_to_spec_con_process_2122.pdf

What if I test positive for Covid or have a high temperature on the day of one of my exams?

Follow public health advice and do not attend school.

The exams for each subject have been spaced a minimum of 10 days apart so if a pupil misses one exam for a subject they will be able to do the others. Their marks from the exams they do complete will be used to inform their final overall grade. If they miss all of the exams for a subject, they will not gain that qualification.

If anyone does have to miss an exam due to Covid, they will follow the same Special Consideration process described above. The only difference is that they and their parent/carer will need to complete the relevant sections of a special form (called Form 14) and we can verify the contents.

There is more detailed information here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2022/04/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-covid-measures-during-exams-this-summer/

What if I miss an exam because I forget about it, or any other reason that wouldn’t fall under Special Consideration?

You will be charged the full amount for that exam entry.

What can parents do to support their children?

We have produced this guide:

https://decschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Matrix-Exams-Help.pdf

Year 9 have been learning about John Williams's musical leitmotifs in Star Wars for #MayThe4th, starting with Anakin's/Vader's motifs. #StarWars

Our RE specialist Ms Jones has been very impressed with the homework her Year 7 classes have completed. Their task was to write a report considering different view points about the disappearance of Jesus' body over the Easter break.

We have already made some noticeable improvements we are sure your children have told you about, and we will keep you fully informed of any changes going forward.

One change you may have already noticed is our streamlining of communications. We want our teachers to put all of their energies into teaching, so only those staff who work in the House system (Heads of House, Assistant Heads of House, House PAs) will now be contacting home. If you need to give or receive information specific to your child, you need to contact your child’s House Office and they will be able to provide this. Having a single point of contact means you get the most reliable information about your child at all times.

We always welcome feedback and, if you want to get in touch or you have general queries, please email enquiry@decschool.co.uk. During the week, we will aim to get back to you within 24 hours.

Thank you for your continued support,

Mr Lowbridge-Ellis and Mr Prime

We are very excited to lead Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School at this stage of its development.

We want the best for every child, regardless of who they are. That is what drives us. Our golden rule is: if it would not be good enough for our own relatives, it is not good enough for Dame Elizabeth pupils.

We have gone back to basics with our approach to behaviour. We expect pupils to have manners and show respect to each other and their teachers. Anyone who does not show manners and respect is sanctioned and reflects on their behaviour so they make better choices in future. We know parents and carers chose Dame Elizabeth because they wanted a superb learning experience for their children. To that end, we will not allow anyone to steal the learning of others.

Both of us have extensive experience of improving schools in a range of different contexts and we are really enjoying making Dame Elizabeth even better. 

We always welcome feedback and, if you want to get in touch or you have general queries, please email enquiry@decschool.co.uk. During the week, we will aim to get back to you within 24 hours.

We are also going to be more active on twitter, so please follow us at @FollowDECTC

Thank you for your continued support,

Mr Lowbridge-Ellis (right in photo) and Mr Prime (left in photo) 

On Monday 7th February, the exam boards released their Advance Information, which is intended to help you prioritise your revision. The pupil guide written by the JCQ, who speak on behalf of all of the exam boards, is available here and we recommend everybody reads it carefully:

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JCQ_Advance-Information-Student-Guide.pdf

A key point in the guide is this: “Your revision plans should take account of everything you have been taught.” 

Why should you need to “take account of everything” even if everything is not listed in the Advance Information?

When we learn new things, we build on top of things we have learned previously. Even if we are not asked exam questions about those things we learned first, we might still need that knowledge to understand what we learned later.

For instance, if the Advance Information specifies that there will be questions on Units 2 and 3 but not Unit 1, you might still need to have a good understanding of the material from Unit 1 to be able to answer questions on Units 2 and 3.

Your teachers will explain to you how this works in each of your subjects.

Here is the Advance Information for all of the subjects we teach.

GCSEs - Click HERE

A Levels - Click HERE

Due to the unprecedented demand for tickets, we are pleased to announce that we will be hosting two Open Mornings. The Open Mornings will take place on Monday 27/9/21 and Wednesday 29/9/21. All Open Mornings will have two sessions, the first beginning at 9.15am and the second beginning at 10.15am. Space for these events is limited, and tickets MUST be booked in advance. Book Here.

Open Evening – Thursday 16th September 5.00pm-8.00pm

Our Open Evening is always extremely busy. Therefore, to keep the flow of people moving and minimise large gatherings we are having staggered entry times this year.

These will at 15 minute intervals with arrivals from 4.45-7.15pm

Tickets MUST be booked in advance or you will not be permitted entry. A ticket must be booked for every person attending, including any children. As tickets are limited, please support us by booking only the number of tickets you need and keeping your party as small as possible. Ideally, parties will consist of just one parent/carer and their Year 6 child.

Tickets are available below. Even with these measures in place, we strongly encourage all visitors to wear face coverings during Open Evening.

When you select your arrival window, please note that the Head Teacher’s presentation begins promptly 15 minutes after the first arrival, so if you book the 4.45pm slot you will be ready for the Head Teacher’s speech starting at 5.00pm.

Pupils will have access to the following literacy and reading resources for World Book Day 2021: 

• literacy quiz (complete and enter to win points and prizes) 
• reading podcasts (listen to a range of authors and attend live literacy-based broadcasts) 
• short stories (years 7-10 - read and engage with tasks) 

Click on the following link to watch free bespoke videos by some of Britain's best authors and artists; we highly recommend listening to Michael Rosen and Benjamin Zephaniah discuss rhythm, rhyme, and poems - https://bournvillebookfest.com/schools

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School has achieved the BIG Award for Excellence in Challenging Bullying for the second time.  This award is achieved by meeting all of our stringent criteria and demonstrating that the school has a wide range of anti-bullying strategies in place, including an excellent anti-bullying policy, a peer support scheme and staff training. 

This is the best way to reduce bullying, and ensure that students can learn and socialise in a happy and caring environment. 

Well done to all staff and students. 

Val McFarlane, Director, Bullying Intervention Group (BIG Award).