Years 9 and 10

For Years 9 and 10 at DSTC, we believe in learning not just for exams, but for life. We want each student to be able to thrive as an individual, reaching their goals through a balanced, healthy and mindful approach.

We want to develop learners who can face change with flexibility, who can meet failure with resilience and who can manage their own busy lives calmly, a learner who will be achieving in every facet of their life, developing their full potential. Not only that but they will be happy too. In this increasingly competitive , ever- pressured world, the importance of happiness cannot be underestimated.

The development of study skills and life-long learning is for those who struggle with their learning to the highest achieving. Each student will be encouraged to develop ways in which to learn, think, feel as part of a whole school and community, building on strengths and working on their weaknesses from year to year. These skills will be delivered and acquired in form time as well in lessons.

Year 9

Year 9 is not something to be worried about at all. Your classes will become more focussed on the build up to GCSE but up until your end-of-year exams, most things are just like year 7 or 8.

Some Subjects are specifically geared to make the transition to year 10 and GCSE easier but you also also have subjects which use specialised key stage 3 material.

When you move into year 9, more is expected of you academically and also in behaviour as even though you are still in KS3, you will become role models for the younger students.

You also make very important decisions about your option choices as these will determine your future journey in education and eventually into the workplace and future prospects. You will be fully supported in these decisions through your ICE (Individual Character Education) lessons and Tutor Time.

Year 10

This is the beginning of your GCSEs so now you have to take ownership of your learning and develop a more focused and conscientious approach to each subject.

Listen carefully in class, do your homework, and ask about anything you don't understand - especially in maths and English; never go into the next lesson not understanding what happened in the last one.

You might forget some of what you learnt in year 10 by the end of year 11 and have to revise it all again - that's perfectly normal. As long as you understand it at the time, that's the important thing. You will regularly revisit material through tests and quizzes, but you should start completing short recap tasks for each subject once a week. Spend 5 minutes per week, discussing with someone else, the key points they have learnt per subject in the prior week. It helps to maintain retention and also helps you identify areas you are not sure about.

You have to revise the right way and at the right time for you. So do revise, but figure out what way works for you and do it in the way that feels right for you. Try out a variety of strategies in Year 10 to prepare you well for more intense revision in Year 11.

Finally don't get disheartened if you feel that your grades are not what you hope for - you're still learning. Ask the teacher what you would need to do to improve and try to do that. Just keep trying to do a little better each time and see how far you can go.

Year 9 & 10 Grade Sheet Information

The Grade Sheet is split into sections:

Working At Grade

This consists of a number followed by a letter, the number corresponds to the level of attainment specific to each subject, the letter corresponds to the descriptors below:

Level	Description
D	Developing. Student has achieved all the knowledge and skills of the previous level and has begun to achieve some of the knowledge and skills at the current level.
S	Secure. Student has achieved at least half of the knowledge and skills required at the current level.
M	Mastered. Students are close to achieving all the knowledge and skills at the current level and will soon be working towards the next level.

Engagement in Learning Grade

The Engagement in Learning score is a measure of how hard your daughter is trying in her subjects. Please see table below.

Grade	Description
1	Students at this level work exceptionally well both in lessons and at home. They are highly motivated and consistently produce classwork and homework of a high standard. Students proactively act upon feedback from teachers to improve their learning. Students frequently challenge themselves in lessons to improve.
2	Students at this level work consistently well both in lessons and at home. They are motivated and produce work of a good standard.Students are confident to use feedback from teachers to improve their learning, sometimes with guidance/prompting. Students may challenge themselves in lessons although this may be more evident in areas they are more confident.
3	Students at this level generally work well, however there may be inconsistencies between lesson and homework. Students can lack motivation and may need redirecting back to tasks by the teacher. Homework may be completed, but not necessarily to the best of their ability, given in on time or occasionally missed. Students produce some work of a good standard but this can be inconsistent. Feedback from teachers is available, however students may not make full use of it in their next learning task.
4	Students at this level are often off task and require monitoring by the teacher to ensure concentration and completion of work. Tasks are rarely completed to an acceptable standard. Homework is usually a concern. This is a cause for concern.