Introduction
Important guidance notes have recently been distributed to all Year 1 and Year 2 students. These notes provide details of summer examination procedures as well as giving a series of relevant dates and information and guidance for the May to September period. We advise that parents, as well as students, read the content of these guidance notes carefully and we strongly recommend that the notes are then kept at home in an accessible place for reference. Alternatively, the documents can be downloaded via our website at www.colchsfc.ac.uk/documents or for our students, by using ‘Moodle’. The College website also gives other key items of information including Term Dates for 2010/11 year. Dates for 2011/12 should also be finalised and posted on the website by the end of this term.
It is worth making next year’s Year 2 A2 students and parents aware that we have recently been informed by the relevant Government Agency (JCQ) that they have decided to bring forward scheduling of the programme of summer exams for AS, A2 and GCSE examinations as well as the issue of results day by one week with effect from summer 2011. AS/A2 results for summer 2011 will be released on 11 August 2011 or earlier if, as expected, JCQ move to the electronic release of results system, (being finalised this summer for GCSE).
I have also recently written to all parents of Year 2 students and AF Programme students leaving College at the end of their academic programmes this summer and outlined a number of specific issues relevant to leavers and their parents.
The College Association Committee would particularly like to thank all the parents who have subscribed to the Association over the last year and for their continued support for the fund-raising activities which enhance facilities and funds for our students. The Association has this year used significant sums of money to support students experiencing financial difficulties due to the economic climate who might otherwise not have been able to continue their studies. The College Association is hosting a Summer Ball at Stoke-by-Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa on the evening of Friday 25 June. This popular event is open to parents, staff and friends of the College. Details are on the College website and tickets can be booked via Shana Chilton: e-mail:
chiltons@colchsfc.ac.uk
Building on past successes, the College continues with its journey towards sustainability. Following on from the recent Eco-Schools silver award, we are moving ever closer to Green Flag status, the ultimate Eco-Schools accolade. The College intends to embrace the national framework for sustainable schools; with the Governments target of all schools to be sustainable by 2020. These recent developments have given us a healthy head start.
Where needs arise, please contact your son or daughter’s Personal or Senior Tutor or, if appropriate, Frances Grew, Assistant Principal with responsibility for student matters, Ian Thompson, Vice Principal, or me. Information relating to College dates, activities and arrangements can be found on an ongoing basis on
this website.
Ian MacNaughton
Principal
May 2010
Public Examination Arrangements
The summer public examination programme is now under way. The IB Diploma examinations for all Year 2 IB students started on Tuesday 4 May and a good number of AS and A2 subjects’ oral and practical assessments have taken place over recent weeks. The main national programme of AS Level modular written examinations begins on Monday 17 May, with the programme of GCSE’s beginning shortly afterwards. A2 modular examinations begin early June.
In April all students were given an outline individual examination timetable for the summer period and on May 6 students were given their final detailed individual exam timetables. Where appropriate, this includes the necessary detail regarding ‘clash re-arrangements’ or ‘special arrangements’. It is imperative that these details are checked and that any problems or issues that arise are reported to the Examinations Department (500718 / 500789 or email: exams@colchsfc.ac.uk). Examination and Study Leave period for Year 1 AS Level and Advanced Foundation Programme students commences at 4.05pm on Friday 14 May and at 4.05pm on Tuesday 25 May for Year 2 A2 Level students.
Students have received detailed notification of the examination procedures and instructions within the guidance notes referred to in the first paragraph of this Newsletter. They have also recently had a verbal briefing relating to the examination procedures and the other relevant arrangements for the May to September period. It is crucial that each student is fully aware of, and follows, the examination procedures and the arrangements that are in place.
All students will be able to use the College Library for study and / or other study facilities within the College throughout their Examination and Study Leave period. Teaching staff will also be available to help and support students. There will continue to be additional revision classes and workshops made available in many AS or A2 subject areas and individual help will also be provided, where appropriate, by arrangement. Should any ‘mishap’ (e.g. significant illness or injury) upset a student’s preparation or affect his/her performance in the examinations, it is very important that the College is informed as quickly as possible. If the circumstances warrant it, we will write to the Examinations Board and to any prospective employer or Higher Education Institution to explain circumstances and seek ‘special consideration’. Examination boards will always require a medical certificate from a GP or a hospital for the student to be eligible for ‘special consideration’. It is essential that we write within a few days of a problem emerging relevant to a specific examination(s), and certainly well before the results are published.
Students are strongly advised to check, very carefully, the individual Statements of Entry and their individual examination timetables recently given to them.
In particular, a very careful note should be made of the detail regarding the ‘am (morning) or pm (afternoon) sittings’ of each of their examinations. All morning examinations begin at 9.15 a.m. and afternoon examinations begin at 1.45 p.m. in the summer programme. Students are urged to plan travel arrangements that allow for any unexpected disruption to ensure they are not late for examinations. We strongly suggest to students that all timetable information is ‘shared’ with parents, (giving a parent a copy of the timetable) to help them avoid making serious mistakes with regard to their organisational arrangements. A student who mistakenly attends an afternoon examination session instead of a morning session will not, in any circumstances, be allowed by the Examination Boards to sit that examination in the afternoon - and this then means that they cannot be awarded a grade in the relevant subject for the summer season.
Students must ensure they do not bring mobile telephones, iPods or any programmable electronic item into any examination room. Examination boards will disqualify candidates if students breach these regulations. The College operates a system where mobile telephones can be handed in, labelled and left for safe keeping with the General Office during an examination.
From 19 August, when A2/AS results are published, each of the public examination boards provide a range of post AS/A2 result services and facilities including ‘computer checks’, ‘re-marks’ and ‘access to scripts’. Please be aware that most of these services are only available upon request and for a fee, and requests can only be made within the limited and (fairly short period) after the publication of results. Staff from the College Examinations Department will be happy to help with any enquiries about the services available or any concerns regarding examination arrangements.
Year 1 Students
Year 1 students have now started considering potential future applications to Higher Education (HE), as well as giving consideration to other career and progression routes and options. The HE and Careers Convention held at College in March gave students an excellent opportunity to begin to think about future progression options and an HE Introductory Evening was also provided in March for those parents who wanted to attend. The second half of the Summer Term Tutorial Programme has a very strong HE, careers and progression focus and students will have several opportunities to attend presentations and workshops, particularly during the ‘3-day Programme’ period between (14 – 16 June).
Parents will also have an opportunity to hear about the systems relating to HE applications and also an outline on the current national HE financial arrangements in place within the briefings organised during the Parents’ Consultation Evening on Tuesday 13 July.
A UCAS Regional HE Convention (‘Superfair’), designed for those considering future university applications, will be held at the University of Essex on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 June. These are during ‘normal College teaching days’ and the College has already held its own HE and Careers Fair in March and a significant amount of information is now available on-line. However, those students who have non-timetabled time in the afternoon of 24 and 25 June may wish to attend, making use of the opportunity to gain information.
After Year 1 students have completed their first year IB internal or AS Level examinations, they are then required to attend College at 9.00am on Monday 14 June. IB students will have commitments prior to 14 June and IB staff will give details. Students will initially be involved in a 3-day programme of briefings, subject sessions, careers activities, progress reviews and action planning. Year 1 AS Level students will also confirm their A2/AS course choices for their second year of study. Any possible changes to proposed courses for the 2010/11 academic year should be carefully considered and discussed with relevant staff and parents during June. A2/AS level coursing decisions for Year 2 will generally need to be made in June, although a team of senior staff will be available in late August if students need to consider amending their Year 2 course choices in the light of AS Level results received. Students were first given course information for 2010/11 academic year in January and thus made their provisional course choices for next academic year at this stage.
For current Year 1 students, A2 and IB teaching classes will begin on Thursday 17 June, and will continue until the last day of term on Tuesday 20 July. It is essential that students hoping to progress to a second year of study attend College and work consistently throughout this June/July period. A considerable amount of A2 Level and IB teaching will take place during this period and appropriate work will also be set for completion over the summer period and the first two days of Autumn Term (31 August and 1 September) - when students, new to the College are involved in their enrolment, but Year 2 students are not required to be in College and will study at home. Students have been made well aware that those who do not fulfil the necessary attendance and study commitments in each of their specific subjects, during the June/July and summer period, as well as meeting the academic progression requirements, will be unable to progress to Year 2 study in September.
On 16 June, current AS students will meet with their Personal Tutors to complete Progress Reviews, including making their Year 2 subject choices and to include action planning.
Wednesday 30 June and Thursday 1 July are College Induction Days for our prospective ‘new’ students. Year 1 students will not generally be required to attend College on those two days but will be given work in each subject area to be completed at home, or using Library study facilities at College if they prefer. There will be an opportunity for parents to discuss their son/daughter’s progress with teaching staff at the Parents’ Consultation Evening to be held on Tuesday 13 July. HE Finance presentations will also be offered at 6 p.m. and then repeated at 8 p.m. For those who wish to attend the evening, appointments with subject staff will need to be planned around the chosen presentation which is expected to last about fifty minutes. Invitation letters and further detail regarding the arrangements for 13 July will be distributed to parents via their sons/daughters when they return from Examination and Study Leave in mid-June.
There will also be a briefing evening, organised at 7.30pm on Thursday 15 July, for the parents of those students considering an application to Oxford or Cambridge Universities. Admissions tutors from two ‘Oxbridge’ Colleges have been invited to give presentations and then answer any questions.
Please note that all Year 2 students for 2010/11 year (as well as new students enrolling at College in September) who are re-applying for an Essex County Council travel pass must do so by the ECC deadline of 26 June 2010. All students returning for Year 2 in 2010/11 will be required to return to College for their re-enrolment at 9am on Thursday 2 September. Alternatively, following the receipt of AS results, some individual students may need to meet with their Senior Tutor or other College senior staff in the period from AS Level results release on 19 August and before the start of term. Appointments can be made with appropriate senior staff. Only ‘new’ students will therefore generally be required to attend College on Tuesday 31 August and Wednesday 1 September.
Year 2 Students
In late April a letter was posted to parents of Year 2 students outlining key dates and arrangements for the period from April to September. Students were given a copy for their information. The materials contained information regarding arrangements including availability of study facilities, exam results and higher education/employment/progression guidance (facility following publication of A2 Level results on 19 August) and also a pro forma for completion in connection with book and learning resources deposits.
The materials also included an invitation to a Year 2 ‘Higher Education Update Evening’ at 7.30pm on Thursday 13 May. This meeting aims to provide an outline of key information relevant at this stage, particularly with regard to higher national education finance arrangements and facilities in place for the 2010/11 year.
All students leaving this summer have now had detailed written instructions and oral briefings regarding their forthcoming examinations and leaving procedures. The written instructions are also now posted on the College website (via Downloads/Year 2 Leavers’ Notes) and will remain there until early September. The official ‘Leavers Day’ for all students who are completing their programme of study this term is Monday 5 July. Students should return all their text books and any materials or equipment that belong to the College on this day or, if necessary, earlier.
Senior staff and Careers staff will be available in College to support those students who need help throughout the period between AS/A2 Level results day (19 August) until the start of term on 31 August. It is recommended that appointments are made via the main College switchboard (01206 500700).
Sport
Last term the Sports Committee organised and officiated well-attended tournaments in diverse sports such as Dodge Ball, Table Tennis and Ultimate Frisbee, providing opportunity for sport participation to all College students.
A group of students attended the British Colleges National finals at Loughborough University during the Easter vacation and acquitted themselves admirably. Girls cross country Stacey Eyers and Heidi Steele achieved bronze medal as part of Eastern regional team; Luke Wilkinson achieved Silver as part of eastern region Novice trampolining squad; Novice girls trampolining College Team came fifth – Elenor Poulter, Nikki Gordon, Kathy Taylor, Chelsea Bright; Shan Bendall came fifth as part of the east region elite team for trampolining; Tom Olive came fourth as part of the east region swimming team East region finished the whole tournament in second place overall.
The annual Sports Awards Evening was held recently and the wide range of significant sporting success and contributions through the year were acknowledged.
The Arts
There will be a number of Performing Arts week activities scheduled for the late June/early July period. There will be a series of evening performances by students in early July, including a production of ‘Poppy’, performances of music and poetry, items from the Shakespeare Drama group and a music and dance Performance Evening for Charity
There will also be an innovative Performing Arts Project involving our students in daytime workshops with a group of London based professionals.
Practical assessments for A2 and AS Level Theatre Studies, Dance, Music and Performance Studies have now taken place.
A series of music activities have included a Spring Music Concert, informal lunchtime performances on the Concourse, programme of recitals and a lunchtime concert series. College students recently participated in the 2010 Schools Prom Concert at Charter Hall and also participated in a very successful final of The Battle of the Bands at Colchester Arts Centre. There have also been evening ‘dress rehearsal’ or ‘showcase’ performances of AS, A2 Level and IB students’ Dance, Performance Studies and Drama pieces.
Last term the College celebrated International Women’s Day with a week of activities, culminating with a feminism panel discussion involving an audience of over 120 students. Panel members included the writers Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, Emily Taylor and Selbi Jumayeva from the Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex, Sixth Form College teacher Liz MacLean and Year 2 IB student Beanie Rowe.
Foreign Visits, Exchanges and Expeditions
There have been a large number of successful residential trips and visits during the winter and spring periods including a Sociology trip to New York, a German trip to Essen, an Italian trip to Sicily, a Politics trip to Brussels, a History trip to Paris, a French trip to Normandy and a Spanish exchange to April. In February half term Geography / Geology / Environmental students visited Hawaii and California, a skiing trip went to Austria and in the Easter holiday period, there were also Geography / Geology / Environmental Science students visiting Iceland (to see Volcanic activity – which of course happened while they were there!). Sports students also competed in the finals of the British Colleges Sports Competition in Loughborough.
A large number of trips and visits are scheduled for the summer and autumn periods including the College Ecuador Expedition from 15 July to 2 August. The Group has been actively involved in fundraising activities to pass over a large financial contribution (well over £10,000) to the disadvantaged community in Quito, where they will be living and working.
Mathematics and Chemistry Olympiads
A large group of students were successful in the Senior Maths Challenge in the winter and 2 Gold, 23 Silver and 20 Bronze certificates were achieved. One of the students qualified for the British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1. Six students were entered for the Chemistry Olympiad organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry which attracts well over two thousand of the most able science students from around the country. The level is highly challenging and to succeed students need an exceptional level of understanding and ability to think analytically. Two students were awarded bronze medals and four achieved a commendation.
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