Please refer to the following FAQs. If you have any additional queries then please reach out directly to our Head of English - Dr E. Massie (emassie@guilsborough.northants.sch.uk):

My child struggles with reading. What can we do to help them?

At Guilsborough we assess students’ reading in different ways, through:

1.  Reading in lessons and students’ in-class assessments in English;
2. The New Group Reading Test, which assesses students’ reading age in comparison to their peers nationally;
3. The comprehension sections of the GL Assessments

If we are concerned about a student’s progress in reading at Key Stage 3, they may be added to our Fresh Start intervention, which supports students by going over systematic phonics skills from Key Stage 2, and then moving them onto building better reading comprehension and reading fluency skills.

Through fortnightly Library lessons, all students are also supported in building their love of reading for pleasure and talking about the texts they have read.

For a student who might be less confident with reading, a great place to start is with the magazines on the Sora App, which can mean students can start to read about topics that really interest them. There are magazines on Sora relating to everything from Formula One to Fashion.

At Key Stage 4, some students will also attend a Curriculum Support lesson, in which they will complete an AQA Entry Level Certificate in English. This programme gives them a qualification alongside their GCSE English Language, and can help build the reading skills to help students succeed in their main English lessons.

At KS3, what is the difference between GL Assessment and English in-class assessments?

GL Assessments test generic literacy, numeracy and science skills. They are external assessments that mean that their data can be compared to other students nationally, giving a sense of our students’ progress and the national picture.

GL Assessments and internal assessments often look at different skills. School internal assessments look at specific knowledge, such as the Year 7 Renaissance Drama unit that looks at specific topic knowledge and historical context. It is possible that a student might do well at writing about historical context, but struggle in other areas of literacy.

We use both internal data and the GL Assessments to plan next steps for students’ learning, but we prioritise our internal data when creating “Working At” flightpaths on students’ reports, as the internal assessments link most closely to our curriculum focus.

My child really wants to achieve higher than their target grade. How can we help them stretch there?

A key starting point with English is always for students to read more widely for pleasure outside of school, as reading widely has been shown to have a positive impact on students’ attainment in school. See the main page for English where we have details of our Recommended Reads and Awesome Audio texts. Please refer to Resources for details of supporting resources that can help your child aim high.

Do you set students in English?

No, we have mixed-ability groups in English. Recent research has indicated that setting can have a negative impact on lower attaining pupils and can also have negative impact on attitudes to learning. We use adaptive teaching in English to ensure that the needs of all students are met in our lessons.  

My child joined the school late and missed a section of the course. What can they do to catch up?

Your child’s teacher will support them with their learning, but students will also need to do some additional work outside of class to revise or go over these texts. At Key Stage 3, they can use their Topic Learning Journey, which is stuck in their books at the start of each unit, to track the learning that has taken place. Please refer to Resources. At GCSE, please make sure your child has a copy of the set texts for Literature, which they will need to read in full. A good tool to support them while they read are the Mr Bruff videos, where students can watch a video summary of key chapters or scenes in that text.

My child can’t access their home learning on Go4Schools. What do I do?

Please contact your child’s tutor, who will be able to organise checking their password and username.
 

We don’t really have reliable internet access at home. Will this stop them from revising or completing home learning?

At Key Stage 3, if there is an issue with completing Educake home learning at home, we can arrange access to the LRC during break or lunchtime for this to be completed. At Key Stage 4, although a lot of our resources are available online, students can also buy CGP revision guides and will be given printed copies of Topic Learning Journeys, which are a great starting point for revision. If your child needs a printed copy of a resource, please contact their class teacher.

How can I help my child memorise information?

Research indicates that regular, short bursts of revision are best: aim for 20minute blocks daily or weekly. See these useful hints and tips from great website The Parents Guide to: https://www.theparentsguideto.co.uk/post/helpingyour-child-with-their-revision  
For pupils in Year 11, you can also use the 5a-day Revision Booklet available on the KS4 Revision Team to help your child spend 5 minutes a day doing quick fire revision questions. You can also help your child focus on one small section of their Topic Learning Journey, giving them 5 minutes to read and memorise, then testing their recall.

My child is in KS4. When should they start revising for their PPEs or final exams?

Now! Students will not achieve their best if they attempt to “cram” just before an exam. For knowledge to stay in their longterm memory, they must keep coming back to it. Teachers will help students do this in class and through homework, but independent revision is also key. See the tips on how to prepare students for GCSE at The Parents Guide to: https://www.theparentsguideto.co.uk/post/howcan-i-support-my-child-whilst-they-are-studying-for-their-gcses
 

My child struggles with writing down their ideas. What can we do to help?

Please refer to Resources. At Key Stage 3, you can use the Beyond English Writing Intervention with students at home. CGP also do a range of excellent workbooks to support with core literacy skills needed at Key Stage 3. At Key Stage 4, use the minimocks for English Language on the KS4 Revision Team to help students practise short bursts of timed writing. In the end, students are assessed through essays and written paragraphs, so they need to build in timed writing as part of their revision.