Dear Parent / Carer,

I wanted to write to you following the most recent government updates in relation to GCSE and A Level examinations in summer 2022.

The postcard in the link below and attached, provided by the DfE , outlines the five main ways in which the government are pledging to support students who will be sitting formal examinations this summer. These mitigations include: changes to coursework, optional content, support materials, advance information and generous grading. Subject-by-subject support for GCSE, AS and A level students in 2022 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Curriculum Leaders and subject teachers will be supporting students directly with changes that have been indicated by exam boards in relation to specific subject areas. The ‘advance information’ released on Monday 7th February provides some subjects with some focused advice on areas that will feature in the summer examinations, including formulae sheets to be provided in the examinations and guidance on question topics. The extent of this advice varies from subject to subject and relevant changes have been communicated with subject specialists. These updates will help to inform our lesson planning and guide us in tailoring the revision of our students in these final months of study.

More detailed information from the main exam boards can be found on their respective websites:

Ofqual has also confirmed its plans for grading standards for the summer 2022 exam series. In a blog they explain their plan for a fair and gradual return to pre-pandemic grading standards. Summer 2022 will be a transition year to reflect that we’re in a pandemic recovery period – but will still include a grading safety net with more generous grading than pre-pandemic years.

Summer 2022 results days will be one week apart as usual.

  • Thursday 18 August – AS, A-levels and other Level 3 qualifications.
  • Thursday 25 August – GCSEs and other Level 2 qualifications

Furthermore, I want to take this opportunity to remind you of the additional support, revision lessons and Mastery sessions we have in place for students. The Mastery timetable provides an extensive programme of formal, after school support for Year 11 students. We invite targeted students to these sessions, but Mastery is open to all students. We strongly encourage Year 11 students to come along and benefit from the specialist subject staff support. Similarly, we offer a programme of revision and enrichment for Year 13 students. I know that teachers and departments across the school also offer lots of informal support, including drop ins, in order to individually support students.

All departments will be asking students in Year 11 and 13 to complete focused homework tasks over this half term break in order to support their revision programme. Many departments are planning on offering Easter revision sessions and weekend revision opportunities in the final weeks before summer examinations begin. We are in the process of timetabling this and we will release this next term. This will be published on the website, sent directly to you via the Parent App and also shared with students on Teams.

I appreciate how challenging, daunting but also exciting this stage in your child’s educational journey can be. We want to work in partnership to support you and our students to achieve their potential. If you need any further support, please do not hesitate to contact us at the school and college.

With every best wish,

Colette Hogarth
Deputy Headteacher