Year 11 are on the final straight towards the official start of the GCSE exams. With most practical exams and coursework in the bank, our attention is firmly on Monday 15 May 2023 and the start of the written element of the exams.

Year 11 pupils have been encouraged to revise little and often since October last year, with learning conferences, assemblies and workshops on revision techniques and subject-specific advice, strategies and guidance along the way to support them. However, their assembly during week commencing 17 April 2023 focused on their exam readiness, beyond how effectively they have been revising.

Headteacher Mr Clutterbuck and Assistant Head Mrs Davies highlighted the elements of revision and exam preparation which are often taken for granted and which, if left unchecked, can have a detrimental effect on your final performance, a little like letting the brakes wear out on your car, or the tyre tread fall below the legal minimum! So, Year 11 were taken through a revision and exam MOT checklist to make sure that they leave nothing to chance.

The checklist posed as questions such as: ‘When and where are your exams?’ and ‘What equipment do you need for each exam?’, before moving on to questions that the pupils may not have considered: ‘How are you getting to each exam?’ and ‘Who do you want to be with before each exam?’ in terms of providing the right support, followed by ‘What do you want to do immediately after an exam?’ and ‘Do you want to carry out an exam post-mortem or focus on something completely unrelated’.

Pupils were warned of hazards which could impact on their exam success. Ensuring that they did not fall foul of exam malpractice, by design or accident. Avoiding late nights. Avoiding inconsistencies in revision and cramming (analogous to speeding up and slowing down between speed cameras, better to take the average speed camera approach.) And, finally, surrounding themselves with people of a positive persuasion rather than ‘Sapperccinos’ people, whose unwarranted negativity will suck the joy out of life – not what you need when you are in the thick of your GCSEs.

All in all, Year 11 are heads down and cracking on with life and revision, and we will all be looking after them all that little bit more closely these next few weeks to help them through their exams.