Dear Parent/Carers,
Firstly, I’d like to take this opportunity to say how proud we all are of our current year 11 students. The cohort have matured and thrived through this year. This is testament to the support and guidance you have provided. With only a few days left to go before the main bulk of the written exams, I wanted to be clear with our expectations of them during the exam period. Please can I ask that you take the time to read this letter carefully and give your child exactly the same message from a parent/carer perspective.
It’s quite normal that, at this point in the GCSE preparation period, students are completing 2 hours of revision (appropriately chunked up) each night; this in addition to any P0 and P7 they may engage with at school. What we absolutely don’t want is for any of your children to fall behind their peers and it really is the case that each and every session of (high quality and structured) revision will make a difference.
Expectations of all students during the exam period and in exams
- Students are expected to be in school every day up to the date of their last exam.
- Students are to register and attend P1 as normal with their tutor unless they have a morning exam.
- If your child has a morning exam that day, they will need to go directly to line up by 8.45am by the sports hall. (Times may differ if they have extra time).
- Students must also bring their own revision; this for use in lesson time where the GCSE exams have finished in that particular subject.
- Students are to be on time to lessons and for their exams.
- Students are to attend all exams and lessons in the full correct uniform.
- If students have afternoon exams, students may wish to bring extra snacks to have before and after these as the canteen will be closed when they leave these exams.
- Staff are aware to give students some down time in their lessons if students have just completed an exam.
- Please make sure you check with your child that they have the correct equipment for each exam. Black Ball point pen X2 and ruler to help with reading. Some exams will require a calculator, protractor, compass and pencils.
- Make sure they know where they are sat for each exam and know their candidate number. If students have lost their piece of paper, they can find it on Arbor under candidate exam timetable.
Revision sessions during the exam period:
We know from experience that any dedicated student can drastically improve their grades, even in a short space of time. We do know however, that this tends to happen more easily with the guided support from our subject specialist teachers, as they know the exams inside out. It is for that reason that we have timetabled a detailed provision for revision during the exams. Not only does this include revision the night before an exam (P7) and morning of (P0), but also during P4 for some subjects, if there is an exam in the afternoon. These new P4 revision sessions will appear on your child’s Arbor calendar and will mostly take place in our new Performing Arts Centre. Please encourage your child to attend the morning and P7 sessions, as we know they make a huge difference in improving confidence just before their exams.
Like we did before their December mock exam, we will also be sending the ‘night before news’ videos before each exam. Please take a few minutes to watch these each night with your child.
Revision Timetable During the Exams
| Day | Morning: 7.45– 8.45 am -Department areas | Afternoon revision- P4 11.35-12.35 Unless stated to run during P5 and P6 | P7: 3.10- 4.10 Department areas |
| Wednesday 7th May | Drama Citizenship | ||
| Thursday 8th May | Drama | Citizenship- Performing Arts Centre. | English literature 1 Business |
| Friday 9th May | Business | Business- Performing Arts Centre | English Literature Paper 1 |
| Monday 12th May | English Literature paper 1 | Computer Science paper 1- Performing Arts centre | Biology Paper 1 |
| Tuesday 13th May | Biology Paper 1 | Biology paper 1: triple science only – Performing Arts Centre | Geography paper 1 Media |
| Wednesday 14th May | Geography Paper Media | Maths paper 1 | |
| Thursday 15th May | Maths paper 1 | Citizenship paper 2 Performing Arts Centre | History Paper 1 Business Paper 2 |
| Friday 16th May | History Paper 1 | Business Paper 2 – Performing Arts Centre | Chemistry Paper 1 P.E |
| Monday 19th May | Chemistry Paper 1 | P.E: Performing arts Centre | English Lit paper 2 |
| Tuesday 20th May | English Lit Paper 2 | Computer Science Paper 2: Performing arts Centre | French Listening and reading |
| Wednesday 21st May | French Listening and reading | Physics Paper 1 Media Paper 2 | |
| Thursday 22nd May | Physics Paper 1 | Media Paper 2: G34E | English Lang Paper 1 |
| Friday 23rd May | English Lang Paper 1 | ||
| May half term | |||
| Monday 2nd June | Dance | Maths paper 2: extra session invite only | |
| Tuesday 3rd June | Maths paper 2 | ||
| Wednesday 4th June | Maths paper 2 | History paper 2 French writing | |
| Thursday 5th June | History paper 2 | French writing | English Language paper 2 |
| Friday 6th June | English Language paper 2 | Geography paper 2: Performing arts centre | Biology paper 2 P.E |
| Monday 9th June | Biology paper 2 | P.E paper 2: Performing art centre | Spanish Listening and Reading History paper 3 |
| Tuesday 10th June | Spanish Listening and reading History Paper 3 | History paper 3: Performing arts Centre | Maths paper 3 |
| Wednesday 11th June | Maths paper 3 | Geography paper 3 Further Maths 1 | |
| Thursday 12th June | Geography paper 3 | Further Maths paper 1 -G27M | Chemistry paper 2 |
| Friday 13th June | Chemistry Paper 2 | Extra Music Session: P5 and P6 -F14C | Physics Paper 2 Music |
| Monday 16th June | Physics paper 2 | Music- F14C | Spanish writing Food and nutrition |
| Tuesday 17th June | Spanish writing | Food and nutrition- U07 Extra Design and technology session P5 and P6: U07L | Design technology Further Maths paper 2 |
| Wednesday 18th June | Design Technology Further Maths | Further maths paper 2: G20M | |
Important Revision links: These were the resources shared with you during GCSE support evening:
GCSE Support Evening 2024 – Google Slides
- All Subject’s google drives: contains all resources organised in exam date folders.
All subject’s revision resources
- Apps that are helpful with content revision:
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB
- Apps that are helpful to make a revision plan
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/easy-study-timetable-planner/id993247888
https://getrevising.co.uk/planner
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/mystudylife-study-planner/id910639339
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/exam-countdown-school-uni/id873279955
End of year celebrations
1. Year 11 Leavers Assembly – Wednesday 25th June 2025: 9.00 am for a 9.15 am start.
We will be holding a Leavers Assembly for the Year 11 cohort on Wednesday 25th June at 9.15 am to celebrate their time with us at Durrington High School. The assembly is an opportunity for the whole cohort to be together and for staff to celebrate the achievements of the group. Students should wear full and complete uniform and the event will last approximately one hour. A key part of this assembly is also to look ahead to the Summer Ball taking place that evening and for staff to distribute the tickets. Students must ensure that they have returned all of their library books by this time. Please note that Summer Ball tickets will not be issued if a student has not returned any outstanding school resources. Unfortunately, due to capacity this event is limited to students only.
Summer Ball 2024 – Wednesday 25th June 2025 – 6:30pm-10pm, The Avisford Park Hotel.
The Summer Ball will again be held at Avisford Park Hotel, Fontwell which is a fitting venue for what will be the formal celebration of Year 11 and their time at Durrington High School. It is a voluntary event that is always well attended by students and staff and tickets can be purchased on Arbor via the Shop. Students may arrive from 6:30pm ahead of the formal start at 7:00pm and will enjoy a DJ, buffet and various awards and speeches. Full details regarding this event can be found here: Summer Ball Letter 2025
Please note that there are very clear expectations of the students throughout this event and in order to be able to purchase a ticket and to enjoy the event fully, we have shared with students and parents our expectations of behaviour. Please note that there are very clear criteria that students need to meet to qualify for a Summer Ball ticket, which are detailed in the letter. We would really appreciate parents / carers taking the time to discuss these with your child.
Whilst there are specific requirements regarding attendance, punctuality and behaviour for students to meet, we do not want any student to be prevented from attending due to financial constraints. We are hoping that as many students (that meet the entry requirements) attend the event as possible and would ask any student that may require financial assistance to do this, contact Mr Fuller or Mrs Temple in confidence.
At this stage the most important things to support them with is their organisation, revision and making sure they are getting in a good sleep routine ready for the exam period. Lastly, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me or Mrs Linscer (Exam’s officer) if you have any further questions or are worried about your child’s well- being. Worried about your child’s wellbeing – quick support links here.
Kind regards,
Mrs Temple
Assistant Headteacher
