Your son/daughter will soon be embarking on a very important year in Form Six at Branwood. As your child enters Form Six they will be taught Mathematics by a combination of Mr Whittell and Mr Sheppeck and English by Mr Sheppeck, both of whom have extensive experience in their respective subjects and in teaching children at this important stage of their educational journey.

DAILY ROUTINE

Maths

From a Mathematical perspective there will be a specific focus on:

The Branwood Framework; within the developments in Mathematics, as a collective school we aim to continually strive to raise our already high standards, by developing the Mathematics structure at Branwood, in order to provide both a challenging and stimulating environment.

Within Form 6 emphasis will be placed on pupil assessment and attainment; with each pupil being assessed individually to ascertain specific requirements in order for each pupil to reach and maximise their full potential.

A structured programme which strives to make sure each pupil is totally prepared for their chosen entrance examination, in order to meet the demanding questions which form the basis for Manchester Grammar School, Withington, Manchester High, Bolton School and Bury Grammar (please note: within this preparation each pupil will also be timetabled for Non-Verbal Reasoning).

For the first 6 weeks, time is spent revising and consolidating all areas of mathematics in preparation for the entrance examinations. Within this 6 week period, past papers will be phased in.  It is at this point that the preparation is focused more on the actual examinations; developing both Mathematical and examination techniques.

To further prepare and develop your son/daughter, and to maintain the momentum within mathematics, Maths Extra is offered as an after school club.  Again this allows pupils to investigate methods and spot relationships between numbers quickly and efficiently, it also allows pupils the opportunity to focus on those areas they may find difficult, by reinforcing specific mathematical concepts.

In order to take Mathematics further, the focus after the completion of the entrance examinations will be on Secondary School preparation.  This will give each pupil an overview on topics to be covered as they enter Year 7, allowing them to confidently embark on their educational journey, firm in the knowledge that they are totally prepared for this next step.

In addition to Mathematics, each pupil will also be taught Science and ICT; again this will also allow Mathematics to be explored in a cross curricular capacity, whilst broadening pupils knowledge of other subjects.

In preparation for Secondary School; on the completion of all entrance examination, the scope for Form 6 Mathematics is further enhanced within the fields of Geography, History and Sport.

English

From an English perspective there will be a specific focus on the following:

As soon as the class arrives at the beginning of September until the time of their final exam in February we work on several different areas of English study to prime them for exam success.  English lessons will be split into exam preparation/practice, basic skills revision (e.g. spelling, grammar and punctuation), creative writing and reading comprehension.

We have a comprehensive timetable that begins each week with basic skills revision.  Everything we do here is a revision and reinforcement of the work done in each class throughout the school but focused on particular areas likely to be included in the exams.

In the first half term we focus on word classes – types of noun, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions etc.

Within some lessons we will look at spelling and a list of approximately twenty words will be given to learn for homework in preparation for the weekly test.  When a list is issued we look for patterns in spellings and discuss ways of remembering trickier ones.

Time is also set aside for private reading and to hear individuals read where possible. Regular reading is vital throughout school and especially so as pupils near their entrance

exams.  Regular and varied reading is essential at this point to both spark the imagination and fuel the vocabulary. We also focus on a class reading book which we share together

We should always try as parents to ask questions about what our child has read – even simple questions such as why a character did a certain thing or what they might do next, even just to summarise a chapter to check understanding. We also encourage parents to ask harder questions too, such as why did the writer use that particular word and what effect does it have in the paragraph and on the reader?  Discussions about a text will aid understanding and help to look at writing in a different way, given someone else’s thoughts or opinions.

Within English, we also focus on verbal reasoning, and there will be sessions where we will cover a paper in depth, followed by practise of the different styles of verbal reasoning. We ensure that we cover all elements of VR by looking at Bond, CEM, GL and Letts activities.

Comprehension continues during the week, but with a slightly different approach.  We will set aside time to look at and discuss literature and in some lessons that will involve an extract from a book, others will look at a class novel but it is an ongoing endeavour to promote both a love of literature and an enquiring mind.

Comprehension lessons will focus on written tasks involving a wide range of literature and non-fiction and various question types.  Lessons will often focus on looking beyond fact retrieval to developing a deeper analysis of a text.

Lessons will aim to give progressively more independence to the pupils in their writing and lead to timed essays based on examination questions.  Lessons will begin with structured tips and ideas and as time goes by less and less scaffolding will be given and more and more time will be allocated to write continually.  At first we go back to the basics of character, setting and theme and then look closely at genres and learn how to write in the styles  in a wide variety of different ways. Pupils will be encouraged where possible to re-draft work in order to strengthen their own ability to spot mistakes in spelling and punctuation.

Within both Mathematics and English, after we have completed a paper, feedback and marks will be given back in order to allow us to go over any questions that posed a particular problem or just as importantly were done really well.  It is essential to show the children where they are going right, too, and build a belief in themselves that whatever is thrown at them in the final exams they can grab it with both hands and do a fantastic job.  We spend many hours discussing how to approach questions, how to make sure they know exactly what the question is asking for and how to answer it in the set time.  Timekeeping is a very important skill to perfect and we work hard to do so.

As the examinations approach, the remaining time is mostly devoted to further examination practise and school entrance examination papers will be given as homework.  As the exams get closer we do more and more papers, and in the final few weeks we usually do one or two a day.

Science

Science lessons will be taught, throughout the year, each Thursday.

IT

IT lessons are taught on Friday in the IT suite.

Languages

Spanish lessons are taught each week.

Post Examinations

After the exams the curriculum widens and the children play catch up. In addition to English each day the children will also cover History, Geography and Art.  The homework policy will remain but different subject homework will be given.  We will continue with similar focuses in English but also spend more time on studying a novel as a class and of course there is the end of year show to put together.

Homework

Monday                       English

Tuesday                       Mathematics

Wednesday                 English

Thursday                     Mathematics

Friday                          Mathematics & English

Mathematics & English Clubs

These are compulsory for the children to attend as they further prepare them for their Grammar School exams. The sessions last from September to February.

Monday                       English (3.30pm to 4.30pm)

Tuesday                       Mathematics   (3.30pm to 4.30pm)

P.E.

Form six have P.E. on Friday afternoons. The children come to school in their P.E. kits on Thursdays and Fridays and stay in it all day – there is no need to bring their uniform.

Please note: Due to examination preparation, Form 6 will have cricket/lacrosse and swimming lessons during the Summer Term.