12th May 2023
It is finally here and what you have been working towards since you joined Abbey College 5 years ago!
In the exams section of this newsletter you will see the copy of the Revision Countdown programme for next week. I have also included an explanation of how it works; if you need any help or have any questions then please come and see me.
Friday last week, we held or second Pizza flash reward. It was fantastic to see all those students rewarded for their achievements and the pizzas went down very well!
Dress for Success and Leavers Assembly - Thursday 8th June.
As we have MO revision sessions taking place on Friday 12th May between Periods 2 and 5, I have decided to move the Leavers' Assembly to Wednesday 8th June as part of the Dress for Success celebration. This will provide a fitting tribute and celebration of their time at Abbey College. Students are asked to wear clothes appropriate for an interview for this event and I am happy to answer any questions regarding suitability of outfits. Students will be asked to come in to school for 12:30pm and gather in the South Hall for lunch. They will have the opportunity to bring in food or make use of the canteen and shirt signing will take place over the extended lunch period. There will also be a photo opportunity outside the Abbey Building, 'The walk of success' and Leavers' Assembly.
Year 11 Prom
The booking has now been confirmed and this year the Prom will once again take place at the 1940s Camp, Ramsey. The JLT have been busy planning the event and tickets will go on sale next week.
Sixth Form Induction Day
Mrs Moore has asked me to remind all Year 11 students that an e-mail has been sent to all students applying to join sixth form. Please check your school e-mails for further details about the sixth form induction days taking place on the 25-26th June. Please contact Ms Saggese to confirm that you will attending. Her e-mail address is
Finally, it has been a pleasure working with you this Year. Now is the time for you to take all that knowledge you have gained and show what you have learned. I am proud of you all, it is not an easy year and, at times, it has been a struggle for some but you have come through it. Good luck to you all, now is your chance to shine!
with best wishes to you all,
Mrs K Glen
Year 11 Raising Standards Lead
5th May 2023
It is hard to believe that we have just 5 more school days to go before the start of the GCSE exams! We have finalised the countdown revision programme and this will be published to students on Tuesday of next week with revision sessions beginning on Thursday.
We are excited to announce that our second and final flash reward will take place on Friday afternoon! Students will receive an invitation in the morning and will congregate in the hall to celebrate their achievements!
This week our assembly will focus on exam process and procedures and, to support this, we have produced a booklet containing guidance on exam rules and FAQs. A copy of the booklet will be sent out via teams and Parentmail. We recognise that for some of you, worrying about having the right equipment in an exam adds additional pressure at an already stressful time. To alleviate this we have arranged to provide an exam pencil case to every student. These will be placed on the exam desk at the beginning of the exam and should be left on the desk at the end of the exam.
Last week we advised you that we are planning the final weeks of Year 11. Below is a reminder of the key dates for the forthcoming Year 11 events.
- Friday 12th May ~ Leavers Assembly
- Thursday 8th June ~ Dress for Success
- Friday 16th June ~ Last Day
- Monday 3rd July ~ Year 11 and 13 prize giving
- Thursday 6th July ~ Year 11 Prom
We will be releasing further information about these events as the details are finalised.
Sixth Form
All Year 11 applicants to Sixth Form should have now received a conditional offer letter via post, if you would like to discuss any element of the offer, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Mrs Moore (). Please remind students to regularly check their emails for details about our Induction Days which will be published soon.
Finally, a reminder that if your child has part time work then a work permit must be completed by the employer and signed by the school. This is a legal requirement and is in place to ensure that employers are adhering to Government policy and guidelines on child employment. Copies of the work permit application can be obtained from myself or Ms Davis, Admissions and Attendance Officer at
If you have any questions or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact your form tutor or myself.
Mrs K Glen
Year 11 Raising Standards Lead
28th April 2023
We are moving ever closer to the start of our GCSE exams. Exam preparation should be well underway and students should now have a great set of revision resources created that will support them in readying themselves for the exam season.
On Friday, we will hold our assembly to celebrate success and student achievements in the recent trial exams. I very much enjoy these assemblies and we have some great things to celebrate?! Here are some of the highlights:
- 44 students have achieved pass grades in English and Maths based on the banding
- 63 students are on track to make positive progress based on their SATs grades (Progress 8).
- 97% of the year group made grade improvements in 1 or more subjects since the trial 1 exams in December.
- 26 students improved their grades in 5 or more subjects!
This means that we will be inviting 77 students to our flash pizza reward!
We recognise that some students will be finding these final few days and weeks extremely stressful and overwhelming. In the Revision section of this newsletter, you will find some useful tips and guidance on how you can help to manage exam stress. If you need any further help and support then please do not hesitate to contact myself or the Welfare team, we are here to help!
We are also please to confirm that celebration events are being planned and that key dates are as follows:
- Friday 12th May ~ Leavers Assembly
- Thursday 8th June ~ Dress for Success
- Friday 16th June ~ Last Day
- Monday 3rd July ~ Year 11 and 13 prize giving
- Thursday 6th July ~ Year 11 Prom
We will be sending a letter to parents with further information on some of these events.
During the exam period, we will be running a series of revision sessions to support students in their final preparations for the exams. It has been proven that attending these sessions has a positive impact on students and how they perform therefore, the decision has been made that students will remain in school until the 16th June. As previously advised, purple tie students will have access to study 6 and cafe 6 when "normal lessons" take place.
Finally, a reminder that if your child has part time work then a work permit must be completed by the employer and signed by the school. This is a legal requirement and is in place to ensure that employers are adhering to Government policy and guidelines on child employment. Copies of the work permit application can be obtained from myself or Ms Davis, Admissions and Attendance Officer at
If you have any questions or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact your form tutor or myself.
Mrs K Glen
Year 11 Raising Standards Lead
21st April 2023
Welcome back! I hope that you have all recharged your batteries and are ready for the GCSE exams that start in 14 school days!
Ofqual have now published further guidance relating to this years A level and GCSE exams. Further information including a link to the guidance can be found in the exams section of this newsletter
We are now in the very final stages of the Year 11. To support our students through these final stages, we have made some changes to the PAR groups. The reason for this is that the teachers have now reviewed the data from the trial 2 exams and identified the areas and topics where, with a little directed support, students can make a further improvement in their grades. For this reason, there can be no changes made to the Maths and Science PAR groupings and these will remain in place for the remainder of the students time in school. The revised PAR groups have been posted on Teams and a copy is also available outside the RSL office.
Work is ongoing to formulate the plan for students leaving Year 11. There is no official study leave anymore. Students are set individual dates to depart that is dependent on coursework submission, their exam dates and other factors. In due course, we will communicate more details and the 'sign-off' document students need to complete with each subject teacher to say they have submitted all pieces of work required at the correct grade. As we enter the exam season, we will move into our revision countdown programme. We will share this with students and through this newsletter as soon as it has been completed.
Students have now received their GCSE exam timetables and will be able to see their final exam date. The timetable includes contingency sessions in case an exam can’t take place as planned nationally and needs to be moved. Contingency sessions are on the afternoons of 8 and 15 June, and the day of 28 June. You must be available for all three sessions.
Finally, a reminder that if your child has part time work then a work permit must be completed by the employer and signed by the school. This is a legal requirement and is in place to ensure that employers are adhering to Government policy and guidelines on child employment. Copies of the work permit application can be obtained from myself or Ms Davis, Admissions and Attendance Officer at
If you have any questions or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact your form tutor or myself.
Mrs K Glen
Year 11 Raising Standards Lead