Parents’ Consultation EveningsWe very much hope you will be able to to attend one of our Parents’ Consultation evenings on eitherThursday 15 November or Thursday 22 November between 5pm and 8pm.

We think it is a good idea for students to accompany their parents at these evenings. Students can obtain appointment sheets from their Personal Tutors, if they have not already received one. Your son/daughter can make appointments with lecturers, usually one per subject, and Personal Tutors, for the evening of your choice.

We would be grateful if you could check that your son/daughter has made an appointment nearer the date. If you are uncertain where to find staff, from the locations on the appointment sheet, please ask at Reception.

Appointments should last for five minutes, unless there has been a specific request for a longer consultation, and we will try to ensure that staff adhere to timeslots to avoid delays, although as you are no doubt aware, this can be difficult at times!

Refreshments will be available, although space is limited in the Coffee Bar in the Reception area. In the event of the fire alarms sounding, please follow signs to exit the building and proceed to the field at the front of the College.

We hope that your son/daughter is having a rewarding and successful time at College and that the Parents’ Consultation Evenings provide a useful opportunity for discussion and raising aspirations further.

Norman WilliamsAssistant Principal

If you have any questions about this newsletter please contact Student Services tel: 01285 640994 email: student.services@cirencester.ac.uk

ParentNewsletterNovember 2012a beacon college

Parent FeedbackIf you would like to provide any feedback to us or raise any concerns please visit Parent Zone on the College website and use the Parent Feedback Form or if you would like a hard copy sent to you please contact Bev Parker: email: Bev.Parker@cirencester.ac.uk tel: 01285 626255

Reading DayFriday 23 November 2012 is a Reading Day for all students, as we are hosting a Choices at 16 Day for Year 11 pupils.

January ExamsSome students will be sitting exam re-takes along with others taking AS and A2 modules for the first time in January. All students taking exams in January should collect their Exam Timetable from the Exams Office in the Hub over the next two weeks. The full timetable will also be available on the Student Intranet via Services-Central Services-Exams and in the Parent Zone. Unless prior notification is given, all college exams start at 0900hrs in the morning and 1330hrs in the afternoon, most afternoon exams are scheduled to finish by 1600hrs. Students who have exams which take them beyond 1600hr will be expected to make their own transport arrangements; this will affect Access Arrangement students.

Neil OwenExams Officer

Administration FeeFor parents of Year 1 students, if you have not already paid the annual £25.00 administration fee (used towards the cost of the college ID cards, text books, printing etc), please could you send a cheque for this amount to the Finance Office together with the completed Gift Aid form (if appropriate). Cirencester College has charitable status and completion of this form will enable us to enhance your contribution to the college. Your cheque should be made payable to Cirencester College with your child’s name on the reverse. If you would prefer to pay by debit card or bank transfer, please contact the Finance Office. In this case the completed Gift Aid should be sent directly to the college. A Gift Aid form can be downloaded from our website.

Please use the College Car Park only on Parents’ Evening as

Cirencester Deer Park School have functions on 15 and 22 November. Turn right on entry to the College.

Target setting and reportingLike most schools and colleges we have used a system of target setting with students and for reporting progress to parents for many years. This year to reflect our status as an outstanding Sixth Form College we are adopting a national system called ALPs as the basis for both target setting and how we measure student progress. This system is used by most of the high performing Sixth Form Colleges in the country.

Based on their average GCSE scores students will automatically be set an ALPs target to equal or beat. This is based on the national results gained by students who had the same GCSE score as your son or daughter. The target is set at the 75th percentile - in other words we encourage them to be in the top 25% nationally.

The ALPs target is clearly based on national averages and of course students will vary. Some over-achieve at GCSE while many under achieve and then flourish post-16. Our lecturers will therefore set another target- the T grade – based on their knowledge of your son and daughter. This will be based on their estimation of the upper end of the range which they might realistically achieve. In many case this will be higher than the ALPs target. Lecturers will review this grade three times a year with students and may change it if performance changes. We will use this grade for predictions for UCAS and employment.

Finally, to let students and parents know how they are doing at the moment there will be a current performance grade (CPG). Lecturers will base this on their most recent tests or assignments. At the start of a student’s programme this will often be below the target grade. However, as they develop their skills and understanding during their course you should expect to see this rise. It really means- ‘if they sat their exam tomorrow, this is what we think they would get’.

Students will sit down with their personal tutors to talk about these grades. This

review is the important part of the process where progress is discussed. The student is able to identify problems and the tutor can advise on how to improve, sources of support and agree specific things the students will do by the next review. Tutors will be encouraging all students to reach the stretching goals we have set so reviews will be as much about pushing those who are doing well as supporting those who struggle. This pushing might include guidance and encouragement to develop a portfolio of experiences to help with applications for the most selective careers or universities.

Jim GrantAssistant Principal

If you have any questions about this newsletter please contact Student Services tel: 01285 640994 email: student.services@cirencester.ac.uk

Parent NewsletterNovember 2012

Tutors will be encouraging all students to reach the stretching

goals we have set

In the next few days we will be launching our online parent portal which will give you access to the key information you need about your son or daughter’s progress at College.

You will be able to view:

timetables exam entries attendance data target grades current performance

grades

To gain access to the parent portal we require that you complete a quick online registration form which can be found at:www.cirencester.ac.uk/parents/registerYou will require an email address in order to register.

You will be asked for your son/daughter’s Learner ID and date of birth as well as your own contact details. We will verify this information against our records and create an account for you to log in to the portal.

If you have more than one child at College you will need to complete a registration for each of them.

Online Parent Portal