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Graduation (End of KS3)
Year 9 (End of KS3) Graduation
At Kingsbury High School we aim to develop the whole child throughout their journey with us. We believe that our school should not be an exam factory but, instead, a place for our young children to flourish and grow as individuals. Throughout the Foundation Stage, our students partake in the Kingsbury Guarantee. This is a two-year process which starts at the beginning of Year 8 and concludes with a Graduation Ceremony in July towards the end of Year 9.
We aim to deliver a rich, broad and diverse curriculum inside and outside the classroom which will help to develop our students on their journey to adulthood. The key aim is to teach our students about key life skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork, creativity and problem-solving. These skills are then blended with key organisational skills such as attendance, punctuality and effort levels which will enable them to flourish in their working lives post high school.
If you have any questions, or require further information, about Kingsbury High School's graduation process, please contact: Gary Froy, Foundation Stage Leader - gary.froy@kingsburyhigh.org.uk
Students develop key skills through various avenues over the 2-year period. Students can gain important skills on our Excel Days, PSHE sessions, extra-curricular trips and clubs, School Council and many more opportunities. Students must then log the skills they have developed on an online portal called ‘Unifrog’ (see below). Students must also meet certain thresholds on 7 other criteria; this is shown on the ‘Tiers and Assessment Grid’ section below.
Students are regularly asked to self-assess where they are on the grid and to think about what tier they would be graduating with. A few weeks before the ceremony, all of the data is collected and a decision is made on each student's final graduation tier.
Unifrog Skills - This is the online portal that students must upload their skills and attributes too. Students have opportunities at school to complete this, but it is recommended that throughout the 2-year programme they update all work as they complete it.
Attendance - We know that there is a direct link between good attendance and success in exams later in school life. To graduate with 'Distinction' students need to have an attendance rate of at least 95%. We take into account serious injury or illness.
Punctuality - In any walk of life, being on time is a very important skill. We expect students to attend lessons on time and arrive at school on time.
Attitude to Learning - During the year, teachers will assess students on a 1-4 scale. 1 = Excellent and 4 = Serious cause for concern. Every student's scores are collated, and then an average is worked out.
Positive Behaviour Points - Students can receive their points for excellent classwork, homework, helping around the school and for receiving postcards from staff at the end of each half-term.
Extended Projects - Each faculty area delivers one piece of extended homework during the Foundation Stage. This is marked on the same scoring system as the attitude to learning from 1 to 4. The school takes the student's best 6 scores from around 12 projects submitted. This means that if some of their projects in Year 8 did not score as highly as they would have wished, they have the opportunity to rectify this in Year 9.
|
Term |
Event |
|
YEAR 8 Autumn 1 |
Introduced to students on Google Classroom, assemblies and through STDR. Letter sent to parents of year 8 explaining the Graduation process. |
|
YEAR 8 Autumn 2 |
Pupils log in to Unifrog during STDR and enter their first skill. |
|
YEAR 8 Spring 1 |
Year 9 Unifrog ambassadors are buddied with year 8 tutor groups offering support. |
|
YEAR 8 Spring 2 |
Excel Day time is given to complete Unifrog skills. |
|
YEAR 8 Summer 1 |
Letters home to praise students who are near the top tiers of Graduation. Letters and calls home to those at risk of not Graduating. |
|
YEAR 8 Summer 2 |
End of year updates given to students so they are aware of what tier they are currently close to achieving and where they need to add further work. |
|
YEAR 9 Autumn 1 |
Introduction of Year 9 Grid and new expectations through assemblies and STDR. |
|
YEAR 9 Autumn 2 |
End of term Graduation update given to pupils. |
|
YEAR 9 Spring 1 |
Year 9 Assembly performances Pre Graduation Support Plans begin to help those at risk of not Graduating. |
|
YEAR 9 Spring 2 |
Graduate Support Plans for those who do not pass the pre GSP. |
|
YEAR 9 Summer 1 |
Ceremony - End of July |
All students have been given log-ins to Unifrog and have practised logging in during form timeand their ICT lessons.
Students should log in and then scroll down to click on ‘Skills’.
During the ceremony, each student is welcomed onto the stage to receive a bag with gifts to celebrate their efforts. Their tier is read out and parents have an opportunity to take a photo.
At the end of the ceremony a Head Boy and Head Girl are announced. These awards are given by the Headteacher and reward the boy and girl judged to have made the biggest contribution to the Lower School.