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Graveney School

KS3 Graduation

At Graveney we believe in developing students to be respectful, well-rounded citizens with a love for learning. We want them to achieve academic success, but we also want much more.

 The KS3 Graduation process rewards those who demonstrate the attributes we value. These are:

  1. Excellent Academic Progress
  2. Exceptional Attitude to Learning
  3. Commitment to Learning Beyond the Classroom

 Academic Progress

When students arrive at Graveney we provide them with target grades for all of their subjects (except PE and PSHE) for KS3. These targets are aspirational but achievable provided that students meet our expectations, complete all of their homework, act on feedback given and prepare carefully for all formal assessments.

Students are informed twice a year of their progress towards these targets and when students are struggling to meet them, academic and pastoral support is provided to help them get back on track. In Year 9 students are informed in their first Progress Report whether they are on track to meet their targets and consequently which award they would receive for this component. Students should then identify which subjects they need to make improvements in. Although the exact overall calculation for this measure is quite complex, a general rule is:

  • Distinction: To be on target or above in all or almost all subjects
  • Merit: To be on target or above in most subjects

Attitude to Learning

Learning is an active process that requires students to be engaged and participate at all opportunities. We know that students need to work hard, take on board feedback and act on this accordingly. To do this we need an environment in which teachers can teach and guide students to success. We therefore want all of our students to have an exceptional Attitude to Learning so that everyone can flourish.

3 times a year in the Progress Reports, our teachers will comment on the “Effort” and “Behaviour” of all of their students. This will be in the following form:

  • E = Excellent
  • G = Good
  • R = Requires Improvement
  • U = Unsatisfactory
  • M = Major Cause for Concern

Each year the vast majority of comments at Graveney are Excellent or Good. To gain the different awards in this category we have weighted the comments as E = 4; G = 3; R=2, U=1,  M = 0. To gain each award students require an average of:

  • Distinction: 3.5
  • Merit: 3

 Participation Beyond the Classroom

At Graveney we believe that a student’s learning and development takes place in many formats. We are proud that every year the vast majority of our students take advantage of the wealth of opportunities available to them. This may be in the form of music, sport, trips, house competitions and many other activities.

To gain a distinction in this section we want students to commit to 3 months of participation in the following activities – for ideas in each section please see the link:

  • Physical
  • Skill
  • Volunteering

In addition to this, students should participate in an overnight residential – this could be with school or with another organisation.

Most of our Year 9 students will choose to complete these activities as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. As a nationally recognised award we encourage all of our Year 9 students to take part. However if students decide not to follow this route then they can record their activities on our own online form.

To achieve the different awards students must do the following:

  • Distinction: Complete  3 sections
  • Merit: Complete 2 sections
  • Pass: Complete 1 section

* Students who demonstrate a significant commitment to one particular area outside of the curriculum (e.g. music, sport) may be exempt from completing all part of this section and still gain a Distinction.

Overall Award

We envisage that all students will achieve a Graduation Award, however we want as many as possible to gain either a Distinction or a Merit. The table below details how each award is achieved:

Award Combinations Academic Progress*
Distinction DDD, DDM D
Merit DMM, MMM, MMP, DMP M or D
Pass MPP, PPP, DPP

* For students to gain a Distinction students must achieve a Distinction in Academic Progress, to gain a Merit students must again a minimum of Merit in Academic Progress.