Sociology Department
All homework/assessment grades will be recorded on an MTR sheet for each pupil which will be printed and stuck in books at the beginning of each year. This will give all stakeholders a clear avenue to track progression and effort throughout the academic year and across GCSE and A level courses. We would appreciate the support of parents and guardians in signing the key homework record sheet which will appear in the front of the GCSE booklets and the AS and A2 homework exercise books to indicate that the work has been completed.
KS4: GCSE OCR Sociology
GCSE Sociology students will be issued with a booklet of 12 key homework tasks for Year 10 and Year 11 respectively, all of which strictly adhere to the types of questions and specification content of the three GCSE OCR examinations for B671 Sociology Basics, B672 Socialisation, Culture and Identity and B673 Applying Sociological Research Techniques. All work will outline how to improve, including the use of the ‘to improve’ stamp and will include subject specific targets on how to make progress in AO1, A02 and A03 skills.
Students will complete classwork in an orange exercise book. Students will complete class work activities, additional homework activities, revision notes and glossaries in these books. We will regularly use self and peer assessment to review the learning outcomes of class work. Exam style questions completed in class will be marked using the ‘to improve’ stamps and include formative assessment for learning. Other classwork will be marked with a summative comment only. The Sociology department will mark classwork books at least once a term.
KS5: AS and A2 OCR Sociology
AS and A2 students will complete a minimum of 12 key written homeworks in the academic year, set at the teacher’s discretion to fit the time available with public examinations. These homeworks will be completed in an orange exercise book. They have been chosen to reflect the demands of the AS and A2 specifications and will be exam based questions for each respective unit. We aim for students to develop excellent exam technique through a clear understanding of the levels within the mark schemes and most importantly, an awareness of precisely what they need to do to achieve a minimum standard of their LAT target grade in the examination. We hope that students will aspire to exceed these expectations. We would encourage pupils to tailor their revision and independent learning towards these key homeworks over the course of the year so that each key homework reflects their optimum effort. We feel that by establishing a clear structure in giving pupils the examination questions for the key homeworks at the outset and therefore setting the expectations of the examination, students will have the necessary framework for focused and thorough preparation, revision and additional reading. We also hope that this model will prepare students for the course structure and requirements for undergraduates study at university.
All work will be marked using the OCR mark schemes which the students will be familiar with. At AS and A2 level, the grade boundaries in the OCR specification will be applied to work submitted as appropriate. All work will outline how to improve, including the use of the ‘to improve’ stamp and will include subject specific targets on how to progress AO1 and A02 skills.
Other homeworks will be set in order to encourage structured revision, research of contemporary UK society and preparation for tests, timed essays and assessments. Furthermore, students will be issued with a list of sample questions for each unit which we would encourage them to complete for practice in order to further develop their exam technique and knowledge and understanding.
Students will keep a folder of class work activities, articles, revision notes and glossaries. We expect this to be well organized and tidy. We will regularly use self and peer assessment to review the learning outcomes of class work. Revision templates will be assessed and include summative comments rather than formative assessment for learning, as the majority of AfL marking will take place in the homework books.
Sanctions:
KS4
Missed deadlines will be recorded by subject teachers on SIMS and failure to produce homework will result in a sanction in line with the school’s discipline pathways. Persistent failure to produce homework will result in a referral to the Head of Department. Parents will be contacted by telephone and may be requested to attend a meeting to discuss the matter.
KS5
Missed deadlines will be recorded by subject teachers on SIMS. Parents will be contacted by telephone and may be requested to attend a meeting to discuss the matter with their son/daughter’s respective Head of College/Deputy Head of College and/or the Head of Department.
Rewards policy:
The department will use the achievement points system on SIMS and send a letter home for excellent effort and /or attainment. Use of stickers may also be used by teachers as they wish. We would hope that students who excel in the subject will be added to the school’s Gifted and Talented register for Sociology.