Head’s Weekly Update

Following the email that was sent to parents on 9 March 2026, please can you ensure your child has started packing for the week. As a reminder all food is provided for the week and this includes the practice expedition. However, for the assessed Expedition at the end of June the students need to provide their own food, a menu will be planned by the students whilst in Wales which they can use as a shopping list .

We leave the College for Wales at 09.00 on Sunday 17 May 2026.

If you do have any questions or queries please email Andy Crossley on andy.crossley@pangbourne.com

Mr Andy Crossley, Head of Outdoor Education

Please do remember the Sixth Form Open Evening this week which is on Thursday 14 May.  It would be brilliant to see lots of you and your children at this important event looking ahead to their next exciting pathway.

We are gearing up for the internal exams now, which start on 15 June.  Please see the exam information sheet below which covers exam content and revision resources for every subject. 

Please see the Year 10 exam information sheet here.

As ever, please do contact your child's tutor in the first instance if you have any questions. 

Mrs Abbie Stephenson, Head of KS4

Grade Cards

During the year, we have gradually been transitioning our academic tracking into the Pupil Progress system. Printouts from this system were provided at the Parents’ and Guardians’ meeting in the Lent Term. This term, we are trialling using the system for Grade Cards and we hope that it provides more useful information and a clearer indication of areas of strength and development. The level of detail will build as we add more assessments into the system. You will be able to access the summary through the Portal from 16:00 today from the 'My Child's Documents' section. The top sheet contains the overview and then the subsequent pages go into more detail for each subject.

The terminology used in the report is:

• Minimum Target Grade - this is determined by the CAT4 baseline assessments which have been sat by all of the pupils. This assessment suggests the minimum grade that the pupil should be targeting, based on the average outcomes of pupils with a similar baseline profile. We will always push the pupils to achieve the best grade they can but this grade represents a 'line in the sand' that we can use to check that good progress is being made.

• Average Unit Grade - this is the average performance across the assessments which have been entered into the system.

• Teacher Predicted Grade - this is a forecast by the teachers of a likely outcome if the current level of progress is maintained. A '+' or '-' after the grade indicates whether the pupil is projected to be towards the top of the grade and should push on to aim for something higher or at risk of falling to a lower grade if the level of effort wavers.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Important Updates & Successes

First, some exciting news: the English Language coursework grades will be shared with students and parents this week via the Grade Card. This is a great moment to celebrate their hard work and progress so far!

This term, our Year 10 students are diving into their first English Literature coursework component. We are focusing on modern drama through J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, and it has been wonderful to see the students engaging so deeply with the play's big questions around morality, collectivism and the Edwardian values. 

Looking ahead to our Literature coursework:

• This Week (Planning): Students are currently working on their prep work, which involves planning their essays. This is a vital step to ensure they feel organised and confident before they begin writing.

• Next Week (Writing): The formal writing process will begin on Monday 11 May. To give students plenty of time to produce their best work, this will take place across all five English lessons next week.

These sessions will be held under controlled conditions in class. This ensures that every student can work in a focused environment and that the final piece truly reflects their own independent ideas and hard work.

Resources & Keeping it Authentic

To help bring the play to life, all pupils have access to the BBC adaptation via Digital Theatre. Login details are on Google Classroom; it’s a fantastic resource for helping them visualise the characters and the dramatic tension.

We also kindly ask that you review the coursework guidelines with your child, particularly regarding academic integrity and the use of AI. We want to make sure every student’s voice is heard and that the work they submit is entirely their own.

How You Can Help at Home

You don't need to be an English expert to support your child! A little encouragement can go a long way in helping them feel prepared for next week’s writing sessions:

• Be a Sounding Board: Ask them to talk through their essay plan. If they can explain their main arguments to you, they’ll find it much easier to write them down in class.

• Watch an read together: Re-watching/re-reading key scenes from the play together can be a great way to spark a quick chat about a character’s motives or a sudden plot twist.

• Big Ideas: Chat about the play’s themes—like responsibility or fairness—and how they still relate to the world today.

• A Quiet Space: Supporting good study habits this week will help them head into Monday feeling refreshed and ready to go.

Thank you for your continued support in helping our pupils develop these important analytical skills. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to get in touch.

Warm regards,

The English Department

And we're off! German and Drama have already happened, and on Monday everyone's in English Literature. There is a degree of tiredness among Year 11 this week, so please do make sure your children get to bed at a reasonable time each night over the weekend -  there is no point trying to cram stuff in late into the night, a decent night's sleep will be far more effective in terms of performance on the day.  

Here is a reminder of timings for your children when they have morning and afternoon exams:

AM exams:

8.00 register in division

8.15 exam walkthrough

 8.45 outside exam venue

 9.00 exam start

After their exam has finished students can have a 30 minute break. This will mean most should be going back into lessons at some point during period 4.

PM exams

If students have an exam in the afternoon they may go to the library for period 4 to revise. They should have lunch at 12.15.  

1.00 exam walkthrough

1.20 outside exam venue

1.30 exam start

The usual 30 minute break applies after the exam and then students should attend all activities/sport/lessons as normal.

Finally, on Friday 22 May from 2pm we shall have a student-planned, relaxed afternoon of fun on Big Side with inflatables, mini-golf, an ice-cream van and a BBQ to celebrate being half way through GCSEs and study leave starting. A google form will be coming out soon for you to give your consent for the cost of this to be added to the school bill - it will work out at approximately £25/head.

Mrs Abbie Stephenson, Head of KS4

In a public announcement this week, Ofqual’s Chief Regulator Sir Ian Bauckham appealed directly to students not to take mobile phones or smart devices into exam halls.

Last summer, mobile phone and other smart device offences accounted for 2,225 cases (44.3% of all student malpractice), up from 2,140 cases (41.5%) in summer 2024.

Of those cases, 545 resulted in students being disqualified from some or all qualifications. Mobile phone and other smart device offences remain the most common category of student malpractice.