Year 10 Revision Day April 2026
Dear Parents and Carers,
I am writing to provide an overview of the revision day that took place on 22nd April, and to share the associated resources from both the student sessions and the parents’ session.
Year 10 Revision Drop down day 22nd April 2026
The day was highly successful and gave students structured guidance across five key areas to support effective revision and exam preparation:
- Understanding command words and how to BUG an exam question
- Managing time effectively: how to create a revision timetable
- Revision techniques: using flash cards
- Revision techniques: using mind maps
- Elevate session: how to get the most out of exams and how to prepare on the day
Map it, Shrink it, Quiz it, and Link it – de Stafford Whole School Revision Strategy
Our whole-school revision strategy is built around the approaches Map it, Shrink it, Quiz it, and Link it, providing students with a consistent and effective framework for learning and retaining knowledge. Map it helps students organise and structure information visually so they can see how ideas connect. Shrink it encourages students to identify and condense key knowledge into manageable and memorable formats, such as flash cards or summaries. Quiz it develops active recall by regularly testing knowledge through self-quizzing, peer questioning, or practice questions, which strengthens long-term memory. Finally, Link it supports deeper understanding by making connections between topics, subjects, and prior learning, enabling students to apply knowledge confidently in exams. Together, these strategies promote purposeful revision, independence, and improved exam performance.
Managing Time: Creating a Revision Timetable
This session focused on helping students plan an effective and sustainable revision timetable using three key steps: When – What – How.
- When: Students were encouraged to plan their week in advance to identify realistic revision opportunities, while maintaining a healthy balance between study and free time.
- What: Using the topic lists provided in their booklets, students identified which subject and specific topic they would revise in each session.
- How: Students selected appropriate revision strategies for each session, drawing on techniques introduced during the day, such as Map It, Shrink It, Quiz It, Link It, practice papers, mind maps, flash cards, Sparks, and others.
Students were advised that revision sessions should typically last 25–30 minutes, followed by a short break before beginning the next session. Further guidance can be found on the school website.
Revision Techniques: Using Flash Cards
This session focused on Shrink It and Quiz It. Students learned how to condense large amounts of information into effective and meaningful flash cards, using a biology knowledge organiser as a model. They were guided on identifying key information, categorising content, and deciding what to include to maximise impact.
Students also practised using flash cards effectively, including being quizzed by a partner or parent. Emphasis was placed on asking high-quality questions—such as factual or procedural questions—rather than simple yes/no prompts. In addition, students were introduced to Flip and Fetch as a strategy for memorising core substantive knowledge.
Revision Techniques: Using Mind Maps
This session focused on Map It and Quiz It. Students observed a modelled example of a mind map based on physics content before creating their own mind maps on straight line graphs. This included whole-class input while modelling live on the visualiser.
Key features of effective mind maps were discussed, including the use of colour, arrows to link concepts, and boxes to highlight important information. Students then tested their recall by covering their work and writing down as much as they could remember, linking this process to Quiz It.
Students were also shown how tools such as ChatGPT can be used to generate subject-specific revision questions. They were reminded of the importance of providing precise prompts, including the qualification level (GCSE), subject, and exam board (e.g. GCSE Mathematics, AQA).
Parents’ After-School Session
The parents’ session focused on how to support students effectively in the lead-up to students mock exams and during the exam period itself. The PowerPoint presentation from this session is available to parents via the link provided below.
You will also find a link to the dedicated page on the school website where all resources from the revision day can be accessed.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Meaney
Deputy Headteacher
de Stafford School
