Yearly Overview of Assessment
At St. Mary Magdalen’s, we have an unequivocal drive to ensure that all of our pupils achieve their full potential, achieve at least Age Related Expectations, and strive to ensure that they are ‘ready’ for the next stage of their education: KS1, KS2 and KS3.
We assess each child’s progress constantly, in both, their social/emotional development and in their academic development. We do this so that we can pitch planning and teaching at the appropriate level, taking into account prior learning. Marking ensures that we provide timely feedback, suggest next steps and offer opportunities for deeper learning and challenge for all of our pupils. This is an ongoing part of our daily practice.
Targets:
Predictive targets for each child are set each term and at the beginning of each Key Stage. We regularly monitor to see which children are on track to achieve end of year ARE. It allows us to see who is on track and who is on track to achieve more than ARE and have developed a deeper level of understanding. If any child is not on track to achieve end of year ARE we focus on these children and identify ways to close any gaps in their learning.
Formal Assessments
Nursery:
- Nursery Learning Journeys - Every child’s progress is closely monitored to ensure we provide the best possible opportunities and highest levels of support.
- When a child starts in nursery, staff will informally monitor his/her development and keep detailed records.
- This information is shared with families and either transferred to the reception class or to the child’s new school.
Reception:
- On entry into Reception, we assess each child using a baseline.
- At the end of the year, children will be assessed against the Early Learning Goals (taken from Development Matters).
- Children continue to be assessed in the reception class where staff will add information to an assessment profile for each individual.
- Assessments and next steps are shared at parent consultation meetings.
- Each child has a learning journey book of photos and comments which is available during the year for parents and carers to add to.
- Targets for end of year achievement are set according to baseline scores and reviewed termly.
Year 1:
- Towards the end of Year 1, children are assessed in their phonic knowledge, and the results are reported to the parents.
Year 2:
- Towards the end of the Year 2, children are assessed for reading, writing and maths, and these assessments are known as the Key Stage 1 Assessments.
- Individual results are reported to the children’s parents, and the overall results are reported to all parents.
Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5:
- Teachers will undertake informal assessments of children to help them inform their planning and teaching.
- Teachers will also want to make sure children are making the expected (or more) progress.
Year 6:
- Towards the end of Year 6, children will take formal tests in reading, spelling, grammar and punctuation and maths.
- Writing is assessed through teacher assessment.
- Individual results are reported to the children’s parents, and the overall results are reported to all parents.
How We Work: Assessment without levels
Reading, Writing & Maths
To help us to track pupils’ achievement, we use a 5-point scale to track achievement:
1. Emerging x1
2. MET- x2
3. MET x3
4. MET+ x4
5. Deep x5
- It is expected that most children will have been awarded ‘MET’ by the end of the year.
- This means that they have met all of the learning statements for that year’s curriculum.
- Some children may have exceeded the end of year expectations and gone deeper in their learning - ‘met plus (MET+)’.
- Children who have not achieved the ‘MET’ statements by the end of the year will be awarded either ‘met minus (MET-)’ or ‘emerging’ depending on their attainment.
- In some cases, they may be assessed at a much lower level, e.g. a child who is in Year 5 might still be awarded a 2.3 or a P6 (P Levels used for children with specific learning difficulties).
Other subjects
- Each term, the children are assessed against the programme of study (‘MET’ objectives). As the pupils will not have finished the programme of study until the end of the school year, it is expected that the majority of pupils will be at point 1 (EMERGING) at the end of the Autumn term, at point 2 (MET-) by the end of the Spring term and move to point 3 (MET) by the end of the school year, once they have completed the programme of study.
- Over the year, the children are assessed against the programme of study (‘met’ objectives). Assessments are recorded on the De-Tracker Key Objective Tool to track progress against the national curriculum descriptors.
Religious Education
- As a school, we follow the Diocesan scheme of work for RE: Come and See.
- Each term children are taught three units of work.
- One unit of work per term is assessed against Diocesan agreed criteria.
- This information is collated by the RE Co-ordinator.
Moderation/Quality Assurance
- As part of The Brighton City Partnership for Education, we collaboratively moderate work in maths and writing throughout the year for quality assurance.
- CPD meetings with teaching staff.
- Co-ordinators monitoring – ensuring accurate assessments against the programme of study (PoS).
- Senior Leadership Team (SLT) ongoing monitoring.
- Pupil Progress Meetings – termly.
- Partnership/triad meetings.