Assessment and Reporting

Pupil Profiles

A pupil profile is kept on each child to record their learning journey. An additional file containing documents such as attendance, assessment data and special needs is also kept in school. This information will transfer with the child should they move to a new school.

Communication/Consultations

We communicate with parents/carers through newsletters, questionnaires, consultations, curriculum evenings and our website. A homelinks booklet provides information on current topics and children’s targets. Parents are encouraged to attend consultation meetings during the year to discuss their child’s progress. An annual report is issued at the end of the summer term.

Education Records

Schools are required to keep curricular records on all pupils. This is a formal record of a pupil’s academic achievement, skills, abilities and progress. Other information such as a child’s behaviour or family background may also be recorded but is not mandatorily required. The record is available to parents on request although there are some exceptions. The record will also be forwarded to the next school.

ASSESSMENT WITHOUT LEVELS – A GUIDE FOR PARENTS

Why the change?

The new national curriculum became statutory in September 2014 for Y1,3,4,& 5, with Y2 and Y6 starting it in September 2015. Expectations across all year groups have been raised and new, more challenging tests are being developed for use at the end of KS1 (Y2) and KS2 (Y6).

The government felt that the system of levels was too complicated and confusing. By removing the levels it is felt that schools will be able to give a clearer indication of whether children are at age expectation, whilst providing information about what they can do and need to do next. Therefore schools have been given the freedom to design their own tracking systems to say where children are in relation to the prescribed age expected content for each year group. This will be benchmarked against the national tests at the end of KS1/KS2 and the Y1 Phonic Screening Check.

At Barrs Court Primary School, the new system we will be using ensures:

Children receive appropriate feedback to take their learning forward.
Children who need further support are identified .
Teacher’s use day to day observations and marking to adapt planning to meet the needs of all.
Parents will be provided with a clear indication of where their child is working in relation to their age expectation at progress meetings in Term 2 and Term 4 and in an end of year report.

Within each Year group there will be 3 main steps of learning:

Emerging (E)

A child is starting to learn the content for that year group, but may still have some elements of the previous year to achieve.

1E= Year 1 Emerging
4E=Year 4 Emerging

Developing (D)

A child’s learning is fully focused on the content for that year group and they can understand and apply most of the objectives.

1D= Year 1 Developing
4D=Year 4 Developing

Secure (S)

A child can confidently demonstrate an overall grasp of the content for that year group but may still have some elements to build confidence in.

1S= Year 1 Secure
4S=Year 4 Secure

If your child is working at a level outside their actual year group, this will be reflected in the attainment band they will be given (E,D or S).

If your child is achieving well within their year group and understands all the expected objectives we will be encouraging more in-depth and investigative work.

Mastery (M)

A child has mastered their age appropriate content and is able to use and apply it across the curriculum in a range of contexts. In the old curriculum children were pushed from one sub level to another and were never really given a chance to spend time really exploring their new knowledge. In the new curriculum children will not move onto the next year groups curriculum, but instead will spend time using and applying their new knowledge and understanding to ensure that they are ready to move on.

1M=Year 1 Mastery
4M=Year 4 Mastery

This will allow a greater mastery before moving them on to the next year group’s objectives.

Teachers will continue to assess your child regularly, linked to the new end of year objectives, by building up a picture of their strengths and areas of development. For example, a child in Year 4 might be assessed as 4S which means they understand and can apply all of the end of year objectives for Year 4.

How will the results of the new Y2 and Y6 tests be presented?

In both KS1(Y2) and KS2(Y6) children’s writing will be teacher assessed against the performance descriptors, whilst other areas will be assessed through the following tests:

Reading
Maths
Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

In KS1 these tests will be marked by the teacher and at KS2 they will be sent away to be externally marked. For each test children will receive an age standardised score. A score of 100 indicates a child has achieved their age expectation and met the national standard. A score below 100 would indicate that child is below the national standard or working towards it. A score significantly above 100 indicates that a child has “mastered” their age related content.

KS1 and KS2 Tests

For more information about tests at KS1 and KS2 please see the videos below: