Assessment

Introduction
We believe that effective assessment provides information to improve teaching and learning. To do this in our school we undertake two different but complementary types of assessment:Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning.
 
Assessment for Learning (formative assessment) involves the use of assessment in the classroom to raise pupil achievement. It is based on theidea that pupils will improve most if they understand the aim of their learning, where they are in relation to this aim, and how they can achieve this aim (i.e. toclose the gap in their knowledge).
 
Assessment of Learning (summative assessment) involves judging pupils’ performance against national standards. Teachers may make these judgements at the end of a unit of work, of a year, or of a key stage. Test results, too, describe pupil performance, in terms of levels.
 
We give our children regular feedback on their learning so that they understand what it is that they need to do better.(See Marking and Feedback Policy)Pupilinvolvement in the review process raises standards, and our pupils take action towards improving their performance.
 
Objectives
The objectives of assessment in our school are:
  • to enable our children to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do in their work;
  • to help our children recognise the standards to aim for, and to understand what they need to do next to improve their work;
  • to allow teachers to plan work that accurately reflects the needs of each child;
     
  • to provide regular information for parents that enables them to support their child’s learning;
  • to provide the headteacher and governors with information that allows them to make judgements about the effectiveness of the school.
  • to indicate where a child’s attainment is a cause for concern so that action can be taken
Planning for assessment
We use our school’s curriculum plan to guide our teaching. In this plan we set out the aims, objectives and values ofour school, and give details of what is to be taught to each year group.
We plan our lessons with clear learning objectives. We base these upon the teacher’s detailed knowledge of each child. We strive to ensure that all tasks set are appropriate to each child’s ability and provide appropriate challenge. Our lesson plans make clear the expected outcomes for each lesson.
Teachers always share the lesson’s learning intention with the children as the lesson begins. The exception to this is in science where teachers sometimes employ a different strategy e.g. you know light travels in a straight line, prove it. Then the teacher will ask what did you learn in addition? Where appropriate they also indicate the way in which the activity is linked to the learning objective, and the success criteria against which the work will be judged.
Teachers ask well-phrased questions and analyse pupils’ responses to find out what they know, understand and can do, and to reveal their misconceptions.
We annotate planning and make a note of those individual children who do not achieve at the expected level for the lesson or those children who exceed expectation, and we use this information when planning for the next lesson. We also keep this information as a record of the progress made by the class.
 
Target-setting
Every school is required by law to set targets in Mathematics and English each year for pupils. We use the Inspection Dashboard, Fischer Family Trust data, National Comparison and Local Authority data as well as our own internal tracking data system. We discuss individual targets where necessary, and communicate these to parents. We review the progress of each child every term through Pupil Progress Meetings and set revised targets. We also set targets for otherareas of work in school. We encourage the children to set targets themselves, linked to their individual working habits. The teacher reviews these with each child on a regular basis.
 

Recording

Children in EYFS are assessed on entry to school using our internal baseline and our internal observation judgements. Progress is tracked through observation and recorded in Learning Journeys. Parents contribute to this assessment process through notes home and our working wall in school. Data is collected termly for all pupils and discussed at Pupil progress meetings with the head teacher. Those children at risk of not achieving a good standard have targeted support and strategies are put in place for those at risk of underachievement and also for our more able pupils. This data is analysed at School Improvement and Governing Body meetings and the head teacher challenged about cohort progress.

We use curriculum tracking grids for all subjects for all our children. We use the North Yorkshire grids for Science and RE. Our internal tracking system records those children termly who are emerging, emerging +, developing, developing +, secure and exceeding. We use PUMA and PIRA Hodder assessments to track termly progress with a scaled score and this helps to inform teacher assessment and helps us plan next steps. We track phonic progress, reading progress and spelling progression each year group.Common Exception Words are base lined and then assessed at the end of each term. Word list assessments take place four times a year; baseline and then at the end of each term.Our planning formats are annotated with notes about the progress of children in lessons to ensure all needs are being met and to inform future planning.Tracking information is held by the class teachers in Class Information files and by the Head teacher.It is analysed to inform further learning needs.Each teacher passes this information on to the next teacher at the end of each year.This year the DfE are continuing with theinterim assessment framework for the curriculum which was introduced in September 2014.

 

Reporting to parents

We have a range of strategies that keep parents fully informed of their child’s progress in school. We have termly Parents’Evenings and we activelyencourage parents to contact the school if they have concerns about any aspect of their child’s work.We have termly Book Sharing evenings so our children can share their work with parents, celebrating successes and talking to teachers about further progress.We have Open Mornings where parents are invited to Stay and Play to see learning taking place in Class 1 and at the same timeClasses 2 and 3 invite parents to sit with their children in lessons.We have Information Sessions including statutory assessment, Year 1 phonics, helping your child to learn to read in EYFS, Sleep Management, Grammar workshops, Maths workshops and computing and e-safety open mornings and evenings.

Each term we offer parents the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher. At the first meeting of the school year we review the targets that we have identified for their child. At the second meeting of the year, we evaluate their child’s progress as measured against the targets. Parents are offered a third meeting in the summer term if they wish to discuss the child’s written end of year report.

During the summer term we give all parents a written report of their child’s progress and achievements during the year.

In reports for pupils in EYFS, Year 2 and Year 6 we also provide details of the levels achieved at the end of these Key Stages. We also report outcomes of Year 1 Phonics Screening.

Feedback to pupils

Feedback to pupils is of paramount importance in our school, as it tells them how well they have done, and what they need to do next in order to improve their work. We give children verbal feedback on their work whenever possible. Our verbal feed back is low cost high impact. We can give feedback when the children are working during the lesson, although we sometimes give feedback on a particular lesson at the beginning of the next one. When lesson time does not allow for verbal feedback, we write comments on the children’s work during marking. We give written comments to children of all ages.

When we give written feedback to a child, we relate this to the learning objective and success criteria for the lesson. We identify what the child needs to do inorder to move forward in their learning.Pupils in Key Stage 2 respond to marking on a daily basis.

Teachers give pupils feedback which confirms they are on the right track, and which encourages them where to move forward.Teachers give pupils suggestions as guidance but they recognise that pupils gain most when they think things through for themselves.We ask pupils how they have achieved and what they would like to do next to improve. Ownership of learning is crucial to motivating our lifelong learners.

Our children self and peer assess. We place great value on our children learning from each other. This is effective because it enables children to clarify their ideas on progressing to the next step.Inclusion We are an inclusive and ‘dyslexia friendly’ school. We actively seek to remove the barriers to learning and participation that can hinder or exclude individual pupils, or groups of pupils.

We achieve educational inclusion by continually reviewing what we do, by monitoring data, and through asking ourselves questions about the performance of these individuals and groups of pupils. In this way we make judgements about how successful we are being at promoting racial and gender equality, and including pupils with disabilities or special educational needs.

Adopted Autumn 2019

Next review Autumn 2020