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South View Primary

Assessment

Aims

Assessment complements and assists teaching and learning; it allows teachers to effectively plan, evaluate current practice and understand children’s progress and achievement.

This part of the policy aims to:

  • Provide clear guidelines on our approach to formative and summative assessment, including the role of feedback and marking.
  • Establish a consistent and coherent approach to recording summative assessment outcomes, feedback, marking and reporting to parents.
  • Clearly set out how and when assessment practice will be monitored and evaluated.

 

Our Approach to Assessment

The key purpose of assessment is to support pupils’ progress and attainment.  To do this, we use three key types of assessments strategies:

  • Formative Assessment – allows teaching staff to evaluate children’s knowledge and understanding on a daily basis, and then tailor teaching accordingly. It enables teachers to identify when pupils are struggling, when they have consolidated learning and when they are ready to progress. This is achieved through:
      • Conversation, discussion and questioning.
      • Observation of learning, activities and work in progress.
      • Work Completed.
  • Summative Assessment allows teaching staff and school leaders to evaluate progress - the knowledge retained - at the end of a lesson, unit of work, term and academic year. This information also allows teaching staff and school leaders to identify where interventions are required and key foci for future teaching.  This is achieved through -
      • Mental maths tests, RWInc Phonics and spelling assessments.
      • Formal Termly assessments in Reading (using previous SATs papers (Y2 and 6), RWInc for Y1, AR STAR reading assessment (Y2/3 once RWInc programme completed then September, November, February, May) and NFER assessments(Y3,4,5)).
      • Moderation of key pieces of writing regularly throughout the year, including examples from across the wider curriculum.
      • Formal Termly assessments in Maths (using previous SATs papers (Y2 and 6), White Rose (1, 3, 4 and 5)).
  • Nationally Standardised Summative Assessment - allows the Government to hold schools to account and to provide information on how pupils are performing in comparison to pupils nationally.
      • Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA).
      • Early Years Foundation Stage Profile.
      • Year 1 Phonics Screening
      • End of Key Stage 1 SATs Papers and Teacher Assessments
        • Reading
        • Maths
        • Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)
        • Phonics Retakes
      • Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check
      • End of Key Stage 2 SATs Papers and Teacher Assessment for Writing.
        • Reading
        • Maths
        • Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)

 

Assessments are agreed and shared via the Annual Assessment Timetable, which is linked with the school’s Monitoring and Evaluation procedures.

 

Collecting and Using Data

Data is used in a variety of ways to support the progress and attainment of all children at South View Community Primary School.

 

Target Setting

At the beginning of each academic year, targets are set with all teachers for individual pupils.  Targets are set, for Years 1 to 6, based on previous end of Key Stage Assessments, previous year assessments and professional knowledge of the staff who have worked with the children previously.

Targets are set in consultation with each teacher, looking at the data (and other relevant materials, as needed) at Pupil Progress Meetings in Autumn 1.  These targets are then calculated into percentages, and groups of children are looked at.  During the meeting, staff discuss the children with the most potential to make accelerated progress, as well as the children with most significant barriers to learning.  Notes are made and agreed interventions are put into place to support those children.

As targets are made for individual children, parallel classes will not have the same percentage of children to reach Expected, Greater Depth etc, although a balance is sought to ensure fairness to all staff.

Children on the SEN register will have their progress measured using smaller steps through TIMS (This is Me). These will be reviewed half termly by class teachers and every term with parents.

 

New Arrivals

For all new arrivals to our school, we will ensure we create an assessment baseline. This is to understand a child’s strengths and determine if intervention is immediately required.

Our baseline assessments will include:

  • Ensure all statutory data is saved on Integris within first week, office will chase up if this is not completed immediately.
  • Reading – All children will read with an adult within the first two days of them starting.  EYFS and KS1 will be given two books – a phonics book/AR book which is levelled and a book for pleasure. KS2 children will be assessed via a STAR reading test and placed on the AR scheme.
  • RWInc assessments for phonics/spelling as appropriate.
  • Y3 – 6 – Times Table Rock Star baseline assessment.

Foundation Stage Assessments

Teachers in Foundation Stage carry out the ‘reception baseline’ which is designed as a suitable assessment to be taken by pupils during their first half term in reception (the academic year in which they turn 5). All pupils are assessed within the first 6 weeks of joining Reception.

The Foundation Stage Profile is an ongoing assessment, which is completed throughout the Reception Year. Reception staff at South View, use Tapestry to record observations and commentaries about learning for individual children.

Children are assessed focusing on the three characteristics of effective learning and seven areas of learning. These areas of learning are then regularly assessed through both teacher and child-initiated activities in the form of observations and evaluations.  

Records

Staff use Integris to record assessments.  At the end of each academic year, the most current and relevant assessment pieces are shared with the next class teacher, this would include:

  • The Foundation Stage profile is shared with parents and Key Stage One teachers.
  • Phonics Assessments – For every child in EYFS and Y1, and where applicable Y2 to Y4, Fresh Start Phonics Assessments Years 5 and 6.
  • A Reading Assessment – SATs paper (Y2 and Y6), Y1,3,4,5 NFER Summer assessment or PKFs highlighted Summary (SEN/children not meeting Key Stage expectations).
  • A Maths Assessment - SATs paper (Y2 and Y6), White Rose Summer assessment (Y1, 3, 4, 5) and/or PKFS highlighted Summary (SEN/children not meeting Key Stage expectations).
  • Writing Level is recorded on Integris following moderation and use of The Lincolnshire Teaching School Agreed Writing Assessment Framework.

Integris Markbooks are used as an aid to effective planning. The progress of children receiving extra support through interventions is monitored by the member of staff delivering the support, whilst regularly discussing progress with class teachers.  This progress is reported to the SENDCO via Pupil Progress Meetings and provision tracking (ProvisonMap) or sooner if concerns are being raised.

 

Ensuring reliability and consistency of data

Moderation is necessary to ensure accuracy and consistency of teachers’ judgements about standards. It is important to agree judgements if our decisions are to be given credence. Teachers will often share opinions informally with subject leaders and other colleagues to clarify ‘best fit’ judgements or for statutory teacher assessments. Opportunities to moderate with parallel class, across the school and with other local schools are arranged as part of the annual monitoring and evaluation cycle.

Staff training is arranged when there are changes to assessment processes to ensure all staff have a good understanding of assessment. Staff members attend training and cluster meetings for their subject to ensure they stay abreast of good practice. Feedback from this training is shared with staff so that we continue to develop and improve our practice.

External moderations by Local Authority whenever possible.

Children in Year 2 and 6 use previous SATs papers as practice/moderation tools to ensure moderation is triangulated with these National assessments, knowledge of the children and work produced in class.

 

Assessment of Other Subjects

All teachers assess their children using the progression documents for the relevant subjects.  This is shared with subject leaders so they are aware of areas for further development.

Assessments are linked to our schemes of work.

  • Geography/History/Science – South View End of Unit Assessments
  • RE – Discovery RE
  • Computing – KAPOW
  • Music – KAPOW
  • ART/DT - KAPOW
  • PE – Getset4PE
  • PSHE – PSHE Association
  • French (KS2) – Rising Stars

 

Reporting to Parents

  • Termly Parent Consultation Meetings in the Autumn and Spring Term: these meetings focus on the curriculum – what pupils can do and what they need to do to improve
  • Annual Written Reports in the Summer Term with the option to arrange a meeting with the class teacher.
  • Meetings with children on the SEN register to share personalised targets and progress towards these (TIMS). 
  • The results of any statutory assessments e.g. the Phonics Screening Check, Multiplication Check and end of Key Stage Assessments – Foundation Stage Profile, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

 

Inclusion

  • The principles of this assessment policy apply to all pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities.
  • Assessment will be used diagnostically to contribute to the early and accurate identification of pupils’ special educational needs and any requirements for support and intervention.
  • We will use meaningful ways of measuring all aspects of progress, including communication, social skills, physical development, resilience and independence. We will have the same high expectations of all pupils. However, this should account for the amount of effort the pupil puts in as well as the outcomes achieved.
  • For pupils working below the national expected level of attainment, our assessment arrangements will consider progress relative to pupil starting points, and take this into account alongside the nature of pupils’ learning difficulties.