Assessing Progress and Attainment at Charlton
Assessment plays an important role in ensuring that every child is supported to leave primary school prepared to succeed. Our assessment system, coupled with statutory assessment that take place at the end of each Key Stage, has been formed to help teachers to raise standards, and to give every child the best chance to master reading, writing and arithmetic, which are fundamental in preparing them for secondary school. We believe that it is right that the government has set a clear expected standard that pupils should attain by the end of primary school, and that this standard is ambitious, to ensure schools support all pupils to achieve their potential, regardless of their background. Our in-house assessments systems are aligned with the new national curriculum expectations.
HOW DO WE ASSESS CHILDREN’S PROGRESS AND ATTAINMENT IN EARLY YEARS?
Assessment plays an important part in helping parents, carers and staff to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs, and to plan activities and support. Ongoing assessment is an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves us observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and this enables us to support the learning needs of each unique child.
Within the first few weeks, a statutory Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) is completed. Regular progress checks are used to inform and prepare the children for their next phase of learning.
Through interactions with children, our team will respond to their own day-to-day observations about children’s progress and observations that parents and carers share.
In the final term of the year in which a child reaches age five, and no later than 30 June in that term, the EYFS Profile is completed for each child. The Profile provides parents and carers, and the Reception team with a well-rounded picture of each child’s knowledge, understanding and abilities, their progress against expected levels, and their readiness for Year 1. The Profile reflects the following: ongoing observation; all relevant records held by the setting; discussions with parents and carers, and any other adults whom the teacher, parent or carer judges can offer a useful contribution.
Each child’s level of development is assessed against the early learning goals. Teachers will indicate whether children are meeting expected levels of development; if they are expected levels or not yet reaching expected levels (‘emerging’). This is the EYFS Profile.
Year 1 teachers will be given a copy of the Profile report. This will form part of the dialogue between teachers about each child’s stage of development and learning needs and assist with the planning of activities in Year 1.
As a school, we will share the results of the Profile with parents and/or carers, and explain to them when and how they can discuss the Profile with the teacher who completed it.
HOW DO WE ASSESS CHILDREN’S PROGRESS AND ATTAINMENT IN KEY STAGE 1 (YEARS 1-2) AND KEY STAGE 2 (YEAR 3-6)
Maths:
We follow White Rose as part of our Maths curriculum. Consequently, teachers are able to make use of the White Rose end of unit assessments in order to ascertain how well new knowledge has been retained by children. In Key Stage 2, we also use the White Rose end of term tests at least once a year to provide valuable summative assessment information.
We subscribe to Times Table Rock Stars (TTRS), and teachers make use of the heat maps provided in order to specifically target multiplication facts which children need to become secure in.
Reading:
In Reception, and Key Stage 1, children’s phonic reading ability is assessed every six weeks to check progress. Any child who needs extra support has daily keep-up sessions planned for them. Typically, this continues until children have passed the screening check in Year 1, and are secure in all of their phase 5 sounds.
Once children have passed the screening check and are secure in their phase 5 sounds, they will be offered books from our colour banded book selection. Teachers will regularly assess children’s ability to decode and comprehend what they are reading by completing running records alongside children. This will determine the correct level of book for children to read independently. Children should be reading a book with between 93-95% accuracy when decoding.
In Key Stage 2, children’s reading is assessed through the use of a STAR test via Accelerated Reader. This assessment is carried out each half term, and provides teachers with a range of information about children’s reading ability. It also determines their reading range, so that children can select books appropriate to their reading ability.
We prioritise hearing children read and asking them questions orally as part of our assessment process. We recognise, however, that it is important that children also have the opportunity to do at least one formal written reading test each year, as this is how the National Curriculum is assessed at the end of Year 6. Pupils need to be able to tackle previously unseen texts independently, read questions carefully and compose accurate written responses. Therefore, once a year, children in Key Stage 2, complete a written reading assessment. These tests were created by teachers from across the Trust, from the relevant year groups (Y3, Y4 and Y5), with each paper consisting of a prose text, non-fiction and poetry. The layout and question stems are the same as the end of KS2 paper, with some adaptations in the wording to ensure that children are able to access the questions. Teachers use this information to tailor support where needed and use the information to inform their future planning.
Writing:
At Charlton, we use End of Year Expectation (EYE) statements to support our judgements when assessing children’s progress and attainment in English writing. These statements are the fundamental skills and knowledge that pupils need to secure so that they are ready to move on next year without gaps in their understanding.
HOW HAVE End of Year Expectations (eyes) for writing BEEN GENERATED?
The EYE statements have been generated using The National Curriculum to form the basis of each statements, as well as the end of Key Stage Frameworks. Subject and senior leads from across the Vale Academy Trust were involved with the development, refinement and implementation of the statements for each year group. This group of leads meet regularly to reflect on the assessment process for writing and review statements.
Each child has a progress tracker sheet which is completed by their teacher(s). Teachers reflect on the statements for each child towards the end of each term, considering the evidence available to them in the work produced by each child.
To see a copy of the year group EYEs, please click on the appropriate link below:
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATUTORY PRIMARY ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
Early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP):
The profile summarises and describes pupil attainment at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. EYFSP data is published at national and local authority level. Individual pupil data is used to understand individual education and development needs and to support transition to year 1.
A record of each child’s outcomes against the 17 Early Learning Goals, as set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, is produced towards the end of Term 6. This record states for each ELG whether the child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS (expected); or not yet reaching this level (emerging).
Year 1:
Phonics screening check: A light-touch, statutory screening check administered by teachers. The check assesses a pupil’s phonics decoding ability, and will identify pupils needing additional support. School-level data is not published, while national and local authority level results are. Pupils who do not meet the required standard are required to re-take the screening in Year 2.
End of key stage 1 national curriculum assessments:
Teacher assessment judgements are currently made using end of key stage 1 teacher assessment frameworks and reported in mathematics, English reading (informed by internally-marked national curriculum tests), science and English writing. These teacher assessments are externally moderated by local authorities, who sample 25% of schools each year. These assessments form the baseline for measuring progress made between key stage 1 and key stage 2. The proportions of pupils achieving the expected standard in English reading, English writing, mathematics and science are published at national and local authority level, but not at school level. There is currently an optional test in English grammar, punctuation and spelling at the end of key stage 1.
Multiplication Tables Check:
The Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) is statutory for all Year 4 pupils registered at state-funded maintained schools, special schools or academies (including free schools) in England.
The purpose of the MTC is to determine whether pupils can recall their times tables fluently, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will help schools to identify pupils who have not yet mastered their times tables, so that additional support can be provided.
End of key stage 2 national curriculum assessments:
Pupils in Year 6 sit externally-marked tests in mathematics, English reading, and English grammar, punctuation and spelling. Teacher assessment judgements are made in English writing and science. The proportions of pupils achieving the expected standard in all of reading and mathematics (based on test data) and writing (based on teacher assessment judgements) are published at national, local authority and school level and are used to calculate the progress that pupils make between key stage 1 and key stage 2.
Progress and attainment measures form part of both the floor standard and a new definition of coasting schools, which is used as the starting point for a conversation about whether a school might require additional support. National curriculum test data in English grammar, punctuation and spelling, and teacher assessment judgements in English reading, mathematics and science are published at national and local authority level.
Science sampling tests are conducted. A sample of approximately 9,500 pupils is randomly selected to sit science tests, based on 5 pupils from 1,900 schools. Results are reported as national data only and individual results are not returned to schools or pupils. This assessment provides an understanding of national performance in science.
For children working below the overall standard of the national curriculum across both key stages, there is a system of statutory teacher assessment. Data from this is published at a national level and these pupils’ results are included in school attainment and progress measures