Why we assess
The process of assessment is designed to support children’s learning. It is part of the cycle of activities which helps us to work out a realistic and appropriate teaching programme for every child. It operates in partnership with children’s developing understanding of their own learning. It aims to facilitate quality learning for all pupils. We also intend that it should raise the standards and quality of the education we give the children.

Assessment Procedures
We recognise three forms of assessment procedure:

1. On-going  Assessments
These have an immediate impact on planning and learning styles. Outcomes may remain unrecorded. Some will be recorded in planning evaluations or against pupil learning targets. They take into account the progress made by individual pupils, the effort put in and other aspects of learning which are unspecified in any curriculum. They recognise the involvement of the pupil in their own learning.

2. End of topic or unit Assessments  
These are assessments made at the end of units of work and may be recorded by annotation on pupils’ books and in teachers’ class records.                      
Every term the school identifies a focus for learning in Literacy and Maths in the form of curriculum targets which  the children work towards in order to make progress.  Generally,  the children  keep pieces of work in an  Assessment file which  is reviewed by teachers on a regular basis.
All children have a file in which assessment pieces for non-core subjects are kept for levelling and evidence.

Monitoring and evaluation
The following monitoring and evaluation procedures relating to assessment are in place:
a)  An end of year meeting of the School Leadership Team to overview school standards and to set agendas for development for the following year. These are shared with staff at the beginning of the new school year and any improvement measures determined.
b)  Subject co-ordinators take opportunities to assess pupils’ work to monitor standards in their subject area with the purpose of raising standards. The work is monitored to determine progress for:
i)    the individual
ii)   across a year group
iii)   across a key stage
iv)  across the school

Assessment/Record Keeping Timetable
(Assessments made each term except where stated)

The books are passed on to the next teacher at the end of the academic year. Levels of work are the subject for discussion and moderation at whole school and planning team levels.
In Reception and Key Stage One classes Individual Literacy/Numeracy Records are maintained which show children’s progress in English (phonics, keywords, reading) and Maths (key objectives and calculations).
In Science, children are assessed at the end of each unit, demonstrating their knowledge, understanding and enquiry skills in concept maps or similar activities.

3. Formal assessment
The following procedures are in place:

• School entry information
• Foundation Stage Passport system
• Foundation Stage Profile system
• End of Key Stages 1 and 2 National Curriculum Standard Assessment Tests (SATs)
• End of Years 3, 4 and 5 QCA National Curriculum Tests
• Y4 Cognitive Assessment Tests (CATs)

These procedures are used to identify strengths and weaknesses, obvious mismatches, identification of children with special needs and more able and gifted children. They are also an indicator of school standards which should prompt examination of teaching quality. Ofsted reports on standards also support our work here.

Test results are always considered in the light of knowledge of the whole child. There are set criteria used to identify children who need extra support. In particular the school has in place the following opportunities to assess Basic Skills:

• General in-class teacher and learning support assistant observations
• Small group support with class teacher
• Specific group support from the National Strategies of English and Maths.
• Individual assessment by SENCO
• Individual assessment by LSA – e g keywords, phonics.
• Individual assessment by external agencies such as speech therapist, school nurse, advisory teacher for learning support.

Pupil involvement in assessment
Pupils become aware of their progress through on-going verbal and written feedback on a regular basis.
Teachers share the learning objectives of lessons with the children, particularly in the core curriculum. Both teachers and children think about whether these objectives are achieved.
Pupils’ work is celebrated in a variety of ways; by achieving the award of stickers, happygrams, smiley faces, classroom and corridor displays etc. They also choose work to put into a Record of Achievement.

Attachment	Date uploaded	Size
Assessment Results 2008.9.pdf	14/11/08 1:03 pm	40.08 KB