Assessment and Reporting

Our aim at the school is to ensure all students embed and retain key knowledge needed for each subject at every key stage. Each lesson is structured to sequence and re-visit information and check pupil understanding through frequent testing. This regular review of student knowledge allows students to learn and remember key pieces of information and is vital in preparing students for the next stage of their learning. It also allows students to track their progress and find out what they need to do to improve. Indeed regular, low stakes, testing ensures that students embed knowledge into their long-term memory.

Also, students are assessed by a combination of peer, self, and teacher assessments.  Summative assessment will take place, linked to the Learning Journey specific to the knowledge and skills needed in each subject. Following assessments, teachers will support students to identify gaps in learning and show them how to fill these gaps through class intervention.

Formative Assessment
Formative assessment is intended to inform day to day teaching and learning. It consists of a range of interactions with pupils that provides immediate and ongoing feedback and immediate interventions during lessons to enable students to make progress.

Formative assessment allows the teacher to evaluate and adapt their teaching to meet the needs of students allowing them to learn more effectively therefore positively impacting their learning to deepen the understanding. In addition, it allows students to evaluate their own work (or that of others) and consider how to improve.

Summative Assessment
Summative assessment allows the teachers to analyse whether the intended curriculum has been taught effectively and enables the reviewing of their curriculum to ensure that students are able to know, remember and do more because of it.

KS4 Assessment
In Year 10 and Y11 pupils are assessed through a range of strategies including:

• summative assessments linked to GCSE requirements
• assessments linked to subject content (knowledge) and skills shown over time
• formative assessments such as low stakes testing; questioning; peer and self-assessment.
• oral work
• classwork
• homework
• practice tests

KS3 Assessment
Students will be provided with structured success criteria to enable them to understand what they know and can do, alongside the next steps to ensure better understanding and progression. Assessment will guide students to undertake tasks that will focus on their areas of need, so personalising their learning and supporting progress.

Reporting to Parents
Our main way of communicating a student’s progress with parents is through reports which are sent home. These reports give a brief overview of how a student is working and progressing in the range of subjects taught. This is a ‘snapshot’ based on the evidence available at the time of drafting the report.

Although we do not share every test with parents/carers, we ask staff to summarise student progress and report this to parents through an annual written report and interim data reports throughout the year. These reports are our most important form of communication with parents and will sometimes raise questions regarding a student’s progress.

We strongly encourage parents to read the reports carefully and if the report raises questions, to contact either the subject teacher, form tutor or, if it is across several subjects, the Year Leader.  By working together, we can support your child to feel happy, secure, and able to achieve. We also use parent evenings to further discuss all aspects of pupil progress (linked to pastoral care and academic needs).

Parents’ Evenings
We use parent evenings to further discuss all aspects of pupil progress (linked to pastoral care and academic needs) and welcome parents and carers to contact school at any time if they wish to discuss any aspect of their child’s education or welfare.

As a school we place greater emphasis on students’ final grade, while ensuring they are on track throughout the year. The reports are our main way of communicating with parents about the progress that their child is making. When reports are issued it is also an opportunity for parents to talk with their child about the progress they are making in lessons. If the report raises issues, parents should contact their child’s tutor in the first instance.