Since the removal of the National Curriculum level descriptors and the implementation of the new curriculum in September 2014, schools have had autonomy to develop assessment systems which sit more comfortably with the school’s ethos and which meet the needs of the children within the school.

 

The programmes of study within the new National Curriculum set out expectations at the end of each Key Stage - children in Y2 are at the end of Key Stage 1, children in Y6 are at the end of Key Stage 2.

 

 

• Children in Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6 are assessed against expectations set out in the new National Curriculum.

• Children in FS2 are assessed against the areas of learning set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) profile.

 

 

Our school has  an assessment system to check what children have learned and whether they are on track to meet the expectations at the end of the Key Stage.   This system runs alongside the statutory assessment procedures which take place in specific year groups.

 

Our assessment and reporting system includes:

 

• Ongoing assessment by the class teacher throughout each lesson, which includes questioning, observation and dialogue.

 

• Children knowing what they are being asked to learn and more importantly why.

 

• Success criteria are discussed with the children and the work is then assessed against these.

 

• Low stake, quick quizzes to assess knowledge on a regular basis.

 

• Written or verbal feedback between the child and the teacher identifies the next step in their learning.

 

• Regular work scrutiny and talking to children.

 

A child will work within the expectations of their year group and assessments will reflect the stage of their learning within that year.

 

The following statements reflect our assessment process:

 

• Emerging – a child who has met some of the year group expectations.

 

• Expected – a child who has met all of the year group expectations.

 

• Embedded – a child who has securely met the expectations and deepened their learning through the application of skills in different contexts rather than moving onto the next year’s curriculum.

 

FS2

 

Children in FS2 will continue to be assessed against the areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) profile.

 

Assessments will be based on observations of daily activities and events.  At the end of FS2, for each Early Learning Goal, teachers will judge whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the FS2) year.

 

 

Statutory Assessment

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The government continues to measure and compare the outcomes of children nationally; in their FS2 year, year one, year two, year four and year six. The following statutory, formal assessment takes place at Aston Fence:

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At the end of their FS2 year, children are assessed against the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile.  The aim is that children will achieve age related expectations or the ‘Early Learning Goals’ (ELGs).  To achieve the ELGs children need to be working at the ‘expected’ standard across the prime areas of learning (Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development) as well as within the specific areas of Literacy and Mathematics.

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In Y1, the children sit a phonics check and they must be able to read a certain number of words (both real words and ‘alien’ words) to pass the check.

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In Y4, all children sit the Multiplication Tables Check. 

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In  Y6, children are assessed against the Assessment Frameworks for writing and science.  For writing, children’s attainment will be described as ‘working towards the expected standard’, ‘working at the expected standard’ or ‘working at greater depth within the expected standard’.  For science, children will be assessed ‘at the expected standard’ or ‘has not met the expected standard’.  Children are also required to sit their SATs in May in reading, spelling, punctuation and grammar and maths.  These tests are externally marked and returned in June.  Pupils who have not yet completed the English reading, writing and mathematics programmes of study should be assessed using the pre-key stage standards.

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Outcomes from statutory assessment are used by the Government to compare the attainment of our children against children in all schools nationally:

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• end of EYFS

  • (% of pupils achieving a “Good Level of Development”)

• Phonics Screening Test at the end of Year 1

  • (% of pupils achieving the required mark in the screening check)

• End of KS1

  • ( % of pupils achieving the expected standard and above in reading, writing, maths and in science)

• End of KS2

  • (% of pupils achieving a scaled score of 100 or the expected standard in reading, GPS and maths and the % of pupils working at or above the expected standard in writing and at the expected standard in science)

  • (% of pupils making good progress in reading, writing and maths)

 

*It is important to note that in summer 2020 and 2021, there were no statutory assessments undertaken by children in any of the mentioned year groups.  This is due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.  These cohorts will not have complete assessment records or statutory baselines from which to measure future progress.

*For the academic year 2021-22, there was a duty for the Y2 cohort to sit the phonic screen in the autumn term.  It is likely that all other statutory assessments will be undertaken in the summer term.

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Whilst we continue to meet our statutory assessment requirements, we are also committed to our good assessment practice in school.

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