Assessments

1. Why Assessments?

As a school, we see Assessment as central to delivering a high quality education. Assessment allows teachers, the school and students themselves to evaluate, recognise and grade student achievements and progress, and allows teachers to evaluate and adapt their teaching and measure how successfully they are delivering the curriculum. Effective assessment enables students to make smooth progress through school. We use assessment to adapt our curriculum around the needs, capabilities and aspirations of our students, to fulfil the objectives of the short, medium and long term plans (based on the National Curriculum, National Strategy and the QCA Guidelines) and to plan and strengthen learning. 

A student will be assessed throughout the year, both formally and informally. All student work is marked at the school and guidance is given to each student on strengths and areas for development.
 

2. Types of Assessments

a) End of Unit Assessments

Students take a summative assessment at the end of every Unit of Learning in all subjects. Students sit for these unaided school assessments which gauge if students have met the learning objectives for that Unit of Learning.

b) End of Term Tests

Students from Year 1 onwards take an unaided school-made End of Term Assessment (i.e. test) in all subjects at the end of every term. Students in Years 10 & 11 sit for mock IGCSE exam papers in the subject (which they have chosen) at the end of every term. At the end of each term, teachers award each student in class a National Curriculum Level from Year 1 to 9 and an IGCSE predictive score in years 10, 11.

c) End of Year Tests

o   Students in Years 1 - 9 take school devised assessments in other subjects.

o   Students in Years 2 - 9 take standardized assessments (SATs) in English, Maths & Science

o   Students in Years 10 & 11 take mock IGCSE exam papers in the subjects which they have chosen

At the end of every year term, teachers award each student in class a National Curriculum Level, and an IGCSE predictive score in years 10, 11.

o    Students in Years 12 take AS level / IBDP exam papers (to be introduced at a later date)

o    Students in Years 13 take the A’ Level / IBDP exam papers  (to be introduced at a later date)

d) Reading Assessments

The school uses diagnostic assessment (PM Benchmark) to determine a student’s National Curriculum English attainment in reading. These provide:

o    Reading Recovery Levels

o    Book Bands and Reading Targets for Guided Reading

o    National Curriculum Levels

As policy, all non-fluent readers are assessed at least once per term.

3. Reporting Schedule

Reporting to Parents & Students:

There are five sets of reports each year:

•       Interim Report 1 (October)

•       End of Term 1 Report (December)

•       Interim Report 2 (February)

•       End of Term 2 Report (March/April)

•       End of Year Report (June)

o    Teachers share and discuss the Assessments results with students individually.

o    Parents are informed of Assessment results via Reports at formal Parent-Teacher meetings.

o    At the end of term, the School provides parents their child’s level of attainment in the National Curriculum in each subject in the End of Term Report.