Assessment
Assessment Without Levels
The use of levels for pupils in all year groups became extinct in July 2015. The government believed that there was too much pressure on schools to push children through levels and attainment targets and, as a result, many children had significant gaps in their learning and were left without the necessary breadth and depth of learning at the level appropriate for their age. The emphasis on the new curriculum, therefore, is that all pupils should secure their knowledge and understanding of the year group they are in and, once achieved, ‘master’ this learning in greater breadth and depth.
Tracking and Reporting Assessment Information
Schools have been allowed the freedom to devise their own systems of monitoring and tracking children’s attainment and progress. As a result of these changes, we have changed the way in which we monitor and record children’s progress.
If children are assessed as being at the typical stage of development for their age at a particular time, they will be judged to be Age Related for the end of year expectations. Some children may be working just below or working below end of year expectations and will have additional support to enable them to close the gap.
Other children may be working just above or working above their expected end of year expectations and will access teaching and learning opportunities which will add breadth and depth to their learning.
The stage at which your child is working, the targets set through learning conversations and the next steps in learning will be shared with you on parents’ evening and through the end of year reports. This information enables you to have an understanding of where your child is in relation to national expectations and what he or she needs to do next in order to make good progress and achieve the best possible outcomes.
Please see the attachments below for some useful booklets.
Year 1 children will continue to be assessed for their phonics knowledge in the Summer Term. From 2016, the results of assessments for children at the end of year 2 will be reported in the form of scaled scores. Please see the links below to the Department for Education for more information.