Assessment and reporting

Overview

Assessment is a central element in helping us know what students have learnt and understood.  We have summative assessments at the end of each scheme of learning that focus on the essential knowledge that has been covered.  

Formative assessment takes place every lesson through a range of techniques such as cold calling, targeted questions and responses on mini whiteboards. These assessments demonstrate the depth of understanding and knowledge and indicate where there may be gaps in learning. This helps inform future teaching and learning. 

We will share information with you three times across the year. This will be done by sharing data reports and by discussions at Parent’s Evenings.  

The relevant dates are clearly identified on our school calendar. How we assess and the information we share with you differs slightly depending on the Key Stage. 

Key Stage 3 Assessment:

At Key Stage Three students are assessed in class at the end of each scheme of learning.  These assessments will be based on the knowledge and skills that have been the focus in the unit. An overview of these can be found on our curriculum page for each subject.  

Students will all be awarded a pathway after each assessment.  This will give them and you a clear idea about how much they have learned in the unit of work.  While students are not given a target grade they will be assessed as one of the following pathways: Establishing the foundations, Working towards, Secure or Mastery. 

The assessment will be revisited in a later lesson to ensure students have a chance to work on the areas they need to improve. A next steps document, on this page, will provide students with links to use to help develop areas where there were gaps in learning.  

We collate all these assessments together and, on your child's report, they will feedback on each element of essential knowledge. This will show you an overview of their current learning in each subject. 

The other information we share with you twice a year is your child's Attitude to Learning score for each subject.  This gives a great indication of how well they have applied themselves to their studies.  All students should be aiming for a 1 in every lesson. 

Key Stage 4 Assessment:

At the start of the Key Stage Four journey, we set aspirational targets for each student in each of their subjects.  This is an indication of the grades they should be aiming for in their GCSEs.  We believe all our students have the ability to succeed so every target is based on ensuring all students are challenged. 

The target set is the grade we would expect your child to achieve in year 11.  

Students complete an assessment at the end of each scheme of work.  This will be based on the knowledge and skills that have been the focus in those lessons.  You can get an overview of this on our Curriculum section for each subject area. These assessments will all take place as part of a lesson and will be based on the GCSE (or equivalent qualification) questions. 

Students will all be given feedback to ensure they are able to improve.  This will give them and you a clear idea about how much they have learned in the unit of work and what the next steps of your child’s development in the subject will be.  

The assessment will be revisited in a later lesson to ensure students have a chance to look at the areas they need to improve in. 

We collate all these assessments together after each has taken place and when we report to you it is an average of these grades.  This will show you, up to that point in time, how much your child has learned and remembered from what they have been taught in each lesson.  While this information of a currently working at grade is not a prediction, it will give you a good indication of how close they are to their target grades. At Key Stage Four we also provide you and your child with a predicted grade to show you where your child is in relation to their target.  

At the end of Key Stage 4 students will undertake terminal examinations set by the examination board. These may consist of coursework elements that need to be submitted prior to the examinations.  

The other information we share with you twice a year is your child’s Attitude to Learning score for each subject.  This gives a great indication of how well they have applied themselves to their studies.  All students should be aiming for a 1 in every lesson. 

Key Stage 5 Assessment:

At the start of the Key Stage Five journey, we set a target for each student in each of their subjects. These targets are an indication of the grades they should be aiming for as their final grade in their A-Level or vocational qualifications and will not necessarily be the same for each subject. Targets are both realistic and aspirational, ensuring that students stretch themselves to do the best they can, with the aim of ensuring all students are challenged. 

The targets that are given are end of course targets, and as such, they do not usually change from Year 12 into Year 13. Over the course of their studies, it is expected that students’ grades will steadily improve from the beginning of Year 12 until the end of Year 13 as their abilities and skills improve, although there is a certain level of variation in this progression pathway between subjects. 

Students complete an assessment at the end of each scheme of learning. This will be based on the knowledge and skills that have been the focus in those lessons, you can get an overview of assessments on our curriculum page. 

These assessments will all take place as part of a lesson and will be based on A-Level (or equivalent qualification) questions from previous years exam papers. Where appropriate, students will all be awarded a grade after each assessment, which will give them and you a clear idea about how much they have learned in the unit of work. The assessment will be revisited in a later lesson to ensure students have a chance to look at the areas in which they need to improve. 

We collate all these assessments after each has taken place and when we report to you it is an indication of the grade at which your son/daughter is currently working. This will show you, up to that point in time, how much your son/daughter has learned and remembered from what they have been taught in each lesson, along with how their skills have developed. While it is not a prediction, it will give you a good indication of how close they are to their target grades. 

The structure of the courses differs, with A Levels typically being assessed by terminal examination, while our vocational courses are typically 50% examination and 50% controlled assessment. The timing of the examination components will also vary between subjects. This course structure is available on the course pages and is shared with students at the start of the course. 

The other information we share with you twice a year is your child’s Attitude to Learning score for each subject. This gives a great indication of how well they have applied themselves to their studies. All students should be aiming for a 1 in every lesson.