Assessment

The purpose of effective assessment is to:

Measure Student Learning: To evaluate how well students are understanding and retaining the material from the planned curriculum.
Identify Strengths and Weaknesses: To pinpoint areas where students are excelling and where they require more support.
Inform Instruction: To help practitioners to tailor their teaching strategies to meet the needs of all their students.
Track Progress: To monitor student progress over time and ensure they are on the right track.
Raise accountability: To hold schools and teachers accountable for student performance.
Guide Curriculum Development: To provide data that can be used to improve and adapt the curriculum.
Motivate Students: To allow pupils to see where they are succeeding and what they need to do to improve so they can use this information to further progress; this is motivating.
Provide Feedback: To give students and parents feedback on academic performance.

How do we assess?

We use formative assessment to check that the curriculum content is remembered long term and what has been forgotten. At both KS3 and KS4 formative assessment should be used through each lesson so that real time teacher adaptations can be made.

We recognise that assessment can be used in a number of ways:

Assessment of learning: summative assessments in order to monitor students’ progress through national standardised tests.
Assessment for learning: through questioning, mini whiteboards, examining students’ work to provide analysis of student progress and allow real time adjustments in lessons.
Assessment as learning: through routine quizzes and tests to build memory automaticity in students. These low stakes assessments are part of the learning process.

Shared assessment points:

Throughout the academic year, there are several shared assessment points where teacher judgements of progress will be collected and entered into Arbor.

Baseline assessment
Mid-point judgement (This will be built into 2025/2026 academic year)
End of term/module judgements

Sharing Success Criteria

Assessment descriptors for each subject’s end of term modules/assessments will be shared with students by teachers as part of their preparation for assessment.

Attainment

Key Stage 3 Attainment:

The following statements will be used post assessments in Key Stage 3 to identify where a student is in their learning.

Working Above: The teacher is confident that the student understands both the substantive and disciplinary skills appropriate for their stage and is demonstrating both substantive and disciplinary knowledge beyond their stage and age.
Age Expected: The teacher is confident that the student understands the substantive and disciplinary skills and knowledge appropriate for their stage and age.
Working Towards Plus: The teacher is confident that the student is very close to understanding the substantive and disciplinary skills and knowledge appropriate for their stage and age.
Working Towards: The teacher is confident that the student is not yet close to understanding the substantive and disciplinary skills and knowledge appropriate for their stage and age.

These will be reported to Parents three times a year in Attainment Reports.

Key Stage 4 Attainment:

For GCSE courses, Grade 9 is the highest grade. Grade 1 is the lowest grade.
For Vocational courses the rank order of grades from highest to lowest is: L2D*, L2D, L2M, L2P, L1D, L1M and L1P.

Qualification Grades

Vocational Qualifications

Vocational Qualifications are graded using a different scheme to GCSE. Vocational grades are shown below, along with the GCSE equivalence.

Vocational Grade GCSE Equivalent

Level 2 Distinction* 8.5

Level 2 Distinction 7

Level 2 Merit 5.5

Level 2 Pass 4

Level 1 Distinction 3

Level 1 Merit 2

Level 1 Pass 1

GCSE Grades

GCSE Grades were reformed in 2017. The 9-1 grading system along with what grades roughly equate to on the old grading system are shown below.

Grade 9 is the highest grade.
Grade 8 is approximately the same as a Grade A*.
Grade 7 is approximately the same as a Grade A.
Grade 6 is approximately the same as a Grade B.
Grade 5 is classed as a ‘strong pass’. This is equivalent to a high Grade C.
Grade 4 is classed as a ‘standard pass’. This is equivalent to a low Grade C.
Grade 3 is approximately the same as a Grade D.
Grade 2 is approximately the same as a Grade E.
Grade 1 is approximately the same as a Grade F/G.

Behaviour for Learning, Effort, Homework and Equipment

We will report to Parents on students behaviour for learning, effort, homework and equipment using the following:

1 – Excellent
2 – Good
3 – Inconsistent
4 – Poor

Effort

Excellent - · Work is always completed to the highest standard. · Work is always presented neatly. · The student always gives their personal best.
Good - · Work is almost always completed to the highest standard. · Work is almost always presented neatly. · The student usually gives their personal best.
Inconsistent - · Work is inconsistent. Work produced is sometimes of a high standard and sometimes of a low standard. · Work presentation is inconsistent. · The student does not always give their personal best.
Poor - · Work is almost always completed to a poor standard. Work is almost always untidy. · The student rarely gives their personal best. · Poor attitude towards work.

Homework

Excellent - · Homework is always completed by the deadline. · Homework is always completed to the highest standard.
Good - · Homework is almost always completed by the deadline. · Homework is almost always completed to the highest standard.
Inconsistent - · Homework is not always completed by the deadline. · Homework is not always completed to the highest standard.
Poor - · Homework is almost always completed to a poor standard. · Numerous homework deadlines have been missed.

Behaviour for Learning

Excellent - • Always follows instructions first time. Always remains on task for the full lesson. • Always follows the classroom rules. • Excellent attitude towards work.
Good - • Almost always follows instructions immediately without wasting time or being too slow. Almost always remains on task for the full lesson, but can go off task on very rare occasions, but stops when reminded once. • Good attitude towards work.
Inconsistent - • Is often slow to follow instructions and may need asking more than once on some occasions. Needs frequent reminders in class to remain on task. • Is too easily distracted by talking and needs too many reminders on a regular basis in class. • Inconsistent attitude towards work.
Poor - • Reluctant to follow basic instructions and classroom rules each lesson and needs reminding about the same thing almost every lesson (e.g. sitting up, looking in the correct direction). • Is slow to start work and needs many prompts in the lesson to do so. Often goes off task and talks. This can distract others. • Poor attitude towards work.

Equipment

Excellent - • Always has correct equipment for the lesson. Always brings book/file.
Good - • Almost always has correct equipment for the lesson. Almost always brings book/file.
Inconsistent - • Has been lacking essential equipment on numerous occasions. Often forgets book/file.
Poor - • Is often lacking essential equipment needed in the lesson. Has forgot book/file many times