Orleans Primary School Assessment 

Systems at Orleans Primary School

Levels ceased to be used to provide an attainment point for each pupil. From September 2017 Orleans has used the following terminology to indicate attainment in Year 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6: 

• Below (B) - Beginning to show an awareness of the end of year expectations. 
• Below + (B+) - Beginning to show an understanding of the end of year expectations.
• Working Within (W) - Working towards the end of year expectations.
• Working Within + (W+) - Working within the end of year expectations but have not secured all of their knowledge.
• Secure (S) - Pupils are secure in their end of year expectations and are able to apply their knowledge.
• Secure + (S+) - Secure within the end of year expectations and are able to apply their knowledge to a wide range of contexts and scenarios. 

Progress is measured to ensure that pupils are making good or outstanding progress across the year and throughout their time at Orleans.

In Years 2 and 6 (the end of Key Stage years) Orleans use the terminology below to report to the Department for Education, for the rest of the year, progress will be reported as above:

Year 2

• Pre Key Stage 1 Description of Pre key stage standards for Reading, Writing and Maths
• Pre Key Stage 2 (see above)
• Pre Key Stage 3 (see above)
• Pre Key Stage 4 yet to have achieved the working towards end of Year 2 expectations
• Working Towards End of Year Expectations (WTS)
• Working at End of Year Expectations (EXS)
• Working at a Greater Depth Within End of Year Expectations (GDS)

Year 6

• Pre Key Stage 1 - (see above)
• Pre Key Stage 2 - (see above)
• Pre Key Stage 3 - (see above)
• Pre Key Stage 4 - (see above)
• Pre Key Stage 5 - working towards the KS1 expected standard
• Pre Key Stage 6 - working at the KS1 expected standard
• Working Towards End of Year Expectations (WTS)
• Working at End of Year Expectations (EXS)
• Working at a Greater Depth Within End of Year Expectations (GDS)

At Orleans we believe that this fits with the nature of the new national curriculum and that we will be able to track pupil’s progress across the academic year and from year group to year group in a meaningful and consistent way.

The Principles of Assessment at Orleans

Assessment is fundamental to be able to extend and challenge children’s learning so that they can reach their full potential. At Orleans we have a whole school framework in place through which all the different levels of assessment merge and are used to inform class planning. Through our assessment processes we continually evaluate children’s knowledge, skills and understanding, establishing what children can do and what their next learning steps should be. Assessment is the heart of the learning process and provides the valuable evidence to guide and improve teaching and learning. Alongside this, it offers the opportunity for children to demonstrate and review their own progress. It is an integral part of our relentlessly ambitious, high expectations culture.

Our assessment is incorporated systematically into teaching strategies in order to assess progress and diagnose any needed developments whether on an individual, group, class or whole school basis.

There are three main forms of assessment;

• In school formative assessment, this is used by teachers to evaluate pupil’s knowledge and understanding on a daily basis which feeds into next step planning
• In school summative assessment, which enables schools to evaluate how much a pupil has learned at the end of a teaching block and across a term
• Nationally standardised summative assessment, which is used the DFE to hold schools to account for pupil progress.

We aim to:

• Monitor progress and support learning of all groups of pupils throughout  the school
• Recognise the achievements of pupils and identify any areas of development
• Inform pupils of their progress and next steps
• Support pupils in assessing their own learning and setting targets
• Guide planning, teaching, additional support,  curriculum development and resources
• Inform parents and the wider community of the pupils achievement
• Comply with statutory requirements

Our Approaches to Formative, Summative and Statutory Assessments

We believe every child has the potential to progress, we adopt a growth mind-set approach and use assessment as a tool to support children, parents and teachers in understanding their next steps in their learning journey. Assessment is used to support learning by:

• Identifying gaps/misconceptions
• Identifying starting points for a topic
• Informing children what they know and where they need to go next
• Developing a common language to communicate between parents, children and teachers
• Providing next steps during lessons

Formative: Teachers at Orleans use this as their ongoing assessment during a unit of work; these assessments are used to direct the teaching materials and strategies employed immediately after the assessment in lessons. We use ‘I can’ statements from Target Tracker and feedback from marking to ensure the pupils have ownership of their next steps and know how to improve their knowledge and skills. The ‘I can’ statements are linked directly with marking, questioning and feedback. Pupils are all individually provided with a printout of the band they are working within which is stuck in their books for Writing and Maths and given out in guided reading session so they are able to see which target they are currently working on and where they need to go next.

All children will also have a target pencil on the front of their writing/topic/science books, which will have 1 or 2 specific individual targets for the pupils to work towards. These will be reviewed and changed as pupils meet their targets and will be taken from Target Tracker and/or the TAFS

The types of formative assessment we use include;

• Increased wait time – this encourages all children to try to find an answer
• Marking and feedback (Please see Marking Policy)
• Talking Partners – allowing a short discussion with others to explore ideas and knowledge
• Asking open questions which encourage children to think rather than just answer yes or no
• Feedback – focusing on a specific learning intention at a relevant time (i.e. with the children)
• Self/peer assessment – children take the responsibility for feeding back to the teacher/group about their own work
• Traffic Lights – children indicate how well they understand a task. This can also be used to show how well a child thinks they have completed a task.

Summative: Formal summative assessments occur each half term and at the end of the teaching unit. (See Appendix 2) They are focused on the work which has been covered and the end of year expectations; assessments identify individual and class strengths as well as areas which need to be developed. The outcomes are communicated to the Headteacher, assessment leader, phase leaders and SENCO through pupil progress meetings and to parents though consultations and the written report in the summer term. These summative assessments take the form of an independent piece of work or a test which allows pupils to demonstrate that they have mastered a variety of transferable skills.

Statutory Arrangements for Assessment for Pupils the End of KS1 and KS2

Following the introduction of the reformed national curriculum and the removal of national curriculum levels, new statutory assessment arrangements were introduced for the 2015 to 2016 academic year.

These include national curriculum tests for English reading, English grammar, punctuation and spelling, and Mathematics at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2, and frameworks for teacher assessment. The frameworks are used by teachers to meet their statutory obligation to report teacher assessment judgements in English Reading, Writing and Mathematics at the end of both key stages for pupils who have completed the programme of study.

For some pupils with Special Educational Needs, who have the most severe and complex needs, they will have their outcomes reported using the P scales. This will be agreed in consultation with the SENCo. In this instance a move between P scales counts as 2 steps.  For example P6 to P7 is 2 out of the 6 steps expected for the year. For other pupils who are teacher assessed as working below the standard of both the national curriculum test and the teacher assessment frameworks we will use the Pre-Key Stage Standards. The statements for these standards define the expectations appropriate for pupils working at the standard and reflect the core knowledge and skills that the pupils need to progress.

Assessing Pupils Who Arrive Mid-Year

When pupils start mid-year, they and their families meet with the Headteacher. If any additional needs are identified these are raised with the inclusion leader who liaises with the class teacher to ensure a smooth transition. Children are given a short period to settle and within the first two weeks they complete the most recent assessments for their year group. The admin team will seek the information from the previous setting using the local authority proforma and the Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher will contact their previous school to discuss the pupil’s current attainment. This information will be passed to the class teacher who will plan accordingly for that pupil.

Transition from external Nursery classes to Reception

When a pupil moves from an outside Nursery into Orleans Primary School Reception the Early Years leader will make every effort to obtain the assessment data for each pupil and will work with the Nurseries to ensure that the data is as robust.  This information and data will be taken into consideration when completing the baseline assessments in Reception during the first six weeks of the pupils being at Orleans.

Inclusion and Assessment

It is the expectation that all pupils make expected progress. From Key Stage One onwards, children are provided with termly differentiated tasks and tests which are administered according to their differing needs, this in turn allows us to monitor the progress formally, set targets and ensure all pupils are accessing the curriculum providing next steps. Furthermore it enables teachers to reflect on the success and delivery of their practice and evaluate how effective the curriculum is for individual pupils. For most SEN pupils this means that they will use the year group assessment for the year band that they are working within. For example a pupil may be in Year 5 but working within the Year 3 expectations.  This pupil would therefore be tested using the Year 3 test materials.  The front cover of the materials would be removed so pupils were less aware of the level of the paper. For pupils with complex needs, who are unable to access a written form of assessment, the specific assessments will be agreed between the teacher, LSA and SENCo in consultation with curriculum and assessment leader.  Where appropriate differing assessment materials such as Sandwell, Numicon, YARC, Tapestry and Salford are used as diagnostic tools for teachers to identify strengths and areas for development. Where deemed appropriate, and in consultation with the SENCo, P scales will be used to assess pupils with SEN.  In this instance a move between P scales counts as 2 steps.  For example P6 to P7 is 2 out of the 6 steps expected for the year.  For some pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan their progress may not be able to be measured in the same way as their peers.  The school may use the targets which are laid out in their individual EHC Plan, in conjunction with P Scales. For these pupils their targets and expected progress will be agreed with the SENCo in the autumn term and the measure of good and outstanding progress will be agreed.

Only in rare and exceptional circumstances will pupils be assessed above their year group. Only for extremely talented and gifted pupils, those that a teacher may encounter once or twice in their career, would this happen.  If a teacher has evidence that supports this they would approach the assessment leader and Headteacher to discuss this and a joint decision would be taken.

Assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage

In Nursery an on-entry assessment is made within the first six weeks of the children starting in September. This forms a starting point for each individual across all seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS). These areas are; (Prime) Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development and (Specific) Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design. The baseline results are recorded and judged against EYFS age-band related statements using the ‘Moving On’ assessment tool.

Ongoing observational assessments focus on both child-initiated and adult-led activities. These assessments are used to build up a picture of what each child knows, feels and understands, along with what they are interested in and what they can do. It allows for next steps of learning to be planned for and provision developed in order to support each child’s development.  Evidence is gathered through planned and incidental photographic and narrative observations and annotated samples of work. Contributions are collected from both parents and the children through ‘wow stickers’, annotated work samples and adult-child interviews. This evidence is collated within a learning journey booklet and is used as a formative assessment tool, capturing interests and significant moments of learning across the nursery year.

Children’s attainment is recorded through use of tapestry, which are updated each term in order to track learning progress across the nursery year. Parents have access to an online platform top follow their children’s progress.  Nursery transfer documents are sent to Reception teachers as part of the transition process in July.

In Reception

On entry assessment is carried out when children start in September. Results are used to inform planning, set targets and aid early identification of special needs. From this point on children will be assessed regularly using the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) to ensure that the next steps in learning are appropriately planned in order for children to make progress. The Early Years teachers use ongoing observations and assessments in the following areas for the 17 Early Learning Goals;

The Prime Areas of Learning; Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

The Specific Areas of Learning: Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design.

For each Early Learning Goal practitioners must judge whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the Reception year, exceeding it or if they have not yet reached this level.

We endeavour to create a seamless transition between Reception and Year 1. The benefit of this process is to ensure the continued progress of all pupils. Year 1 teachers use the ELGs as a baseline assessment specifically relating to number, writing and reading and to form the starting point for planning. The summative and formative assessment carried out throughout the Reception Year provides essential information to Year 1 teachers about each child’s approach to learning.

Year 2 to Year 3

When moving from KS1 to KS2 it is imperative that the data is robust and reflects the attainment against the NC for Key Stage 1.  A pupil who attains greater depth within the expected standard will be 2S+.  A pupil working within expectations will be in the range 2W+ to 2S.  A pupil working towards expectations will be either a 2B, a 2B+ or 2W.  A pupil working at Pre Key stage expectations will be assessed against the Year 1 criteria or P levels as appropriate.

Assessment in Year 6

In line with the rest of the school Year 6 will use Target Tracker to accurately track the progress of the pupils in Year 6.  The teachers will use the data from Year 5 summer Teacher Assessments in conjunction with September assessments and their own teacher assessments in September to assign an Autumn 1 starting point for every pupil. In line with other year groups the Year groups’ teachers will moderate their judgements within the assessment window in September/start of October.  A target will then be set for each pupil using Target Tracker and FFT aspire.

At the end of the year a pupil who attains greater depth within the expected standard will be 6S+ on Target Tracker.  A pupil working within expectations will be in the range 6W+ to 6S.  A pupil working towards expectations will be either a 6B, a 6B+ or 6W or working within an earlier year group band.

Other Subjects Tracking of Progress in KS1 and KS2

Target Tracker will be used to track the progress of pupils in other subjects (Not core subjects) This data will be updated once a term and used by subject leaders to monitor progress of pupils in their subjects.

Monitoring of the Assessment Policy

The Assessment Policy was written by the Senior Leadership Team and was led by the Headteacher and Deputy. To ensure there is clear and consistent practice across the school, the principles of this Assessment Policy will be monitored as part of the checking of teaching and learning and our classroom practice. The Policy will be approved by the Quality and Standards Committee. We will continue to access good practice from other schools and incorporate this into the policy review.  This Policy will be reviewed in June 2020 to ensure the assessment procedures are effective in providing the information teachers need to be able to monitor their pupil’s progress and adapts to changes from the Department of Education.

Records and Record Keeping

Teachers use records to review pupil’s progress, set appropriate targets for the future and to form the basis of reports to parents. Records are kept in many ways. These include;

• Teachers plans/flips
• Children’s work/book
• Teachers notes e.g. significant outcomes
• Target Tracker termly tracking for all subjects
• Pupil progress records that include a review of the progress of groups of pupils
• Early Years Foundation Stage Learning Profile
• Moving on assessment tracker for Nursery
• For SEN pupil’s assessment data is collated, tracked and monitored by the Inclusion Manager
• IEPs are reviewed by the class teacher, parents, SENCo and, where appropriate, children are involved and new SMART targets set

Marking

Marking follows the schools marking code. Marking is instrumental in ensuring that a personalised learning journey for all children is realised. At Orleans marking directly relates to the area of learning success criteria and targets set for each individual. We use our marking to enable the pupil to move their learning forward and so that teachers can identify the gaps in pupils learning. We give pupils time to review and respond to the marking ahead of the next session.

Our marking takes a variety of forms and is detailed in our Marking Policy.

Standardisation/Moderation

Orleans Primary School has robust systems in place to ensure that Teacher Assessment judgements are accurate.   This is achieved through the following planned actions:

• Year groups moderate their own judgements internally following assessment weeks
• Whole staff moderation of Reading, Writing, Maths and Science takes place at least once a year
• Once a term the SLT carries out an internal moderation of Writing in all year groups
• Year 2 and Year 6 staff moderate with other schools in the Spring and Summer Terms
• When moderating all sources of information that are part of the daily practice in the classroom are considered to give a full picture of the pupils’ attainment
• Whilst monitoring planning and books the SLT monitor the clarity and transparency of the evidence indicating the support that the pupil has received – this happens termly

• By attending LA sessions to ensure our judgements are in line with other schools

Reporting to Parents

Parents are invited to attend formal consultations with the teacher during the autumn and spring terms. Should the need arise, parents are welcome to discuss their child’s progress with their child’s class teacher at other times.

Appendix 1

Definitions of Progress

At Orleans Primary School good and outstanding progress are quantified as below:

Nursery

Expected progress (Good Progress) is 5 steps from the Autumn Term to the Summer Term.

Outstanding progress is 6+ steps from the Autumn Term to the Summer Term.

For example a pupil who enters at 22 – 36 months emerging would expect to achieve 30 – 50 secure - This would constitute 5 steps and is good progress.

Once a pupil moves from 30 – 50 months secure and moves to 40 – 60 emerging is recognised as 2 steps as is the jump from 40 – 60 emerging to 40 – 60 developing.

A pupil who enters at 22 – 36 months secure and finishes at 40 – 60 developing has made 7 steps of progress and this is outstanding progress.

Reception

Expected progress (Good Progress) is 6 steps from the Autumn Term to the Summer Term.

Outstanding progress is 7+ steps from the Autumn Term to the Summer Term.

40 – 60 emerging to 40 – 60 Developing is recognised as 2 steps as is the jump from 40 – 60 Developing to 40 – 60 Secure. 

For example a pupil who enters at 30 – 50 months developing would expect to achieve 40–60 Secure - This would constitute 6 steps and is good progress.

A pupil who enters at 30 – 50 months secure and finishes developing within the early learning goal has made 7 steps of progress and this is outstanding.

For a pupil who reaches Exceeding the ELG this would demonstrate outstanding progress from a starting point of 40 – 60 E months.

KS1 and KS2

Expected progress (Good Progress) – 6 steps of progress from the Autumn Term to the Summer Term

Outstanding progress – 7 steps or more from the Autumn Term to the Summer Term or, for pupils attaining S+ at the start and end of the year, 50% of the mastered statements achieved.

For example:

• For a pupil who starts Year 4 at 3W to make good progress they would need to finish the year at 4W.  This would constitute 6 steps of progress. This is good progress
• For a pupil who starts Year 4 at 3W to make outstanding progress they would need to finish the year at 4W+ or above. This would constitute 7 steps of progress or more. This is outstanding progress
• For a pupil who starts Year 4 at 3S+ and finished the year at 4S+ they would need to also achieve 50% of the mastered statements.  This would be outstanding progress.

Pupils are not to be moved onto the next year’s steps for Reading, Writing, Maths or Science unless agreed with the Headteacher and Inclusion Manager.

Year 2

Year 2 will use Target Tracker to track progress of their pupils and this will support the transition to Year 3 and ensure consistency rather than disparity.

 

Timetables for assessment across the school

Timetable for assessments in Nursery

Timetable for assessments in Reception

Timetable for assessments Year 3, 4 and 5

Timetable for assessments in Year 1

Timetable for assessments in Year 2

Timetable for assessments in Year 6