The New National Curriculum Assessment Meeting March 2016 EXCALIBUR PRIMARY SCHOOL

Aims of the evening  To understand the government has introduced a new curriculum.  To understand that the expectations of the children are higher than the previous curriculum.  Assessment without levels – how do we track and assess progress at Excalibur? How will the government expect us to test your children from 2016?

What we believe is important for Excalibur Children?  Develop as happy independent learners with a love of learning  Achieve their highest potential  Develop as responsible individuals with a respect and understanding of the needs of others  Make a positive contribution to the daily life of the school and participate in the decision making process  Develop confidence in themselves as individuals able to express thoughts and feelings  Develop spiritual awareness with a respect and understanding of the world around them, their own and other cultures  Understand how to live healthy lives and stay safe.

The Old National Curriculum Historically it was based on gaining a range of knowledge and skills which were developed through Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 It was broken into levels eg Average Year 2 was a level 2 Average Year 4 was a level 3 Average Year 6 was a level 4 Pupils were tested at year 2 and year 6, levels were awarded based on their scores/attainment. 2b3b4b Year 2x Year 4x Year 6x

Summary of old assessments LevelsSublevels Level 6 Level 5Level 5a Level 5b Level 5c Level 4Level 4a Level 4b Average Year 6 attainment (Tested) Level 4c Level 3Level 3a Level 3b Level 3c Level 2Level 2a Level 2b Average Year 2 Attainment (Tested) Level 2c Level 1Level 1a Level 1b Level 1c EYFS

Has everything changed? We will still teach in a similar way. We will always start our teaching by finding out what the children know first. We will still teach children’s knowledge and skills via a topic based thematic approach. We will still have high expectations of all children in all subjects. Core subjectsFoundation subjects Literacy – Now English Numeracy – Now Maths Science – remains science History Geography Design and Technology PSH and C Ed Music ICT (now computing) PE MFL RE

Changes The new national curriculum is more prescriptive in English and Maths Expectations are much higher eg some Y7 expectations are now found in Y5/6 Old curriculumNew curriculum English Level 4 writingVocab, Grammar & Punctuation Y5/6 Question marks, accurate use of speech punctuation. Commas in a list to occasionally mark clauses Using brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis, (additional information). Using commas to clarify meaning and avoid ambiguity. Using hyphens to avoid ambiguity. Using semi-colons, colons or dashes to mark boundaries between independent clauses. Using colon to introduce lists. Punctuate bullet points consistently These skills are normally taught at year old but now expected at y5/6

Some Maths examples Old curriculum New Curriculum Fractions, decimals & level 3 used to be: Fractions, decimals and percentages in Y3 – 4 is now Use simple fractions that are several parts of a whole. Recognise. Write and find fractions of a discrete set of objects Recognise when two simple fractions are equivalent Recognise and use fractions as numbers Begin to use decimal notationRecognise & show equivalent fractions Add & subtract fractions with the same denominator Compare & order fractions with the same denominator Solve problems involving fractions of increasingly difficultly (in Y4) Recognise and write decimal equivalents to simple fractions Count up and count down in tenth and hundredths Compare decimals to 2dp Round decimals to the nearest whole

Increased expectations and breadth It is really important for us all to understand that the expectations of the new curriculum are much higher at the end of each year group. Pupils being judged on the expectations for the end of Year 5 for example, will still have gaps and may not reach the ‘expected outcomes for their year group’ as they have only completed one year of the new curriculum. There is also a focus on children being able to explore the curriculum in more depth and being able to apply their learning before moving on – the concept of MASTERY. So it is likely that not so many children will be ‘exceeding’ because of these raised expectations.

Summarise new assessments The expected level has been given the Standard ‘100’ but precise boundaries will not be released until May Mastery, (depth of learning) StagesEmergingDevelopingSecure (Age Related Expectations) Year 6 Year 5 Year 4 Year 3 Year 2 Year 1 Early Years FSP

Summary of end of year new assessment The raised expectations mean that children need to have a very secure knowledge of the programme of study for their year group and depth or understanding and application. End of year expectation is now that children are ‘secure’ in their year group at the end of the year. GradingDescriptionMastery EmergingWorking below age related standards Children can master each stage at different levels. As well as assessing what children know, we will also assess the depth of their knowledge. How they can apply it to different situations. DevelopingWorking towards age related standards SecureWorking within/at age related standards

Children’s Core Skills Children are also involved in their own and each others’ assessment via our own, bespoke Core Skills targets.

How will this be communicated to parents? In Years 1,3,4 and 5 the school will state that your child is either: Working above age related expectation At age related expectation Or working towards the age related expectations. This judgement will take into account the child’s knowledge and ability to master it through application.

We would welcome any questions that you may have