Assessment What you need to know

Year 1 Phonics Screening Check A guide for parents

Session Aims: What Phonics is and why children are tested? When this will take place? What format will the test take? How can parents help?

What Phonics is and why children are tested What is Phonics? Children begin to learn phonics (sounds) in Early Years both Nursery and Reception. Once children begin learning sounds, these sounds are used to read and spell words. Children can then see the purpose of learning sounds. Why children are tested? The phonics screening check is designed to confirm whether pupils have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard. It will identify pupils who need extra help to improve their decoding skills so we can put this in place to further support their learning.

When will this take place? The phonics screening check must be taken during the week commencing 15 June. A pupil may only take the check the following week if they were absent during check week.

What format will the test take? The test contains 40 words. Each child will sit one to one and read each word aloud to a teacher. The test will take approximately 10 minutes per child, although all children are different and will complete the check at their own pace. The list of words the children read is a combination of 20 real words and 20 pseudo words (nonsense words). The pseudo words (nonsense words) will be shown to your child with a picture of an alien. This provides the children with a context for the pseudo word which is independent from any existing vocabulary they may have. Pseudo words are included because they will be new to all pupils; they do not favour children with a good

How can parents help? Play lots of sound and listening games with your child. Read as much as possible to and with your child. Encourage and praise – get them to have a ‘good guess’. If your child is struggling to decode a word, help them by encouraging them to say each sound in the word from left to right. Blend the sounds by pointing to each letter, e.g. /c/ in cat, or the letter group, e.g. /ng in sing. Next move your finger under the whole word as you say it. Discuss the meaning of words if your child does not know what they have read.

Key stage 1

Session Aims: What your child will be tested on? How long each paper is? What we have done in class this year? Helping child with reading during the test? Timetable for the test week? What you can do to help your child?

Reading Two reading papers All children will do the first paper Children who score well on the first paper will do the second. Children are not timed for these tests

Writing Children's writing will be assessed through work done throughout the year and a portfolio of independent work There is no test

Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation A test untimed 20 questions testing a range of grammar and punctuation 20 spellings

Mathematics Untimed Mental arithmetic test Mathematical reasoning test The test is read to all children

Timetable The test will be carried out on the week beginning 16th May

Teaching so far… This year we have had lots of lessons in Reading Writing and Maths to prepare the children with the knowledge they will need to complete the tests We have completed several ‘practise’ tests so the children are familiar with the layout and the types of questions they might get.

Your Role Make sure your child is in school on time all that week Keep hearing your child read and working on the times tables that are sent home every week

Welcome to the Key Stage 2 SATs Presentation Feel free to cast your eye over the latest sample SATs material at the back of the room to get an idea of the level of challenge! we hope this evening will act as a quick guide to help you understand the process and elements of this years Key Stage 2 SATs

The Big Picture Children are formally assessed against national expectations at the end of each key stage. - End of KS1 – Year 2 - End of KS2 – Year 6 This is the first year that children will be assessed against the new national curriculum. The expectations have been raised. Children are continuously assessed by their teacher, in order to plan effectively for the next steps in their learning

Scaled Scores The children’s scores will no longer equate to a level Every pupil will receive: a raw score for each test, a scaled score: 100 = national expectation and… confirmation of whether or not they attained the national standard. As this is the first year of this new system, the scale cannot be set in advance so we do not yet know what raw scores will equate to a scaled score of ‘100’.

Timetable for SATs 9th – 12th May 2016 Mon 9th Tues 10th Wed 11th Thurs 12th Fri 13th Reading Test GPS Tests Maths Paper 1 – Arithmetic Maths Paper 3 - Reasoning Maths Paper 2 - Reasoning

The Reading Test Pupils are allowed 1 hour for the reading test. The test will include 3 or 4 different texts – past examples include stories, poems, explanations, classic texts, interviews and accounts. The questions will range from simple retrieval to more advanced inference and deduction.

The GPS Test Spelling, punctuation and grammar Spelling Test – 20 words Written paper – 45 minutes

While he stood in a muddy field, the spotty cow mooed loudly. connective noun main clause verb adjective adverb article preposition pronoun subordinate clause phrase

Grammar There is also some new grammar learning from the national curriculum which is likely to be tested on. We are currently teaching Year 6 these grammar rules and definitions for the first time.

Writing There is no writing test. Children will be given a writing level based on continuous teacher assessment throughout the year. Increased focus on handwriting

The Maths Tests There are 3 maths tests: - Paper 1– Arithmetic: 30 minutes - Paper 2 – Reasoning: 40 minutes - Paper 3 – Reasoning: 40 minutes

How are we supporting your children? Daily Arithmetic Maths Daily Grammar sessions Daily Guided Reading sessions Daily Reading Comprehension Regular opportunities to write across a range of genres Opportunities to work through past SATs papers to familiarise children with the format of the paper and help them interpret questions. Trying our very best to not put the children under any unnecessary pressure; all we want them to do is try their best.

How can you support your child? Maintain normal routines at home Bedtime slightly earlier than normal during test week Encourage your child to eat healthily, especially breakfast Continue to support with reading, spelling and mental maths. Try your very best to not put the children under any unnecessary pressure; all we want them to do is try their best.

Studying and Revision Use Revision Guides if you choose to. BBC Bite-size. Encourage your children to make links between their revision and what they have learnt in class Come and talk to us if you or your child have any subject specific questions when revising

Life after the Tests Results will be sent back to school towards the beginning of July. The test results and a teacher assessment is reported to the Secondary School and to parents. Tests indicate what a child can do on ONE day, the teacher assessment gives a picture of a child’s ability over time.

Thank You for supporting your child by attending tonight Any Questions?