Assessment meeting for parents of children in Y1 to Y6 Wednesday 9 th December 6pm & Thursday 10th December 9:15am

What does assessment mean? For children Informs the children what are they good at Explains what they need to do next to get even better. For Teachers Which key performance indicators the children have achieved Which key performance indicators the children need to focus on next Which children have made progress and who needs further support in specific areas. For Parents Provides reliable information to parents about how their child is performing at school. Key performance indicators = Main objectives that are taught e.g. Y2 Writing - Uses the correct choice and consistent use of present tense and past tense throughout a written piece

What does assessment mean? For Leaders and Governors Assessment and tracking supports all school leaders in strategic decision making through providing information such as: Which children are working at/above/below ARE (Age Related Expectation)? Does the % of children working at or above ARE improve over time? Which key performance indicators do individuals/ and /or cohorts find harder to achieve? Benchmarking – how does the attainment at Wessex compare to other similar schools? How does it compare to national and local statistics?

Why are we not using levels any more? As many of you will be aware, the Department of Education (DfE) has made a significant change in the way that children are assessed in schools. The levels that you were all familiar with in KS1 and KS2 (2b, 4c etc.) have now been removed. The reason the DfE did this was to ensure that children have a breadth and depth of knowledge at each year of the national curriculum.

What are we using instead of levels?

How do teachers make their judgements?

What happens if my child is working above Age Related Expectation (ARE)? The 2014 new curriculum focuses very much on ensuring children have a breadth of understanding within the concepts and skills they learn. The application of skills and understanding across a wide range of curriculum areas is key. Rather than moving ‘up’ the stages, the focus is on moving ‘outwards’, developing a deeper understanding. For example, in Y3 maths, we would expect children to name and recognise a range of 2D and 3D shapes but a child with a ‘deep’ understanding would be able to explain why different 3D shapes can cast the same shadow. More able children are stretched through differentiated tasks in class as well as master classes.

What happens if my child is working below Age Related Expectation (ARE)? Children of lower ability are exposed to the year group curriculum but work is suitably differentiated to ensure the child can access it at the correct level. The teacher will assess against the most appropriate key performance indicators. On the progress update reports it will state which year group the child is working at. E.g. a child may be in Year 5 but are working at 4.2 i.e. a Year 4 emerging plus. For a child in Year 1, a judgement will be made against the Early Years Outcomes e.g. E Taught in ability group/set. Tasks given are differentiated to meet the needs of individual children. Interventions in afternoon to support individual’s learning and progress.

Health Warning These assessment arrangements are new to Wessex and to the whole country, hence schools are currently on a learning journey. As it evolves it will be adjusted/changed accordingly to meet the needs of the children and teachers at Wessex. Also the Year 2 and Year 6 teachers are teaching the new 2014 curriculum for the first time.

When and how will we be told how my child is getting on? Attainment and progress reports for parents - final.docx

How can I support my child’s learning at home? T:\Subject Leaders\Mathematics\I can statements\Learning journey blocks\Y5.docx Daily reading Encourage child to use MyMaths & BugClub Termly curriculum letters give home learning ideas and activities.

How are the KS1 and KS2 SATs changing? Current Year 2 From 2016, KS1 national curriculum test outcomes will no longer be reported using levels. Scaled scores will be used instead. English reading Paper 1: combined reading prompt and answer booklet English reading Paper 2: reading booklet and reading answer booklet English grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 1: spelling English grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 2: questions Mathematics Paper 1: arithmetic Mathematics Paper 2: reasoning There is no longer a test for English writing. This is judged by the teacher from a range of tasks over the year.

How are the KS1 and KS2 SATs changing? Current Year 6 From 2016, KS2 national curriculum test outcomes will no longer be reported using levels. Scaled scores will be used instead. There will only be one set of tests for each subject. The tests will include a small number of questions designed to assess the most able pupils so separate tests, such as the previous level 6 tests, are no longer required. The mental mathematics test has been replaced with an arithmetic test. English reading: reading booklet and associated answer booklet English grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 1: short answer questions English grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 2: spelling Mathematics Paper 1: arithmetic Mathematics Paper 2: reasoning Mathematics Paper 3: reasoning There is not a test for writing but teachers assess writing over a range of tasks over the year.

How are the KS1 and KS2 SATs changing? Any questions? Have you signed in?