Introduction of New National Curriculum Assessment without Levels SEN Reforms Introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions Introduction of Early Years Pupil Premium Reception Baseline to Measure Children’s Progress New Ofsted Framework for School Inspections Statutory Requirements for Schools’ Website Implementation of the EYFS Framework (2014) Reconstitution of the Governing Body

From September 2014, level descriptors have been removed from the National Curriculum. During schools had to develop their own methods of assessing pupil progress towards end of Key Stage expectations..

When revising the National Curriculum, the Expert Panel put forward four compelling reasons for the removal of levels: An Undue Emphasis on Pace The rate of progress, or how fast pupils moved through the levels, had become more important that pupils’ understanding of the curriculum. This led to pupils being expected to exceed the national age-related expectation. Unsuitability of Using ‘Best Fit’ Descriptors Many pupils were moved on because they best fitted a descriptor but may have had some significant gaps in their understanding

Problem with Determining Levels by Average Marks on a Test A high number of marks could be gained from, for example, Level 2 questions and some Level 4 questions, and yet, when averaged out, a pupil may have been awarded a Level 3. The pupils weren’t really a Level 3 but the marks may have declared them so. High Academically Ranking Countries have Never Used a System of Levels In these countries assessment is based on ‘depth’ of understanding or ‘mastery’ of all key concepts of the curriculum.

The New National Curriculum is built on the premise that pupils should study fewer things in greater depth. Pupils will be assessed against the content from the National Curriculum on a year-by-year basis. Schools have been given the autonomy to decide their own approaches to assessment. This change is intended to provide parents, children and their teachers with a more understandable assessment procedure which will give clear information and identify what your child can do, how this compares to what is expected in their year group and what else they need to do to improve.

Bletchingdon CE Primary School has been working with a number of local schools, including The Marlborough Academy, to explore how the new changes can be implemented to ensure cohesion across schools, and more importantly, to ensure that children know exactly what it is they need to do to improve and succeed. We have grasped the opportunity to provide parents, children and their teachers with a more understandable assessment procedure which will give clear information and identify what your child can do, how this compares to what is expected in their year group and what else they need to do to improve.

This has presented us with an exciting opportunity to carefully redesign the curriculum and challenge our approach to teaching. Simply put, Mastery learning is an approach to teaching that requires pupils to reach a certain, pre-determined level of proficiency. The most effective learning has always occurred when a pupil has the chance to build on prior learning, making connections to previous understanding and learning in small ‘chunks’ or units. The intention of this approach is to provide our children with full access to the Curriculum, enabling them to deepen the level of fluency, ability to apply and a level of understanding.

Within all our work on assessment we are guided by these agreed principles: All assessment is a true reflection of where children are in their learning. Everything we do as part of the assessment process has an impact on learning and progress. Children, parents and staff are actively engaged in the assessment process. Assessment processes are accessible to all: everyone understands the system and its purpose.

High Quality Formative Assessment Teachers and classroom-based staff will be continually assessing children’s progress through thorough marking, observation and discussion against year group expectations. Informative Summative Assessment Assessment is also informed by tests and other diagnostic assessments This combined and detailed information is then put on the school’s Tracking System where the teachers will make a robust judgement about how well children are doing against age-related expectations.

Children’s ongoing progress will be assessed and formally recorded at three points in the year in relation to the expectations for their year group as detailed in the National Curriculum. The large majority of pupils will progress through the curriculum content at the same pace with the expectation that most achieve the ‘expected’ standard for their age group and are supported to move to the ‘embedded’ stage.

Assessment Cycle- Summative Assessment In School Assessment Year GroupAssessment typeWhen it Happens Yr 1-6 Yr R Progress in Reading AssessmentThree times per year at the end of the autumn, spring and summer terms YR spring and summer only Yr 1-6Progress in Understanding MathematicsThree times per year at the end of the autumn, spring and summer terms Yr R-6Unaided WritingFive times per year at the end of the autumn 1 and 2, spring 1 and 2 and summer term Yr R-6Reading teacher assessmentFive times per year at the end of the autumn 1 and 2, spring 1 and 2 and summer term Yr R-6Mathematics teacher assessmentFive times per year at the end of the autumn 1 and 2, spring 1 and 2 and summer term National Assessment Year GroupAssessment TypeWhen it Happens Yr R age 4-5Baseline Early ExcellenceWithin the first few weeks of starting school Yr N-R age 4-5Children are assessed against seven areas of learning to see whether they have achieved a ‘good level of development’ End of nursery or reception year Yr 1 age 5-6Phonics Screening check (pass/fail)By the end of June Yr 2 age 6-7Phonics Screening re-check (for those who failed in Yr 1) (pass/fail) By the end of June Yr 2 age 6-7Externally set tests marked by the classteacher in: Mental arithemetic Mathematics Reading Grammar punctuation and spelling By the end of May Yr 6 age Externally set tests marked externally in: Mental arithemetic Mathematics (2 written papers) Reading Grammar, spelling and punctuation and, marked by the teacher: Writing A scaled score out of 130 will be awarded By the end of May

Any questions?