1 st October 2015

 Clarify what the national curriculum tests are and what they involve  Explain the changes in the way they will be reported  Roles and responsibilities of school staff  Roles and responsibilities of you as parents

A new national curriculum was introduced in September 2014 (as your children started Year 1) The new curriculum is more challenging, with higher standards expected. Will be assessed for the first time this year – at the end of Year 2 for KS1 and at the end of Year 6 for KS2

 New tests will be taken in May;  Informal, small groups with teacher so that children are comfortable, will be told they are doing special work Tests will include:  A grammar, punctuation and spelling test  2 reading tests  A maths test including an arithmetic test

Reading tests: 2 papers 1 with test and questions combined – 30 mins 1 with test and questions in a separate book – 40 mins All children working at the level of the tests will take both tests Comprehension

 SPAG test – Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar test – 15 mins Spelling, 20 mins other  This is new to KS1 will involve children correctly punctuating sentences, identifying parts of sentences, adding spaces to sentences  Separate spelling test

 2 tests  1 arithmetic test – 20 mins  1 other written test – 35 mins, including 5 aural questions

 Each child will be given a ‘raw’ score from the test  This will be converted to a ‘scaled’ score  The expected standard will be a ‘scaled’ score of 100, children achieving a score below this will be working below expected standards, children achieving above 100 will be working at a greater depth in the expected standards  You will be told scores on test in the end of year reports

 Teachers will use the tests, and the work that children do every day, to decide whether your child is:  Working towards the expected standard  Working at the expected standard  Working at greater depth within the expected standard  Another category for those not working towards

 Using capital letters and full stops in most sentences, using ? and ! in some sentences  Using sentences with different forms – statements, questions, exclamations and commands  Using expanded noun phrases – adjectives  Using present and past tense correctly  Using the words ‘and, or, but’ and ‘when, if, that, because’  Spelling many words  Spelling contracted forms of words – don’t, I’m, didn’t  Adding suffixes to words e.g. – ment, -ness, - ful, - less, -ly  Joining some of their letters  Writing capital letters and digits of the correct size, in relation to lower case letters  Using correct spacing between words

 Teaching and planning exciting ways of motivating your children  Making sure we keep an eye on expected standards so that we know if children are where they should be or are struggling  Giving opportunities to practise tests  Extra support for children that need a little bit of help or those who may get higher – group work, Better reading partners, 1 st class at Maths  Share whether we expect your child to meet the end of year standards, and what children need to do to get there, give children individual targets  Give homework – homework clubs; looking into SPAG homework  We will provide some parents’ workshops to go through some of the grammar and maths that the children will be learning

 Make sure your children come to school....on time, having had enough sleep and breakfast  Keep us informed of any problems  Support teachers with behaviour issues, asking children if they ‘stayed on Green’  Support children with homework – remind about homework club etc.  Read, read, read!....Dads and boys!  Get children to school on time everyday  Practical learning from home  Practise spellings and spelling rules  Help learn 2, 5 and 10 times tables

Please please label your children’s clothing!