1. Assessment at Grovelands 02.05.17

2. The Grovelands Assessment System
The current curriculum has a different content to the old curriculum. Many of the objectives in the old curriculum have shifted to lower year groups in the current, more rigorous curriculum, this means it is not possible to have an exact correlation between a level that was the outcome of the old National Curriculum assessment and the requirements of the current National Curriculum. For teachers this has meant a shift in thinking and in the way we assess out children’s outcomes.
The school has welcomed the changes in the National Curriculum and saw it as an exciting opportunity to review our assessment and reporting systems to create a more holistic approach that makes sense to parents. We were very clear that whatever assessment tool we used, it needed to be robust and track pupils’ progress across the school and not just at the end of a Key Stage.

3. The Grovelands Assessment System
Every child can achieve: teachers at Grovelands have the mindset, ‘What do I need to do next to enable a child in my class to achieve?’
The National Curriculum objectives will be used as the expectations for all children.
Children will make age appropriate progress on average through their school life – 12 months in 12 months.
Teachers are experts in assessment - assessment will be effectively used to ensure the correct scaffolding is built into lessons to ensure all children achieve.
Even if children are assessed at working below age related expectations in some areas, they will continue to be challenged and access material from their year groups curriculum, to ensure that their interest and engagement are maintained and to encourage accelerated progress.

4. How we assess
The class teacher makes ongoing assessments throughout each lesson through questioning, observation and dialogue.
Children need to know what they are being asked to learn and more importantly why, through the use of learning objectives.
Success criteria are then discussed and agreed with or formulated by the children in each lesson, work is then assessed against the success criteria.
Three way feedback is given – pupil, peer and teacher, with clearly identified next steps. This can be either written or verbal.
Children have regular opportunities to review their next steps and improve their work.
Subject leaders, phase leaders and the senior leadership team do regular work and planning scrutiny to ensure that this is in place.
Assessments of attainment are inputted half termly into our school data system (SIMS).
Pupil progress meetings are held termly, where we look in detail at the attainment and progress of all pupils and discuss how to address any underperformance or poor progress, either through quality first teaching, interventions or referrals to specialist services.

5. Assessing Attainment Example shown is Year 3

6. Assessing Attainment
A child who is working at a 3.1 or a 3.2 is said to be SOMETIMES using and applying the skills taught.
A child who is working at a 3.3 or a 3.4 is said to be OFTEN using and applying the skills taught.
A child who is working at a 3.5 or a 3.6 is said to be CONSISTENTLY using and applying the skills taught.
3.6 is used when a child is CONSISTENTLY using and applying all skills taught within the year group without mistake.

7. Progress
In order to make expected progress children should make at least 1 points progress every half term, 6 points progress across the year.
Good progress is 6.2 to 6.5 points.
Outstanding progress is over 6.5 points.