1. Assessment at Frith Manor School
March 2016

2. WHAT WE WILL FIND OUT? Summary of reforms
Rationale behind the removal of levels
Frith Manor’s process
How we track achievement
New language
Challenges and Benefits
Questions

3. SUMMARY OF REFORMS – THE CURRICULUM
In September 2014 the government introduced a new National Curriculum, in order to raise standards and to ensure that children are equipped for life in the 21st century.
The revised programmes of study include new topics and a new subject (computing).
This new curriculum allows schools the freedom to plan and deliver a curriculum that meets the needs and interests of their children.
Along with a new National Curriculum comes new higher expectations.

4. HIGHER EXPECTATIONS YEAR 1 YEAR 2
Previous: Read and write numerals from 0-20 New: Extend to numerals to 100; word to 20 Previous: Use knowledge of related words and familiar suffixes in spelling new words New: Add prefixes and suffixes: - Using the spelling rules for adding –s or –es as the plural markers for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs - Using the prefix un- - Using –ing, -ed, -er and –est where no change is needed in the spelling of the root word
Previous: Find ½, ¼ and ¾ of shapes and sets of objects. New: Recognise, find, name and write fractions 1/3, ¼, 2/4, and ¾ of a length, shape, sets of objects or quantity New: Write simple fraction, e.g. ½ of 6=3 and recognise the equivalence of 2/4 and 1/2

5. HIGHER EXPECTATIONS YEAR 3 YEAR 4
Previous: Add or subtract mentally combinations of one-digit and two- digit number New: MOVES TO YEAR 2 BUT ADDS: add, ones, tens or hundreds to 3-digit numbers mentally Previous: Show relationships of time and cause, through subordination and connectives New: Extending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, including when, if, because, although. Using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause
Previous: Use the standard written methods of addition and subtraction of two-digit and three- digit whole numbers and calculations with £.p New: Add and subtract number with up to 4 digits using the formal written methods of columnar addition and subtraction where appropriate and use the distributive law to multiply two- digit numbers by one-digit numbers

6. HIGHER EXPECTATIONS YEAR 5 YEAR 6
Previous: Find fractions using division, e/g/ 1/100 of 5kg New: MOVES TO LOWER KS2 BUT ADDS: add and subtract fractions with same denominator and multiples of the same number AND multiply proper fractions and mixed numbers by whole numbers Previous: Adapt a sentence construction to different text types, purposes and readers New: Recognise vocabulary and structures that are appropriate for formal speech and writing, including subjunctive forms - Using the prefect form of verbs to mark relationships of time and cause - Using extended noun phrases to convey complicated information concisely - Using model verbs or adverbs to indicate degrees of possibility - Using relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that or implied (i.e. omitted) relative pronoun
Previous: Calculate the perimeter and area of rectilinear shapes; estimate the area on an irregular shape by counting square
New: MOVES TO YEAR 4/5
BUT ADDS:
- Recognise that shapes with the same areas can have different perimeters and vice versa.
- Recognise when it is possible to use formulae for area and volume of shapes.
- Calculate, estimate and compare volume of cubes and cuboids using standards units.

7. SUMMARY OF REFORMS – ASSESSMENT – REMOVAL OF LEVELS
When the new curriculum was introduced, the old system of assessment based on levels was abolished.
Children in Year 2 and Year 6 were assessed using levels for the last time in summer 2015.
The new national assessment system (starting in June 2016) is to be used only at the end of key stages and is completely separate from the assessment policies within schools.
The DfE have introduced more challenging tests that will report a precise scaled score at the end of the key stages rather than a level.
Schools have been given the right to develop their own assessment systems for use across the whole school.
The DfE have set a challenging aspiration that 85% of children should achieve the new expected standard by the end of primary school. Over time more and more schools are expected to achieve this standard.

8. ASSESSMENT – REMOVAL OF LEVELS Rationale
Over –reliance on data (schools were focussing too much on numbers rather than on the learning needs of the children).
Sub–levels went beyond initial intention and children where just placed in a averaged out best fit category as opposed to what they can actually do and what they have understood.
Levelling encouraged undue pace and meant that children were labelling themselves.
Detracted from real feedback.
Schools should have the freedom to decide how to teach their curriculum and how to track the progress that pupils make.

9. THE PROCESS
2013 – 2014
Staff development on the new national curriculum and how it would be implemented in school
2014 – 2015
National Curriculum implemented in Years 1, 3, 4, 5
Exploring life after levels with LA and local schools.
Reading supporting documentation to find a way forward for assessment
Using advice from the National Head teachers Association and Haringey LA, we devise a new system to record and monitor progress and attainments at our school.
Staff development on the new system and the rationale behind it.
Development with O track to create a bespoke Class Track system to enable us to track achievement using an online computer system.
2015 – 2016
National Curriculum implemented in Year 2 and 6.
Teachers using the new assessment and attainment tracker to inform their planning and assessment.
Class track goes live and all teachers are now using it.

10. Rationale behind Frith Manor Assessment and Attainment Tracker
Ongoing, teacher-led assessment is a crucial part of effective teaching.
Pupils should be assessed against objective and agreed criteria rather than ranked against each other.
The system allows teachers to monitor termly progress and plan accordingly for the cohort of children that they have. Teachers can easily identify gaps. Progress and end of year attainment to be measured separately.
It is a way for teachers to directly match outcomes to the needs of individual children and monitor curriculum coverage at the same time.
Teachers will be able to see at a glance whether a child has understood key concepts of the curriculum and what the next steps are.
It is very similar to the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile.

11. HOW DO WE TRACK ACHEIVEMENT?
For each year group the curriculum is divided into 3 terms. Within each term a child can make a possible 3 steps of progress;
Beginning – Each term will have achieved some statements
Demonstrating – Each term will have achieved most statements and some KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
Consolidated – Each term will have achieved all KPIs for that term and most statements
By the end of the year each child could have made a possible 9 steps of progress. An extra step for embedded learning can be awarded in a few cases.
At the end of the academic year an overall judgement will be made as ‘B’, ‘D’, ‘C’. These are inline with ARE – Age related expectations.
Children who are not yet accessing the curriculum for their age will be assessed against the curriculum of the year group below or the one below that

13. LANGUAGE
ARE – A child who is consolidated by the end of the year would be considered secure and therefore at age related expectations.
KPIs – Key Performance Indicators – we believe that if not embedded, some skills within a subject will hinder children progressing at a later stage. These skill are hierarchical. They are considered as essential aspects for pupils to understand if the final step (consolidated) is to be awarded.
Within each year children’s attainment:
On track to meet end of year expectations
Not on track
e.g. 1 term behind
2 terms behind
Deepening knowledge, understanding and skills
Progress – Within the academic year, our 9 point scale enables us to highlight progress that children have made at any given time throughout the year and provide opportunities for us celebrate their achievements.

14. CHALLENGES/BENEFITS Challenges Benefits Good to raise standards
All schools will be assessing in their own way – lack of consistency
It takes time for children to achieve the new higher end of year expectations
School needs time to embed and tweak the new system
Benefits
Good to raise standards
Greater depth to children’s learning
Much simpler system to understand

15. QUESTIONS