1. Sir James Smith’s Community School
STEPS GRID handbook
A practical guide
Key Stage 3

2. STEPS and the STEP Grid Handbook
Monitoring and reporting attainment and progress
throughout Key Stage 3
Dear Parent/Carer,
Over the past 12 months we have been using the STEPS assessment model with our Key Stage 3 students. Each subject has a STEPS grid. Each grid is comprised of 9 ‘steps’ and a number of ‘strands’. The grid contains descriptors for what your child needs to be able to do to complete a ‘step’. After using the STEPS model for the past year, we have refined and updated some grids.
Your son/daughter will start with a baseline ‘step’ in Year 7, which will be derived from KS2 data and baseline assessments they will complete in their opening weeks of Year 7. For Year 7 students, we will report the baseline step for each subject in the first report in mid-November. For Year 8 and 9 we will report the next progress data at this time. It is expected that most students would move up each strand by at least 1 step each year (3 steps over the course of the key stage)*.
We feel very confident that what your son/ daughter experiences at Sir Jim’s is indeed a very comprehensive and professional package. This assessment model allows you as parents and carers the opportunity to be closely involved in their attainment, progress and target setting over the entire key stage.
Below you will find a copy of the STEPs grid. Please keep this safe and use it to cross reference attainment on each report with content of the KS3 courses for each subject studied.
You should receive three attainment reports throughout the year, as detailed below:
Finally, please feel free to contact me directly if you have a specific question about the system which needs further explanation.
Yours faithfully
Mr. E. McGuffie
Assistant Head Teacher – Curriculum

3. Introduction What is STEPS?
What is STEPS?
Strategic Targets for Educational Progress and Success (STEPS) is an assessment and progress monitoring, tracking and reporting programme for secondary schools.
How does it work?
Upon arrival in Year-7, every student is assessed via a broad range of information and results available to the school. Subject teachers then place students at a baseline Step in each Strand and this becomes the starting point for each subject. A Step Point Score is generated which is an overall score for a subject. Each student is expected to make at least one Step of progress in the Step Point Score per year, with the exception of Science where progress has been built implicitly into the scheme of work.
School reports
You will receive three reports per year showing your child’s attainment and progress in every Strand in every subject and it will also show you the overall Step Point Score. When used in conjunction with this handbook, it will give you both a detailed and quick method of reviewing attainment and progress so far. It will also allow you to discuss targets to progress to the next Step.
The STEPS grids
Each subject has its own grid, these form the rest of this handbook. Each grid is a basic summary of all the work that can be covered in each of the Key Stage 3 Programmes of Study. Each subject follows a similar approach.
Strands: these run along the top of the grid, they break a subject down into smaller topics or areas. There are between three and seven Strands per subject.
Steps: These break a subject down into progressive Steps. There are nine Steps per Strand per subject; 1 is the lowest Step and 9 is the highest.
Statements: Each Step has one or more statements. Students have to achieve all of these, and all of the ones in the Steps below, to be at that Step level.
The Step Point Score
Students will be given a Step score for each individual Strand in each subject. The Step Point Score combines these individual scores to give an overall score in a subject.
If 3.6 was the baseline at the start of year-7, then the students would be expected to reach:
4.6 by the end of Year-7
5.6 by the end of Year-8
6.6 by the end of Year-9.
This would be a minimum expectation and targets could be adjusted each year to maintain challenge for each individual.

4. English and English Literature
English and English Literature

5. Key Stage 3 Programme of Study 2018-19 - English
Key:
Each unit is assessed following our STEPs model. The course has been split into 7 ‘strands’, five for reading and two for writing. These strands have been highlighted above using the following colours:
Year
Autumn-term
Spring-term
Summer-term 7
Induction Unit
Students will explore the writing process…
How To Read a Novel
Students will explore a range of reading strategies to read and respond to ‘Private Peaceful’ by Michael Morpurgo.
Writing Creatively Students will produce their own Gothic Horror story using the ideas from their reading.
Shakespeare
Students will study key scenes from ‘The Tempest’, building up an interpretation of Caliban’s character, and responding to Shakespeare’s language.
Reading the Classics
Students will read the opening of ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens and key extracts which introduce the characters
Writing in the Real World
Students will develop and organise ideas for writing in real world formats, including formal letters and leaflets.
… as well as reading and responding to extracts from fiction and non-fiction texts on the theme of survival.
A wider reading lesson each week in which students read independently and…
... study stories on the theme of fear
... study non-fiction about Cornwall
... study poems about animals 8
The Writing Process
Students will come up with an idea for a new extreme sport and use it to plan and develop two pieces of writing.
Students will read and respond to an historical novel set during World War II, such as ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ or ‘Spies’.
Writing Creatively
Students will plan, draft and proofread a story updating a fairy story or folk tale.
Students will study key scenes from ‘Macbeth’, building on their understanding of the play from Drama, and exploring the language in detail.
Students will read several chapters from ‘Animal Farm’ exploring the writer’s purpose and meaning.
Students will plan and produce their own pieces of travel writing, adapting their writing for different audiences and purposes.
... study folk tales and fairy stories
... study non-fiction about travel
... study poems about journeys 9
Students will come up with an original idea for a superhero before planning and drafting a story about the discovery of his/her powers.
Students will read and respond to a contemporary novel with a first person narrator who may not be a entirely reliable witness to the events they describe.
Students will plan, draft, edit and proofread a story set in a world slightly different from our own.
Students will read key scenes exploring Romeo’s story in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, learning to analyse the language used in detail.
Students will read a novel of their choice set in 1930s America, such as ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, ‘Of Mice and Men’ or ‘Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry’.
Students will develop ideas by Interviewing a partner and producing a magazine article about their rise to fame.
... study fantasy and dystopian fiction
... study non-fiction on heroes
... study poems on the theme of war
Reading
Strands 1-5
Writing
Strands 6-7

6. English and English Literature
Step
Strand 1
Reading - Finding information
Strand 2
Reading –Language & structure
Strand 3
Reading –
Comparing texts
Strand 4
Evaluating with evidence
Strand 5
Literature –
Linking texts to context
Strand 6
Writing –
Content and organisation
Strand 7
Writing - Vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation & spelling
Eng Lang
Weighting
10%
20% 5%
15%
30%
Eng Lit Weighting
40% 9
Make perceptive comments on texts based on wide range of different examples
Evaluate the effect of the writer’s technique
Make sustained, detailed comparisons, including comparisons of technique
Develop perceptive overview of text based on well-selected evidence
Reflect on significance of different contexts to meaning
Create ambitious, sophisticated content
Shape ideas in a sophisticated way
Writing engages reader’s interest
Virtually all sentence structure and punctuation is accurate and effective
Use a wide range of appropriate, ambitious vocabulary 8
Make accurate comments on texts based on range of different examples
Analyse the impact of writer’s use of language and structure using subject terminology accurately
Make detailed comparisons including comparisons of language
Create imaginative insights based on range of evidence from across a text
Reflect on significance of context to meaning of a text
Develop detailed, ambitious ideas
Shape ideas in an imaginative way
Writing is convincing and adapted to audience
Achieve particular effects through control and variety of sentence structure and punctuation.
Use precise, ambitious vocabulary 7
Begin to make accurate comments on texts based on range of examples
Begin to analyse writer’s use of language using subject terminology
Make comparisons including some comparisons of language
Begin to create imaginative insights based on a range of evidence from across a text
Begin to reflect on significance of context
Develop detailed ideas
Begin to shape ideas purposefully
Begin to adapt writing to audience
Begin to achieve effects through control and variety of sentence structure and punctuation
Begin to use more ambitious vocabulary 6
Explain using a range of evidence from different parts of a text
Explain effect of writer’s use of language using some subject terminology
Identify similarities and differences and make some comparisons
Evaluate text supporting points with range of different examples
Show understanding of relationship between context and text
Write in detail with clarity and fluency
Sequence ideas in a controlled way
Show clear awareness of audience
Control sentence structure and use a range of punctuation accurately
Use vocabulary with some precision

7. English and English Literature
Step
Strand 1
Reading - Finding information
Strand 2
Reading –Language & structure
Strand 3
Reading –
Comparing texts
Strand 4
Evaluating with evidence
Strand 5
Literature –
Linking texts to context
Strand 6
Writing –
Content and organisation
Strand 7
Writing - Vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation & spelling
Eng Lang
Weighting
10%
20% 5%
15%
30%
Eng Lit weighting
40% 5
Begin to explain using a range of evidence
Begin to explain effect of writer’s use of language using some subject terminology
Identify similarities and differences and begin to make some comparisons
Comment critically on text supported by references to the text
Show understanding of some aspects of the relationship between context and text
Write in detail with some clarity and fluency
Begin to sequence ideas in a controlled way
Show awareness of audience
Begin to control sentence structure and use a range of punctuation accurately
Use a range of vocabulary 4
Identify some relevant detail from texts
Identify some examples of different language
Identify and describe some similarities and differences
Develop personal opinion supported by references to text
Show some understanding of relationship between context and text
Write with some clarity and fluency
Organise ideas into paragraphs
Show some awareness of audience
Some variety of sentence structure and some control of a range of punctuation
Some range of vocabulary 3
Begin to identify some relevant details from texts
Begin to identify some examples of language
Identify and begin to describe some similarities and differences
Begin to develop personal opinion supported by some reference to the text
Comment on relationship between context and text
Begin to write with some clarity and fluency
Begin to organise ideas into paragraphs
Begin to address audience
Some variety of sentence structure and some use of a range of punctuation
Begin to expand vocabulary 2
Identify some details from a text
Make some general comments on language
Identify some similarities and differences
Give basic opinion with some reference to text
Begin to comment on context
Communicate some meaning
Organise ideas into some order
Attempt to address audience
Some control of sentence structure and some basic punctuation
Use basic vocabulary 1
Begin to identify some details from a text
Begin to make general comments on language
Begin to notice some similarities and differences
Give basic opinion
Some awareness of context
Begin to communicate some basic meaning
Some grouping of ideas
Begin to write in sentences
Begin to use basic vocabulary

8. Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is STEPS? A. STEPS is an assessment-recording and progress-monitoring system for all subjects studied at Key Stage 3. Q. What are STEPS grids? A. The STEPS grids break a subject down into Strands of content and nine progressive Steps. Students are placed on the STEPS grid following a baseline assessment. The expected progress is at least one-Step per year or three-Steps over the key stage. Q. What is a Strand? A. A Strand is an area of study of a subject. Every subject is divided into between three and seven Strands. Q. What is a Step? A. Every Strand is broken down into nine progressive Steps. Nine is the highest Step and one is the lowest. Steps provide the pathway through the Programme of Study for each Strand. Q. Why does my child appear to have made more progress in one subject than another? A. All subjects are different and so are children! It is quite understandable for one student to have a different rate of progress to another. Learning is a cycle of improvement. Students improve and then plateau before making further improvement – the timescale for this improvement is very individual and varies between subjects. It is quite normal for rapid progress to be made when children are exposed for the first time to specialist teaching, when perhaps teachers with expert knowledge were not available in primary school. Q. My child seems to have made no progress at all in one subject. A. There could be circumstances which would mean that within the last assessment cycle this was the case. It could be a completely new subject, or one that has been studied for only a portion of the year. We are anticipating three Steps of progress over the key stage and that one Step is merely the average of this expected progress each year. Remember also that in Science, progress has been built implicitly into the schemes of work. Therefore your child will be expected to stay on the same step or fluctuate above/ below this step as the content becomes more challenging throughout the year. Progress will be numerically represented by a variation score (progress score) from your child’s start point. If your child’s score is positive or remains at 0 throughout the year this represents expected progress or above expected progress; if they receive a minus progress score then this indicates that they will need more support to maintain their progress in the upcoming units.