1. Life Without Levels at Mountfields Lodge

2. Changes to the curriculum
The new National Curriculum was introduced in September 2014.
This has raised age-related expectations significantly
The core subjects of Reading, Writing and Maths at KS1&2 are skills-based with a heavy emphasis on ‘basic skills’ such as grammar and number.
Mountfields Lodge will continue to provide a broad, balanced and enjoyable curriculum for all children.
Mastering of the curriculum develops a depth of understanding rather than just moving on.

3. Process of change
In 2014/15 the government expected schools to develop their own systems for assessment of achievement against the new national curriculum (preferably not in isolation)
As part of the Loughborough Primary Academy Partnership (LPAP) we have developed a set of criteria for Reading, Writing and Maths identifying key performance indicators (KPIs), taken directly from the new national curriculum.
Foundation Stage agreed upon a new baseline assessment (non-statutory) within the LPAP.

4. Process of change
Year 2 and Year 6 were assessed and tested against the old National Curriculum for the last time, Summer 2015
Year 1/3/4/5 used the previous assessment levels and trialled the new system for writing.

5. How children will be assessed?
Formative assessments (day to day observations and feedback)
Used by teachers to evaluate children's knowledge and understanding on a daily basis
Informs the teacher about what they should plan to teach next.
School summative assessments (formal tests)
These tell us a lot about children’s embedded knowledge and the skills they are secure with.
We have invested in a recognised Maths and Reading test scheme. Once sensitively administered each term, the results are analysed providing powerful information about gaps in knowledge and skills that we can use to inform planning and future learning.
The two assessment ‘types’ are used alongside each other to give a clearer picture of children's achievements.

6. How children will be assessed
Nationally standardised summative assessments
In 2016 there will be new National Curriculum tests for Maths, Reading and Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GaPS) for Year 2 and Year 6.
Test scores will be converted into scaled scores
Writing will continue to be teacher assessed
A new national picture of attainment????

7. How children will be assessed
Foundation Stage
Year 1
Y1 GaPs Test???
GLD (Good Level of Development)
Phonics Assessment

8. Life Without Levels
Mountfields Lodge has worked collaboratively with the other LPAP schools to develop a ‘banding’ assessment system’ that all the 9 schools will use. There are 6 bands each relating to the learning as prescribed in the new National Curriculum. Band 1 refers to the expected Year 1 curriculum Band 2 to Year 2 etc.

9. Life Without Levels
Within each band there are a series of statements which are taken from the National Curriculum. The statements identify key performance indicators (KPIs) for Reading, Writing and Maths.

10. Life Without Levels
Beginning
Working Within
Secure
Exceeding
Year 6
Band 6 b
Beginning + b+
Working w
Working + w+ s
Secure + s+
Year 5
Band 5
Year 4
Band 4
Year 3
Band 3
Year 2
Band 2
Year 1
Band 1
A set number of statements is required to achieve each section.

11. Band 3
Key Indicators
draft and write in narratives, creating settings, characters and plot
draft and write non-narrative material, using headings and sub-headings to organise texts
evaluate and edit by proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary linked to the use of a/an, conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions
proof-read for spelling errors and for punctuation- including full stop, apostrophe, comma, question mark, exclamation and inverted commas for speech
use the forms a or an according to whether the next word begins with a consonant or a vowel a rock, an open box
express time, place and cause using conjunctions when, before, after, while, so, because, adverbs then, next, soon, therefore, or prepositions before, after, during, in, because of
begin to use paragraphs as a way to group related material
use headings and sub-headings to aid presentation
use the present perfect form of verbs instead of the simple past He has gone out to play contrasted with He went out to play
begin to use inverted commas to punctuate direct speech
understand the following terminology: Preposition, conjunction. Word family, prefix. Clause, subordinate clause. Direct speech. Consonant, consonant letter vowel, vowel letter. Inverted commas (or ''speech marks'').
Apply spelling rules and guidance as listed in English Appendix 1 and agreed for year 3
Secure +
All 12 statements and beginning band 4
Secure
All 12 statements
Working +
First 2 Composition structure, + Paragraphing + 7 statements
Working
First 2 Composition structure, + Paragraphing + 6 statements
Beginning +
First 2 Composition structure, + Paragraphing + 4statements
Beginning
First 2 Composition structure, + 2 statements

12. Each ‘band’ has a set of Non-Negotiables
Each ‘band’ has a set of Non-Negotiables. These are statements from the previous year’s band and children must be secure in these as well as the current band statements to be able to move to the next band. Why do we have Non-Negotiables? These are to ensure children are not moving through an assessment system with gaps in their learning.

13. Non-negotiables
write for different purposes to develop positive attitudes and stamina for writing
make simple additions, revisions and corrections to his/her own writing by proof-reading to checkit makes sense and for errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation
use subordination (using when, if, that, because) and co-ordination (using or, and, but)
use expanded noun phrases for description and specification e.g the blue butterfly, plain flour, the man in the moon
make the correct choice and make consistent use of present tense and past tense throughout writing
use the progressive form of verbs in the present and past tense to mark actions in progress e.g.she is drumming, he was shouting
use capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks to demarcate sentences consistently in his/her writing
use commas to separate items in a list
use apostrophes to mark where letters are missing in spelling and to mark singular possession in nouns e.g. the girl''s name
understand the following terminology: Noun, noun phrase, statement, question, exclamation, command. Compound, suffix. Adjective, adverb, verb. Tense (past, present). Apostrophe, comma
spell by segmenting spoken words into phonemes and representing these by graphemes, spelling many correctly
spell by learning new ways of spelling phonemes for which one or more spellings are already known, and learn some words with each spelling, including a few common homophones
apply spelling rules and guidance, as listed in English Appendix 1 Year 2
form lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another
write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower case letters

14. What information will be shared with parents?
At the end of each term we will inform you of how your child is performing against the expectations (from Spring 2016)
At the end of the academic year we will inform you of how your child is performing against age-related expectations (end of year report)
At the Parent-Teacher Consultations we will inform you of gaps that your child needs to focus upon or identified areas of learning.

15. As your child moves from one system to another it may appear that your child is working at lower levels this year, this is a ‘realignment’ of the new national curriculum.
Levels and bands are not comparable
Your child will need to have shown they are secure with curriculum for the previous year group before they are judged at working on the current years curriculum.

16. Tracking and Moderating
Data Tracking System (Target Tracker) – termly achievements entered by class teachers
Class data analysed by class teachers – individual and groups of learners – reports presented to head teacher + meetings with head teacher
Year Group and whole school data analysed by Senior Leadership Team.

17. Tracking and Moderating
Each term teachers assessments will be moderated both within school and across the LPAP schools so that there is a common understanding of what is expected for each year group.
New National Tests for Year 2 and Year 6; no idea as to ‘pass marks’ at this time