Waterfield Primary School Assessment Policy

Waterfield Primary School Assessment Policy – October 2015

Waterfield Primary School

Assessment Policy

October 2015

At Waterfield Primary School assessment is viewed as essential to and an integral part of effective teaching and learning. The purpose of assessment is to provide information to enable teachers to decide upon the next steps for children to take in order to make the best possible progress.

Assessment will be used in the following ways:

• Formative – the information gained forms or affects the next learning experience.

• Diagnostic – finding out what attitudes, knowledge, understanding and or skills are not properly embedded or acquired and are therefore preventing pupils making the expected progress.

• Evaluate – informing the strategic planning and the direction of the whole school by evaluating the impact of planning, teaching and the curriculum on pupils’ achievements. Gathering a range of information about the performance of individuals, groups of pupils, cohorts, key stages and whole school information so that it can be used to inform target setting at a range of levels.

• Summative – systematic recording of information which provides a summary of where the pupils are working at, at a point in time.

Assessment Procedures

Daily Assessments

Assessments will be made daily through observations, questioning, marking and feedback in each lesson. These will be recorded in pupils’ books and annotated on planning.

Daily assessments will:

• Identify next steps in learning in order to ensure that all pupils make rapid and sustained progress.

•Inform planning at short and medium term levels.

• Inform the teaching approach

• Inform the grouping of pupils.

• Inform the deployment of staff.

• Inform the choice of resources.

• Be useful when talking to other teachers/Inclusion Manager/other support staff when identifying particular problems.

Half termly assessments

Assessmentsagainst National Curriculum Assessment Criteria will:

• Be highlighted on assessment grids in the back of children’s books when evidence is seen in children’s work e.g. independent writing, independent maths problem solving tasks

•Be recorded on Target Tracker half-termly (Oct, Dec, Feb, Mar, May, Jun).

NFER Optional SATs will be used in years 3-5 termly to support teacher assessment judgements and diagnostically to inform future planning (Baseline – Sep, Dec, Mar, Jun).

Phonics tracking grids (in Excel) will be updated termly (Dec, Mar, Jun/Jul)for the phase the children are working at, giving an overall score for all of the phases built up over time from entering reception to the completion of phase 6 Letters and Sounds.

EYFS judgements made for each child in each area of learning – completed on Target Tracker for the baseline (Autumn 1) and end of each term (Dec, Mar, Jun).

Use of Assessment Information - As a result of good assessment procedures…

Teachers will know:

• Where the pupils are starting from

• Has the class overall learned what was planned and taught?

• Are pupils making the progress expected to reach their challenging targets?

• Are pupils making sufficient progress in order to close the gap and reach national expectations?

• Are pupils applying their skills, knowledge and understanding across the curriculum?

• Which pupils need more help and in which areas?

• Which pupils need extension work?

• Are planned activities well-resourced and staff fully utilised to impact upon the progress that children make?

• How can the teaching be modified and improved in the future?

The SLT will know:

• If pupils are making the progress required for them to reach or exceed their targets.

• If there are any problems with particular children, groups or cohorts.

• If the progress of the children in school is in line with the school targets set with the LA.

• How the school compares with other similar schools, nationally.

• What aspects of teaching and the curriculum need to be developed and strengthened to meet

the needs of all the children.

•The progress and standards across the school, for cohorts, groups of leaners (Boys/Girls, EAL,

SEN, FSM, PPM, LAC) and individuals.

•The impact of interventions a child/children may have received.

• What to inform the governing body of in relation to the school’s progress, standards and areas for development.

Parents will know:

• How much progress their child is making.

• If their child has any specific problems.

• What the school is doing to help a child with specific problems.

• What they can do to help their child make progress.

Marking. Feedback and Target Setting (See marking and feedback policy – October 2015)

Constructive marking and feedback will be used to:

• Celebrate achievements with the pupils

• Provide targets for children to work towards

• Help children to understand the next steps they need to make in their learning

• Provide examples to help children understand concepts more clearly/address misconceptions

Individual targets are to be set regularly for children in reading, writing andmaths. These should be written in child friendly language and be related to the National Curriculum Assessment Criteria for the year group/level the children are working towards. These targets should be written on target stickers in the front of children’sreading, writing/literacy andmaths books. Children should be encouraged to identify when they have met the target in their work, so that the star can be dated.

Statutory Requirements

A record must be kept of each pupil’s academic achievements, progress and other skills which must be updated at least annually.
The curricular record must include the results of statutory tests/assessments (English, maths and science) in the final year of KS1 and KS2.
A national curriculum level/standard must be recorded for each pupil in each of the national curriculum subjects at the end of KS1 and KS2.
When a child moves to a new school his/her records as above must be forwarded to the new school within 15 working days.
A written report containing achievements and future targets for each pupil must be sent to his/her parent/guardian at least once per academic year.
Targets must be set for each of the three core subjects for each cohort for the end of KS1 and KS2 and submitted to West Sussex. This must be done in the Autumn term.

Record Keeping

Assessment File

Section 1 – Assessment Policy and Key Dates

Section 2 – Assessment guidance, training notes, assessment criteria

Section 3 – Whole school data

Section 4 – Year group/cohort end of year and key stage targets

Section 5 – Autumn 1 tracking and pupil progress meeting notes

Section 6 – Autumn 2 tracking and pupil progress meeting notes

Section 7 – Spring 1 tracking and pupil progress meeting notes

Section 8 – Spring 2 tracking and pupil progress meeting notes

Section 9 – Summer 1 tracking and pupil progress meeting notes

Section 10 – Summer 2 tracking and pupil progress meeting notes

Early Years Foundation Stage Assessment Records

Pupil learning journals are an ongoing record of progress and attainment, where achievement is celebrated. Observations are recorded, assessed and inserted into the EYFS Learning Journals.

Key Stage 1 and 2 Assessment Records - Record/Mark book

Phonics/high frequency word scores
Spelling test scores (SPAR)
Salford reading test scores
Writing assessment levels
Mental maths test scores
End of Key Stage and Optional test scores
Intervention group records of initial and final/course completion scores e.g. 1st Class@numbers, Jump Ahead, Code

Waterfield Primary School Assessment Policy – October 2015

Summary of Assessment and Marking at Waterfield Primary School