Assessment at St Botolph's CEVCP
Attainment and Progress
Attainment
Attainment is a level your child achieves at the end of an academic year.
Progress
Progress is the amount of progress your child has made over a period of time.
For example if your child attained an ‘expected’ level in writing in Year 2, they should be achieving an age related level at the end of each subsequent year. This would represent good progress. Anything above their original targets would result in accelerated progress.
How we assess:
At St Botolph’s we believe in daily ‘low stakes’ assessment. This means that the culture of testing is around practice and improvement so shouldn’t cause our children concern. This style of assessment can be in many forms such as through quizzes, games, questioning and group work.
Each term the children carry out an assessment in Spelling, Reading and Mathematics skills. This can provide a standardised score in which 100 and above is considered Age Related. If a child is scoring over 110, then this could be an indicator that they are working at Greater Depth (above average). These tests are used to measure progress and inform the teacher’s planning.
In addition to our aforementioned assessments the statutory requirements for relevant year groups is as follows:
Early Years Foundation Stage
Our children in Squirrels are assessed daily through careful observations by all members of staff working in the class. These are then discussed to inform next steps. To further inform the staff in Squirrels parent assessment information is also used for example: photographs, Tapestry, communication books and parent meetings.
Statutory assessments
The EYFS profile is a statutory assessment and must be completed by a teacher for every child in the final term of their reception year.
The information gives you a picture of your child’s development and helps to ensure a smooth transition to Year 1.
Early Learning Goals
The profile measures your child’s attainment in 17 areas of learning, known as Early Learning Goals (ELGs). These are:
Communication and language development
- Listening and attention
- Understanding (e.g. following instructions, responding to questions)
- Speaking
Physical development
- Moving and handling (showing good control and coordination in large movements, like climbing, and small, like using scissors)
- Health and self-care
Personal, social and emotional development
- Self-confidence and self-awareness
- Managing feelings and behaviour
- Making relationships
Literacy
- Reading
- Writing
Maths
- Numbers
- Shape, space and measures
Understanding of the world
- People and communities
- The world
- Technology
Expressive arts and design
In each of these areas, the ELGs set out what the average child is expected to be able to do at the age of five. Teachers follow clear guidance as to how to determine each level for each ELG.
Good level of Development (GLD)
Children are deemed to have achieved GLD if they have achieved the ELGs in the areas of
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development,
- Physical Development,
- Communication and Language Development,
- Literacy and
- Mathematics
In addition to the 17 ELGs, the EYFS profile will include information about how your child is developing in three ‘characteristics of effective learning’. These are:
- Playing and exploring
- Active learning
- Creating and thinking critically.
The characteristics of effective learning are harder to sum up, so instead of giving your child an emerging, expected or exceeding level, their teacher will write a short statement for each, explaining how they’ve demonstrated these characteristics.
The completion of the profile is very unobtrusive; it’s based on the teacher and teaching assistant’s knowledge of your child and observations of what they can do. Classroom activities are planned to make sure children can demonstrate their capabilities and each teacher will also closely liaise with you over the year.
Moderation
Results are moderated within school with different practitioners agreeing a judgement. The Local Authority also has a responsibility to moderate judgements and will arrange for a moderation visit with schools.
Reporting
Schools must share the results with parents and you will receive confirmation of your child’s results together with their report at the end of the school year.
Comparison
Schools will also analyse their results alongside those published by the DfE for national data, and the Local Authority for local data.
All data is also analysed by pupil characteristics (e.g. gender, free school meal eligibility, SEND). The school will use the information to set future priorities accordingly.
Year 1
Phonics Screen Check – Year 1
All children in Year 1 take the statutory Phonics Screening check in the middle of June.
After the results are submitted the DfE publish the pass threshold mark so schools can determine who had reached the pass mark and who is ‘working towards’.
Whilst Phonics continues throughout school, those children who are ‘working towards’ in Year 1 will be supported and re-take the Phonics Check at the end of Year 2.
To take the test the children sit quietly with a trained member of staff familiar with the checking process who administers the Check in accordance with DfE guidance.
Year 2 - KS1 Statutory Tests
Year 2 is the final Year of Key Stage 1 and is a statutory assessment point. School must administer the tests and submit their results to the DfE by the end of June.
The KS1 tests are designed to assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the KS1 programmes of study. Teachers must administer the English reading and mathematics tests to help make a secure judgement for their final Teacher Assessment (TA) at the end of KS1. The tests make up one piece of evidence for the overall TA judgement.
The KS1 tests consist of:
- English reading Paper 1: combined reading prompt and answer booklet
- English reading Paper 2: reading booklet and reading answer booklet
- Mathematics Paper 1: arithmetic
- Mathematics Paper 2: reasoning
English reading test
There are 2 reading papers. Both papers contain a selection of texts that are designed to increase in difficulty. They include a mixture of text types.
Paper 1 consists of a combined reading prompt and answer booklet. The test takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, but is not strictly timed.
Paper 2 consists of an answer booklet and a separate reading booklet. It also contains more challenging texts than Paper 1. The test takes approximately 40 minutes to complete, but is not strictly timed.
Mathematics test
There are 2 mathematics papers:
Paper 1: arithmetic assesses pupils’ fluency in the fundamentals of mathematics, including place value, calculations and fractions.
The arithmetic test consists of a single test paper and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete, but is not strictly timed.
Paper 2: reasoning assesses pupils’ mathematical fluency by demonstrating their ability to solve problems and reason mathematically.
The reasoning test consists of a single test paper and takes approximately 35 minutes to complete, but is not strictly timed. The paper includes a practice question and 5 aural questions. After the aural questions, the time allowed for the remainder of the paper should be around 30 minutes.
[There is also an optional English grammar, punctuation and spelling test which schools can administer if they wish to help inform their English Writing TA].
Scaled Scores
Each child will receive a ‘raw score’ mark based on the number of questions answered correctly in the test.
The raw score is then translated into a ‘scaled score’ using a conversion table. A scaled score of 100 represents the expected standard for test.
Scaled scores are used to report national curriculum test outcomes. They allow test results to be reported consistently from one year to the next. This means that over time if 2 pupils achieve the same scaled score in different years they will have demonstrated a similar level of attainment.
Year 4 – Multiplication Tables Check
From the 2019-2020 academic year, schools in England will required to administer an online multiplication tables check (MTC) to Year 4 pupils.
At St Botolph’s CEVCP we took part in a national voluntary pilot during June 2019 for our current Year 4 pupils, prior to it becoming statutory in June 2020. The national curriculum specifies that pupils should be taught to recall the multiplication tables up to and including 12 x 12 by the end of Year 4.
The purpose of the MTC is to determine whether pupils can recall their times tables fluently, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will help schools identify pupils who have not yet mastered their times tables, so that additional support can be provided.
Teachers have the flexibility to administer the check to individual pupils, small groups or a whole class at the same time.
Year 6 - KS2 Statutory Tests
The tests take place during a week in the middle of May and are in:-
- English grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 1: questions
- English grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 2: spelling
- English reading
- Mathematics Paper 1: arithmetic
- Mathematics Paper 2: reasoning
- Mathematics Paper 3: reasoning
English grammar, punctuation and spelling test
The English grammar, punctuation and spelling test focuses on the relevant elements of the programme of study and statutory appendices.
Paper 1: questions is a combined question and answer booklet. Pupils will have 45 minutes to answer the questions, which are worth 50 marks in total.
Paper 2: spelling consists of a test transcript to be read by the test administrator and an answer booklet for pupils to write 20 spellings. The paper takes approximately 15 minutes, but is not strictly timed. The spellings are worth 20 marks in total.
English reading test
The English reading test focuses on the comprehension elements of the national curriculum and includes a mixture of text types. The test is designed so that the texts increase in their level of difficulty.
The test consists of a reading booklet and a separate answer booklet. Pupils will have one hour to read the 3 texts in the reading booklet and complete the questions, which are worth 50 marks in total.
Mathematics test
The mathematics test comprises 2 components, presented to pupils as 3 test papers:
Paper 1: arithmetic assesses mathematical calculations. The questions cover calculations involving all 4 operations, including calculations with fractions, decimals and percentages. They also cover long division and long multiplication. Pupils will have 30 minutes to answer the questions, which are worth 40 marks in total.
Papers 2 and 3 assess mathematical fluency, solving mathematical problems and mathematical reasoning. Pupils will have 40 minutes to answer the questions, which are worth 35 marks per paper.
Science – this is a biennial test and is only taken by a sample of schools nationally.
Scaled Scores
Each child will receive a ‘raw score’ mark based on the number of questions answered correctly in the test.
The raw score is then translated into a ‘scaled score’ using a conversion table. A scaled score of 100 represents the expected standard for test.
Scaled scores are used to report national curriculum test outcomes. They allow test results to be reported consistently from one year to the next. This means that over time if 2 pupils achieve the same scaled score in different years they will have demonstrated a similar level of attainment.
Pupil Progress Meetings
Each term, teachers, teaching assistants and senior leaders meet to discuss children individually to monitor both their attainment and their progress. The assessments undertaken in class help to identify those children who may be requiring more support to achieve their personal target. If a child is not predicted to make at least expected progress, after all planned interventions, then the teacher must explain why this is. Most children will make at least expected progress, if not accelerated progress throughout their time at St Botolph’s.
Governors
Throughout the year and at statutory assessment points, our Governors are given anonymised data for all year groups (including by pupil characteristics) in order that they can best support our school and hold us to account. The Curriculum Committee of the Governing body take a lead role in the analysis of data. They monitor the progress of groups of children and check that the school is doing all it can to support them.