Assessment
Assessing our pupils and tracking the progress that they are making is essential to teaching and learning. Assessment is a continuous process that takes place in school.
There are two main types of assessment;
Formative Assessment creates a positive learning environment where children can see the steps necessary for their own success. It enables teachers to set appropriate work at the level necessary for the children's continuing progress.
Summative Assessment is important for accurate information regarding a child's attainment and progress. It informs whole school target setting and prediction of an individual's and cohort's future attainment.
All children are monitored very carefully and if necessary, intervention strategies are identified to help children who may have potential difficulties in some aspects of their learning. In these instances, the SENDCo will undertake more detailed assessments.
Statutory Assessment
Statutory assessment plays an important role in ensuring that every child is supported to leave primary school prepared to succeed. The statutory assessments that take place in primary schools in England are;
Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (Reception year)
The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) is completed for every child in the final term of their Reception year and has three main purposes: to inform you about your child's development, to make the transition to Year 1 smoother, and to help the Year 1 teacher plan a curriculum that will suit all of the pupils in their new class.
The EYFSP is a summary of your child's attainment at the end of Reception. It's not a test, and your child can't 'pass' or 'fail'.
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 and understanding
- Speaking
Physical development
- Gross Motor Skills
- Fine Motor Skills
Personal, social and emotional development
- Self- Regulation
- Managing self
- Building relationships
Literacy
- Comprehension
- Word reading
- Writing
Maths
- Number
- Numerical patterns
Understanding of the world
- Past and present
- People, culture and communities
- The Natural World
Expressive arts and design
- Creating with materials
- Being Imaginative and Expressive
There is also a Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA). Details can be found here:
Phonics Screening Check (Year 1)
The phonics screening check is a short, simple assessment to ensure that all pupils have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard by the age of 6 years old. All Year 1 pupils in maintained schools, academies and free schools must complete the check. Year 1 children will take the phonics screening check in early June.
The phonics screening check comprises a list of 40 works and non-words which the child will read in a one to one situation with a teacher. The results will be reported to parents by the end of the summer term.
Here are ways you can reinforce phonics learning at home:
- Team up with a teacher. Ask how you can highlight phonics and reading outside of a class, and share any concerns you have.
- Listen to your child read daily.
- Revisit familiar books.
- Read aloud.
You can download practice phonics materials by following this link;
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-2018-materials
Key Stage 1 SATs (Year 2)
Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) are given at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) and at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6). They are used to track progress and attainment of children in schools from Early Years to Key Stage 1 and from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2. They comprise a mixture of teacher-led and test-based assessments.
Key Stage 1 SATs
Key Stage 1 SATs will be administered in May on dates arranged by the school. Tests are not strictly timed and children will be given breaks between the papers.
There are papers in:
- Reading (2 papers, 40 marks, about 70 minutes duration)
- Mathematics (2 papers, 60 marks, about 55 minutes)
- English grammar, punctuation and spelling (2 papers, 40 marks, about 35 minutes)
Writing will be teacher assessed. The class teacher will provide the children with opportunities to write in a range of genres throughout the year.
Key Stage 1 tests are marked internally. The reading and maths papers are checked by other members of the school for consistency and accuracy. To ensure writing levels are accurate, rigorous moderation is undertaken internally and sometimes externally with all teaching staff.
With each test undertaken, a standardised score is calculated from the raw score. A standardised score below 100 identifies the child is working towards the expected standard, 100 to 109 identifies the child is working at the expected standard and a score of 110 or more means the child is exceeding the expected standard. The class teacher then uses this information, alongside work undertaken throughout the year, to produce a teacher assessment.
Once the children's levels have been validated, parents will be informed of the teacher assessment level by the end of the summer term.
Practice papers can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum-assessments-practice-materials.
Multiplication Tables Check (Year 4)
In June 2020, the Year 4 multiplication tables check became statutory. Your child will need to take a short online test to make sure their times table knowledge is at the expected level.
The multiplication tables check is an online test for pupils in Year 4. Pupils are asked to answer 25 questions on times tables from two to twelve. They are given six seconds per question, with three seconds rest between each question, so the test should last less than five minutes. Questions about the six, seven, eight, nine and twelve times tables are likely to come up most often, as these are the hardest for most children to learn. It's a good idea to focus on these tricky times tables with your child.
The check is about finding out which children are struggling with their times tables so that they can get extra support. It is not a judgement on what your child can do, but a way for the school to know how their teaching is going and to adjust their focus if needed.
Further information for parents can be found in this leaflet:
Key Stage 2 SATs (Year 6)
The Key Stage 2 SATs are held in May and all tests must be administered on the days specified by the Department of Education and Standards and Testing Agency. This year, the Key Stage 2 SATs will take place during the week starting Tuesday 9th May 2023 (Monday 8th May has been confirmed as a bank holiday for the coronation of King Charles III). Tests are strictly timed, but children will be given breaks between the papers.
| Date | Test |
| Tuesday 9th May 2023 | English grammar, punctuation and spelling papers 1 and 2 (70 marks, 60 minutes in total, spelling test not timed) |
| Wednesday 10th May 2023 | English Reading (50 marks, 60 minutes total) |
| Thursday 11th May 2023 | Mathematics papers 1 and 2 |
| Friday 15th May 2023 | Mathematics paper 3 (3 papers, 110 marks, 110 minutes total) |
All the Key Stage 2 tests are kept sealed and locked away until the time of the test. The test pack is opened in front of the children before the specific test starts. Key Stage 2 papers are marked externally.
The results that parents receive are test results for reading, grammar and maths, and teacher assessments for writing and science. A standardised score is calculated from the raw score and these will be reported to parents by the end of the summer term. A standardised score below 100 identifies the child is working towards the expected standard, a score of 100 to 109 identifies they are working at the expected standard and a score of 110 or more means they are exceeding the expected standard.
To help support your child through their SATs, practice papers can be found by following this link;