Assessment

How do we assess pupils’ learning?

Knowing where children are at, where they need to go and how they will get there is key to helping our children achieve their educational potential.

At Barncroft Primary, we assess children’s learning and how they progress through a clearly planned sequence of learning and to ensure they are able to acquire the skills and the knowledge needed to apply them in a variety of ways.

We all believe that:

• Every child can achieve: teachers at Barncroft have the mindset that every child in their class is able to achieve.
• We set our pupils up for success: Pupils will make age appropriate progress from their different starting points – 12 months in 12 months, more for those who need to ‘close the gap’ to reach age related expectations.
• We have high expectations: Objectives from the National Curriculum and Early Years Foundation Stage Profile are used to set the expectations for all children.
• Ongoing assessment helps to improve teaching and learning: assessment is effectively used to ensure the correct support is built into lessons to ensure all children achieve.

Our assessment and reporting system includes:

• Ongoing assessment by the class teacher throughout each lesson, through questioning, observation and dialogue to inform next steps in teaching.
• Children knowing what they are being asked to learn and more importantly, why.
• Children are partners in the learning process, using pre/post assessment tasks to know where they are at in the learning journey, where they need to go next and what they need to do to get there.
• Success Criteria are discussed and agreed with or created by the children, work is then assessed against the success criteria.
• Pupils are involved in the assessment of their work through pupil, peer and teacher feedback with clearly identified next steps – this can be written or verbal feedback.

In addition to the above, we will also have three ‘formal’ assessment points in the year. These will take place at the end of autumn, spring and summer terms. We will use NFER tests for reading and mathematics, as these will provide us with a standardised score and detailed gap analysis to tell us how much progress your child is making and if they are on track to meet National Curriculum expectations for their age.  The tests will also to inform our next steps in teaching. We will use teacher assessment for writing, and in Early Years. Children’s reading ability will be ‘Benchmarked’ to ensure a good match of reading book to ability.

Children in Years R, 1, 2, 4 and 6 will continue to sit the statutory assessments:

• Reception Baseline Assessment – completed in the first 6 weeks of starting school
• Year 1 (and 2) Phonics Check- Summer term
• Year 4 – Multiplication tables check – Summer term
• Year 6 – end of Key Stage Assessments

For more information on the statutory assessments, please see the ‘Statutory Assessment Tests’ tab on our website. 

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

During the final term of Reception, teachers will complete the EYFS profile assessment. The main purpose of the EYFS profile is to provide a reliable, valid and accurate assessment of individual children at the end of the EYFS.

EYFS profile data is used to:

• Inform parents about their child’s development against the early learning goals (ELGs) and the characteristics of their learning.
• Help Year 1 teachers plan an effective, responsive and appropriate curriculum that will meet the needs of each child.

Children in Reception are assessed against the 7 areas of learning which are split into 2 categories. These are:

Prime Areas:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Specific Areas:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Art and Design

At the end of Reception for each Early Learning Goal, teachers will judge whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the Reception year and will be assessed as follows:

• Emerging – not yet reached the expected level of development
• Expected – has met the expected level of development

How we share this information with parents

• Curriculum showcases are held each half term, this is an opportunity for your child to share their learning with you.
• Discussions at parent teacher meetings in the Autumn and Spring terms are based on the assessment system in place for each age group.
• Parents also receive an annual report and outcomes of statutory assessments at the end of the Summer Term.