Assessment
From September 2015 how schools assess children’s progress and attainment is changing in Key Stages 1 and 2. EYFS remains the same at present.The New Curriculum requires that schools no longer use the ‘Level’ system.
Read here to find out how we assess and track pupil’s learning to ensure your child makes good progress throughout their time with us in. Click on the image to the right to download a leaflet that explains the changes and system we use. (New National Curriculum assessing and tracking pupil progress) Scroll below for information about tracking Progress in the EYFS.
The changes and the new system
The changes are for children in Years 1-6, they are taught the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum has changed and with it the way all schools track attainment and progress.
Previously, if you have a had child in school, teachers will have given you a Level to represent your child’s attainment . For example ‘3C’ The number gave the level and the letter denoted steps within that level. So 3C would be a child just entering level 3, and 3A a child who was secure in the level and ready to move on to level 4.
Because of the way old curriculum worked the numbers did not automatically represent the year group a child would be in.
The new National Curriculum has been written to give Age Related Expectations (ARE) for the end of each year. As children travel from Year 1 to Year 6, they will be tracked against these Age Related Expectations. At Hathern CE these are numbered bands. The bands give the level of attainment. So Year 1 is Band 1, and so on until Year 6 is Band 6.
Because all children are individual and develop at different rates and have differing needs, they will work in the band which is appropriate to them to make sure that learning makes sense. Extra help or challenge is given to make sure they are learning at the right level.
Summary Banding sheets for Reading, Writing and Maths can be viewed by clicking on the links.
Progress within bands
As children develop through each Band, we track their progress very carefully. Each Band is broken into 3 steps which roughly represents a term’s progress. Over the year the steps are called:’beginning,’ (B) ‘within’ (W) and ‘secure’ (S).
Teachers can further break down each step into two in order to tightly track children’s progress and ensure they are constantly moving forwards and building on their previous learning. The extra steps are denoted with a ‘+’
So, 2W+ shows a child is working very well within Band 2, and teachers will be looking to move them to 2S.
4S+ would show a child is very secure at band 4, and teachers will be preparing them to move to Band 5.
1B+ would show a child has an excellent basis to begin level 1, and teachers will be ready to move them to 1W.
This gives a total of 6 steps for a year. Wherever children begin their learning in September we expect them to make at least 5-6 steps progress So if they start at 2W+ in Year 3, we generally will expect them to be at least 3W+ at the end of Year 3. Over time accelerated progress of more than 6 steps will close gaps.
Tracking Progress in the EYFS
Children in the EYFS continue to be tracked on the Development Matters bands of the Early years Foundation Stage Curriculum. By the end of their Foundation Year in school it is expected that they reach the ‘Early Learning Goals’.
At the beginning of the year a ‘baseline’ assessment is made of everything they can do so teachers know what they need to learn next. This is shared at the first parents’ evening of the year.
Children are tracked through their reading, writing and maths development by what they write down, through careful observation of what they can do, how they interact with others and how they explain what they know.
An online learning Journey is kept of their development using Tapestry—which we will share with you through out the year. Parents can contribute to this to include what children can do and are interested in at home.
At the end of the EYFS year the EYFS Profile completes the picture of everything they have learnt, and are able to do. This is reported to parents in July, so parents know if their child is at the age related expectation, is emerging into this or exceeding above. Most importantly it shows how much progress has been made from the baseline, and so teachers in Year 1 are ready to teach them their next steps in the National Curriculum.
Read here to find out how we assess and track pupil’s learning to ensure your child makes good progress throughout their time with us in. Click on the image to the right to download a leaflet that explains the changes and system we use. (New National Curriculum assessing and tracking pupil progress) Scroll below for information about tracking Progress in the EYFS.
The changes and the new system
The changes are for children in Years 1-6, they are taught the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum has changed and with it the way all schools track attainment and progress.
Previously, if you have a had child in school, teachers will have given you a Level to represent your child’s attainment . For example ‘3C’ The number gave the level and the letter denoted steps within that level. So 3C would be a child just entering level 3, and 3A a child who was secure in the level and ready to move on to level 4.
Because of the way old curriculum worked the numbers did not automatically represent the year group a child would be in.
The new National Curriculum has been written to give Age Related Expectations (ARE) for the end of each year. As children travel from Year 1 to Year 6, they will be tracked against these Age Related Expectations. At Hathern CE these are numbered bands. The bands give the level of attainment. So Year 1 is Band 1, and so on until Year 6 is Band 6.
Because all children are individual and develop at different rates and have differing needs, they will work in the band which is appropriate to them to make sure that learning makes sense. Extra help or challenge is given to make sure they are learning at the right level.
Summary Banding sheets for Reading, Writing and Maths can be viewed by clicking on the links.
Progress within bands
As children develop through each Band, we track their progress very carefully. Each Band is broken into 3 steps which roughly represents a term’s progress. Over the year the steps are called:’beginning,’ (B) ‘within’ (W) and ‘secure’ (S).
Teachers can further break down each step into two in order to tightly track children’s progress and ensure they are constantly moving forwards and building on their previous learning. The extra steps are denoted with a ‘+’
So, 2W+ shows a child is working very well within Band 2, and teachers will be looking to move them to 2S.
4S+ would show a child is very secure at band 4, and teachers will be preparing them to move to Band 5.
1B+ would show a child has an excellent basis to begin level 1, and teachers will be ready to move them to 1W.
This gives a total of 6 steps for a year. Wherever children begin their learning in September we expect them to make at least 5-6 steps progress So if they start at 2W+ in Year 3, we generally will expect them to be at least 3W+ at the end of Year 3. Over time accelerated progress of more than 6 steps will close gaps.
Tracking Progress in the EYFS
Children in the EYFS continue to be tracked on the Development Matters bands of the Early years Foundation Stage Curriculum. By the end of their Foundation Year in school it is expected that they reach the ‘Early Learning Goals’.
At the beginning of the year a ‘baseline’ assessment is made of everything they can do so teachers know what they need to learn next. This is shared at the first parents’ evening of the year.
Children are tracked through their reading, writing and maths development by what they write down, through careful observation of what they can do, how they interact with others and how they explain what they know.
An online learning Journey is kept of their development using Tapestry—which we will share with you through out the year. Parents can contribute to this to include what children can do and are interested in at home.
At the end of the EYFS year the EYFS Profile completes the picture of everything they have learnt, and are able to do. This is reported to parents in July, so parents know if their child is at the age related expectation, is emerging into this or exceeding above. Most importantly it shows how much progress has been made from the baseline, and so teachers in Year 1 are ready to teach them their next steps in the National Curriculum.
