ASSESSMENT

Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning. It is the process through which pupils’ attainment and progress is recognised and used to improve learning. All teachers continually assess pupils' learning through classroom observation, feedback, marking, discussion with pupils and assessment tasks. This ongoing assessment is used to help teachers decide what pupils need to learn next and to identify any areas in which pupils need additional teaching or challenge to progress their learning. This is discussed with parents and carers at termly Parent/Teacher Consultation meetings.

In addition, pupils are also assessed at the end of each year to give a summary of how well they are doing in relation to what is expected for their age in the National Curriculum - this is often abbreviated to ARE (age-related expectations). This end of year assessment in Reading, Writing, Maths and Science is reported to parents and carers in the written pupil report in July each year.

STATUTORY ASSESSMENT

The DfE also require schools to complete statutory assessments at certain points during a child's time at primary school. These are national assessments completed at the same time by all pupils in state schools. The results are reported to parents, the government and the local authority. Schools are required to publish a KS2 summary on their school website too as well as a link to national performance tables - see the table and link below.  The formal KS2 assessments in Reading and Maths are based only on their performance in the set test on the set day, so do not always reflect a child's performance in the independent maths and reading activities they complete in class or any specific circumstances which may impact on a child's performance in a test. 

The statutory assessments are:

• Early Years Foundation Stage Profile at the end of Reception
• Year 1 Phonics Screening Check in June
• KS2 SATs (Reading Comprehension; Arithmetic; 2x Mathematical Reasoning; and Grammar, Spelling & Punctuation) during early May of Year 6. Teacher assessments for Writing & Science are also reported upon.