At High View, we are dedicated to ensuring that every single child achieves and makes the best progress that they can. Children are each viewed on an individual basis. Progress is discussed regularly and targets are set to allow for challenge and achievement.. We identify and facilitate further support that children may need to reach their targets. This support may include interventions, additional support, homework club etc. We strive to ensure that any barriers to learning and progress are removed. Every individual is very important to us and our mission is to ensure that they are all able to make maximum progress.
Along with statutory changes to the National Curriculum, the assessment arrangements also changed across the country.
Levels are no longer used; the curriculum is now much more specific about the attainment of pupils within a year group. Therefore, teachers will now provide you with the following information:
Your child is working below age expectations for their year group
Your child is worked towards age expectations for their year group
Your child is already working at the expectations for their year group
Your child is working at greater depth with their current year
Key Stage 1 Assessment
During the month of May, Year 2 children are assessment on their learning and compared to other children nationally and formal tests are carried out.
The phonics screening check is taken individually by all children in Year 1 in England usually in June. It is designed to give teachers and parents information on how your child is progressing in phonics. It will help to identify whether your child needs additional support at this stage so that they do not fall behind in this vital early reading skill.
The check consists of 40 words and non-words that your child will be asked to read one-on-one with a teacher. Non-words (or nonsense words, or alien words) are a collection of letters that will follow phonics rules your child has been taught, but don’t mean anything – your child will need to read these with the correct sounds to show that they understand the phonics rules behind them. The 40 words and non-words are divided into two sections – one with simple word structures of three or four letters, and one with more complex word structures of five or six letters. The teacher administering the check with your child will give them a few practice words to read first – including some non-words – so they understand more about what they have to do. Each of the non-words is presented with a picture of a monster / alien, as if the word were their name (and so your child doesn't think the word is a mistake because it doesn't make sense!).
Key Stage 2 Assessment
In May every year, the Year 6 children are assessed on how much they have learnt during their time in school and compared to other children of the same age nationally. When interpreting a school’s progress, individual progress scores are calculated in comparison to other pupils/schools nationally. For all mainstream pupils nationally, the average progress score will be zero.
A school’s progress scores for English reading, English writing and mathematics are calculated as its pupils’ average progress scores. This means that school level progress scores will be presented as positive and negative numbers either side of zero. • A score of 0 means pupils in this school, on average, do about as well at key stage 2 as those with similar prior attainment nationally.
• A positive score means pupils in this school on average do better at key stage 2 than those with similar prior attainment nationally. • A negative score means pupils in this school on average do worse at key stage 2 than those with similar prior attainment nationally. A negative score does not necessarily mean a school is below the floor. For example, a school with a mathematics progress score of -4 would mean that, on average, pupils in this school achieved 4 scaled score points lower in the key stage 2 mathematics test than other pupils with similar prior attainment nationally.
English writing progress scores differ from English reading and mathematics progress scores and do not directly relate to scaled scores. As there is no test in writing, key stage 2 teacher assessments are used to create the progress scores. To do this the points are assigned to teacher assessment before creating the progress scores. A progress score of -5 in English writing, therefore, could be seen as meaning pupils in this school on average achieve 5 points lower in our progress model than other pupils with similar prior attainment nationally. A negative score means that they made less progress than other pupils nationally with similar prior attainment.
Further information regarding the KS1 and 2 National Curriculum tests can be found directly on the government website.