Assessment

Introduction to assessment arrangements at Hinderton School

At Hinderton School we have very high aspirations for all of our pupils, meaning that we want each child to flourish and develop to the very best of their ability during their time with us. To do that, it is important that we assess what they can and cannot yet do regularly and accurately, so that we can plan and deliver the most meaningful and appropriate learning opportunities at each stage of their school career.

What are end of year expectations?

In line with the requirements of the National Curriculum, pupils are routinely assessed in all strands of English and maths. Progress is measured through the use of a ‘Bands’ systems for all pupils in KS1 and KS2 to ensure that progress can be measured consistently.

At Hinderton School we measure progress in a range of ways. We focus heavily on numeracy and literacy skills throughout the school and our assessment of the core curriculum subjects of english and maths has been designed to measure the progress of specific key areas within these subjects. These key areas are as follows:

  • Reading - decoding

  • Reading - Comprehension

  • Writing

  • Maths - Number

  • Maths - Geometry

  • Maths - Measure

  • Maths - Using and Applying

We keep detailed records of each pupils' progress in these different strands of English and maths on a termly basis, providing teachers with a detailed profile of each pupil’s progress across the curriculum.

Pupils likely to be working consistently at or above Year 3 outcomes will be discussed with Local Authority colleagues regarding the possibility of increased participation in mainstream settings

Progress Tracking Summary 2021-22

Progress tracking data for the academic year 2021-2022 for pupils in Years 1-6:


English:


Pupils in KS1 and KS2 are assessed across 3 areas of development using our banding assessment system.


Percentage progress made 2021-2022:

Reading decoding: 94.9% of all pupils made expected or above expected progress. Progress outcomes for girls was more than for boys, and pupils in receipt of pupil premium was slightly less than levels of their peers.

Reading comprehension: 89.7% of all pupils made expected or above expected progress. Progress outcomes for girls was more than for boys, and pupils in receipt of pupil premium was slightly above the levels of their peers.

Writing: 87.2% of all pupils of all pupils made expected or above expected progress. Progress outcomes for girls was more than for boys, and pupils in receipt of pupil premium was below the level of their peers.



Maths:


Pupils in KS1 and KS2 are assessed across 4 areas of development using our banding assessment system.


Percentage progress made 2021-2022:


Number: 79.5% of all pupils made expected or above expected progress. Progress outcomes for girls was less than for boys, and pupils in receipt of pupil premium was below the levels of their peers.

Measurement: 83.7% of all pupils of all pupils made expected or above expected progress. Progress outcomes for girls was more than for boys, and pupils in receipt of pupil premium was above the level of their peers.

Geometry: 94.9% of all pupils made expected or above expected progress. Progress outcomes for girls was more than for boys, and pupils in receipt of pupil premium was below the levels of their peers.

Using and applying: 87.2% of all pupils of all pupils made expected or above expected progress. Progress outcomes for girls was more than for boys, and pupils in receipt of pupil premium was below the levels of their peers.


How will I be kept informed of my child's progress?

Our Annual Review process and termly parents' evenings provide regular opportunities for parents and teachers to discuss progress. In line with the requirements of the New National Curriculum, pupils are routinely assessed in all strands of English and Maths. Teachers keep their own, finely-graded record of progress, and update the school-wide system for the benefit of the school’s leadership team on a half-termly basis (about every 6 weeks). Targets are set in the key areas of the subjects in September, and Pupil Progress Meetings with the Assessment coordinator throughout the year keep everyone informed about how well each child is performing against those targets.

We formally assess an individual’s awareness of phonics using the Read, Write, Inc. system and, where appropriate, also track their chronological reading and spelling age using the computer-based IDL system.

For all other National Curriculum subjects, we record detailed evidence of an individual’s learning using the Tapestry electronic learning journal.

How does school measure other important types of progress?

For all of our pupils, progress in areas other than the National Curriculum is vitally important, and we recognise that by giving our ‘Essential Skills’ curriculum the highest priority in school. We have developed and refined our ‘Personal Learning Plan’ (PLP) targets which are set prioritising progress in key areas of a pupil’s Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Progressive steps within each PLP target are identified and observations of progress made against targets are recorded on the pupil’s Tapestry online learning journey to evidence progress made. Pupil progress meetings are used to discuss target-setting and outcomes with teachers, and to pinpoint situations where progress is less than expected throughout the year. Curriculum delivery, environmental changes or additional support provided may then be adjusted accordingly to support the pupil to achieve their potential in each target area. PLP targets reflect the desired outcomes agreed in Statements or Education Health & Care Plans, and incorporate elements of SCERTS (see below) and the Cheshire Essential Skills Syllabus (CHESS).

What is SCERTS?

Using the autism-specific SCERTS model (Prizant et al, 2005), we also track each pupil’s progress in the areas of Social Communication (SC) and Emotional Regulation (ER), providing a detailed breakdown of their specific skills and challenges within those areas. Find out more about SCERTS at Hinderton here

How is progress measured in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

Pupils in Reception at Hinderton follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework and assessment guidance as published by the DfE (Department for Education) in 2021. This framework is mandatory for both mainstream and specialist EYFS settings.

Pupils will undertake educational programmes across the seven areas of learning:

Prime Areas: Communication and Language Development / Personal, Social and Emotional Development /Physical Development

Specific Areas: Literacy / Maths / Expressive Arts and Design / Understanding the World

At the end of the Reception year they will be assessed against 17 Early Learning Goals (ELG) across the areas of learning. The ELG’s indicate the level of attainment that a child should typically achieve by the end of the EYFS. Children will be assessed as being ‘expected’ against this criteria or ‘emerging’. This will be reported for each child as part of the statutory Foundation Stage Profile.

At Hinderton we realise that this assessment will not reflect the small steps of achievement that our pupils make. Therefore, we have worked hard to develop our own bespoke assessment system that is closely linked to the way progress is measured across the school as a whole. During the first half term we will form a baseline assessment for each pupil across each area of learning. We will use the document Development Matters (2021) as well as our professional knowledge of child development and skill progression to highlight where pupils are starting from in their learning journey. We will use this information to inform our curriculum and plan for skill progression which will be evaluated and reviewed regularly through professional and parental discussions and observations. At the end of the Reception year we will make a final formative assessment in each area of learning which will be used to inform the pupils transition into year one.

What is The Hinderton Progression Map?

Based on the Continuum of Skill Development devised by the Dales School in Yorkshire, our Progression Map provides a framework for teachers and senior leaders to assess and break down both academic and essential skills progress, into fifths of ‘mastery’ of any skill, under the headings of Prompting, Fluency, Maintenance and Generalisation. When we discuss steps of progress with you as parents, we will use this system.

How can parents support progress and assessment?

Communication and partnership between home and school are crucial if pupils are to develop new skills, and keep hold of them into adult life. In addition to Annual Reviews and termly Parents’ Evenings, parents and carers are welcome in school at any other point to discuss progress. We also post regular updates on each pupil’s Tapestry account, and welcome your feedback (and of course Tapestry posts) from home.

Please get in touch with Amy or your child’s class teacher at any time if you have any questions.

Department for Education (DfE) Data

The DfE produces data for all schools which includes school performance, characteristics and spend per pupil data;

We assess and report on each pupil’s level of attainment to the local authority at two points during their primary education. The first when they finish Year 2 (the end of key stage 1) and the second is when they finish Year 6 (end of key stage 2).

In reading, writing and mathematics, the majority of pupils nationally will be described as:

GDS: working at greater depth than the expected standard

EXS: working at the expected standard

WTS: working towards the expected standard

At Hinderton we report against ‘expected standards’ for each pupil at the end of each key stage. For pupils working below a ‘mainstream’ level, particularly those with special educational needs, they are assessed against new grades from summer 2019 known as ‘pre-key-stage standards’

Standard 6 (PK6) - (working at the KS1 expected standard (key stage 2 only)

Standard 5 (PK5) - (working at the KS1 expected standard (key stage 2 only)

Standard 4 (PK4)

Standard 3 (PK3)

Standard 2 (PK2)

Standard 1 (PK1)

Pupils working below pre-key stage standard 1 (PK1):

From the academic year 2022-2023 the engagement model will be used to assess all pupils who are working below the standard of the national curriculum assessments and not engaged in subject-specific study at key stage 1 (KS1) and key stage 2 (KS2)

Please click here to view the Hinderton DfE School Performance Report