Assessment and Outcomes at Grenoside Community Primary School.

Please follow the link to view the school and college performance tables website and our school's performance measures page.

www.gov.uk/school-performance-tables

The assessment at Grenoside Community Primary School is designed to support teaching and learning to impact positively on the attainment and progress for all groups of pupils at school.

We use a range of summative and formative assessments to support and enhance learning within our school and meet the ambition of the National Curriculum and statutory assessment requirements for the relevant year groups.

During the time children spend at primary school, there are specific points when they are required to take national statutory assessments.

This happens:

In Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at the start of the year teacher complete a Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) and at the end of the year with percentage of pupils achieving good levels of development (GLD) in the early learning goals.
In Y1 when they take a Phonics Screening Check in June.
In Y4 when they do Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) in June.
In Y6 when they do the Standard Attainment Tests (SATs) in a week in May.

The attainment of children at these points is recorded nationally.

How we assess and plan for learning.

Teachers carefully plan and sequence what knowledge and skills need to be delivered, the curriculum coverage and how to match the learning to individual children’s needs.

Day-to-day adjustments are made to ensure these needs are met and gaps in learning are addressed promptly. Feedback informs teachers' assessments as well as pupil:staff interaction. Teachers also moderate children’s work in teams within school and with other schools to check these assessments are consistent. At the end of each sequence of learning, we record and track the knowledge and understanding each child has achieved and this informs future planning.

When a child joins Grenoside Community Primary School from another school, teachers will complete baseline assessments to ensure learning is pitched at the appropriate level. In addition to this, staff will contact the previous school for as much information about the child as possible and if necessary meetings with the parent/carers will be scheduled for joint understanding of the whole child.

What happens in Early Years Foundation Stage?

The RBA (Reception Baseline Assessment) is completed by Early Years staff in the child's first 6 weeks of school.

The FSP (Foundation Stage Profile) is completed at the end of the FS2 year.

It is based on the observations of the children by staff and does not include testing. Baseline assessment takes place in the autumn term when the children enter our school and from which their progress can be measured. We have always carried out this kind of assessment. Teachers build their knowledge and judgements through observations, interactions and everyday activities.

At the end of the year, the percentage of pupils achieving good levels of development (GLD) in the early learning goals is measured.

Phonics Screening Check in Year 1

The phonics screening check is designed to confirm whether children have learnt phonic decoding through their daily ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds’ learning to an appropriate standard.

This check is carried out in June with Y1 pupils and any Y2 pupils who did not meet the standard when in Y1. It involves children reading forty words made up of real and pseudo-words aloud to their teacher on a one-to-one basis.

Key Stage Two National Curriculum Tests (SATs)

The Key Stage 2 SATs are completed in May, when the children are generally aged 11, and provide information about their attainment at the end of 4 years of KS2.

Children complete tests in:

spelling, punctuation and grammar (GPS) – 1 grammar and punctuation paper and 1 spelling test
reading – 1 reading comprehension paper
mathematics - 3 papers: one arithmetic and two reasoning papers

The tests are marked externally and the standard achieved is recorded nationally. The standard in writing is based on teacher assessment as it is in KS1.

Please do not book a holiday during this important time.

The data from these tests is used to measure the school against national standards and inform secondary schools of individual children’s level of attainment.

While it is useful to understand how an outcome compares to children of the same age across the country, we should always remember that the most important thing is that the children are making appropriate progress from their own individual starting point.

Assessment for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND)

Where applicable, children with SEND are assessed against the year group expectations they are working in line with.

For example, a child in Y6 may be working at a Y2 level and will therefore be assessed against the Y2 National Curriculum expectations. We use the Birmingham Toolkit to support teacher assessment and illustrate the small steps progress that is made. The school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) works alongside teachers and families to best support the child.

Alongside this, each SEN pupil will have a target book with three or four bespoke targets, relevant to their needs, that are additional to or different from that of their non-SEN peers. These targets will be set and reviewed termly between the child and class teacher and will be shared with parents.

For children with physical disabilities, families and teachers will work alongside the school’s SENCo to support access to the curriculum and any assessments for that child in line with national guidance. For example, using a laptop, enlarged texts, braille etc.

In line with national guidance, children working significantly behind the expectations in Y2 and Y6 will be withdrawn from the sitting the SATs in those years groups.

Reporting to parents and carers

We endeavour to work closely with parents and carers to provide the best possible support for individual children.

We regularly report to parents and carers about the progress that children are making.

Autumn term – parents’ evening.
Spring term – pupils’ annual reports.
Summer term – open evening parents’ evening.