Policy & Systems

Our Assessment System

 

Following the statutory changes to the National Curriculum in September 2014, we have implemented a new and effective assessment system that will provide reliable information to you about how your child is performing. It will also to help drive improvement for children and teachers ensuring school is keeping up with external practice and innovation.

 

At West Wycombe School we believe assessment should:

• Provide children with appropriate feedback on their learning.
• Provide class teachers with assessment opportunities designed to support   planning and implementation of a curriculum that meets the needs of each child.

• Provide information that will assist the early identification of specified support so that all children can achieve their full potential.
• Provide you with a clear and accurate sense of your child’s achievements and progress, as well as areas where you can support development at home.

To track and monitor pupil attainment and progress, teachers will now use ‘Target Tracker’ to assess children using a system of ‘steps’ (rather than ‘levels’). The terminology has now changed where each year group is now referred to as a ‘Band’ (eg: Year 3 = Band 3; Year 4 = Band 4 etc).

 

 

For children to be ‘on track’ within each band, they would need to reach the ‘Working at +’ (W+)/ 'Secure' (S)  step at the end of the appropriate year. For example: at the end of Y3 children would be expected to achieve ‘Band 3W+/ 3S’.

 

Under the old levels, system children who were Secure might have moved into the next level. The DfE now want children who are in the Secure bracket to add more depth and breadth to their knowledge, and to have more opportunities to develop their using and applying skills. They are calling this phase of learning Mastery and Depth. Only exceptional children will move into working towards the end of year expectations from the year above. Similarly, children who are unlikely to be Beginning at the end of the year may work towards the expectations from the year below.

 

It is important for children to have opportunities to apply their understanding in a range of challenging real life contexts, and to demonstrate their mastery of particular skills at a deep and thorough level before moving on.