Assessments

The following assessment tests are taken 3 times a year:

 

• Reading test 
• GPS test
• Maths test
• Writing is assessed throughout the year based on their independent writing across all subjects, not just in the children's English books

 

Reception
In the Early Years, progress is assessed at regular intervals through the analysis of evidence that is collected from school and home, plus the practitioner’s own knowledge acquired through working with the children.  We document special moments, observations and pieces of a child’s handiwork, writing and photographs.  The log tracks a child’s progress over a year. 

 

As a child reaches the final term in Reception class, evidence is gathered and analysed to make a judgement as to whether a child has reached the expected level for their age.  If they have, then we say they have reached the Early Learning Goal and are working at the expected level.  If they have not, then they are considered to be emerging.  If they have moved past the expected level then they are considered to be exceeding the goal.

 

We also expect that children will get a ‘good level of development’ when they complete their reception year.  This means that they have reached at least expected level in all areas of the Early Years curriculum apart from Understanding the World and Expressive arts and design.

 

Year 2

Your child’s teacher is responsible for judging the standards your child is working at in English reading, English writing, mathematics and science, by the end of key stage 1. To help inform those judgements, pupils sit national curriculum tests in English and mathematics, commonly called SATs. 

 

The tests are a tool for teachers to help them measure your child’s performance and identify their needs as they move into key stage 2. They also allow teachers to see how your child is performing against national expected standards. 

 

The tests can be taken any time during May and they are not strictly timed. Pupils may not even know they are taking them as many teachers will incorporate them into everyday classroom activities.

 

Teachers will use the results from these tests, along with the work your child has done throughout the year, to help them reach their own judgements about how your child is progressing at the end of key stage 1. These teacher assessment judgements will be reported to you by the end of the summer term.

 

 

Year 6
If you have a child in year 6, at the end of key stage 2, they will take national curriculum tests in English grammar, punctuation and spelling, English reading and mathematics. The tests help measure the progress pupils have made and identify if they need additional support in a certain area. The tests are also used to assess schools’ performance and to produce national performance data. The key stage 2 tests will be taken on set dates unless your child is absent, in which case they may be able to take them up to 5 school days afterwards. 

 

At the end of the summer term you should receive test results for: 
• English grammar, punctuation and spelling 
• English reading 
• Mathematics 

 

Teacher assessment 
As there is no test for English writing, this will be reported as a teacher assessment judgement. This is a judgement teachers will make, based on your child’s work at the end of key stage 2. You will also receive a teacher assessment judgement for science. 

 

 

Year 4 - Multiplication Tables Check
This will take place within the 3-week period from Monday 8 June 2020.  Times tables fall under arithmetic. All primary school-aged children are expected to know their times tables up to 12 x 12 by heart. In fact, they are expected to have mastered their times tables by the end of Year 4.  the idea is for the Multiplication Tables Check to be taken towards the end of Year 4 to make sure children are meeting the benchmark of memorising their times tables up to 12 x 12 before moving up to Upper Key Stage 2 (Year 5 and Year 6).

 

The Multiplication Tables Check has been described as “an online, on-screen digital assessment” – meaning the children will take the test on a desktop computer, laptop or tablet (such as an iPad) at school.  The times tables test will be timed, with the entire assessment lasting approximately 5 minutes in total. The children will be set a handful of practice questions to begin with – mostly from the one times table. Following the practice questions, the test itself will comprise of 25 questions, all formatted, for example, as 2 x 5 = with the child required to input the product or result, which in the example we’ve provided would mean inputting the answer 10.

 

Children will be given six seconds to answer each of the questions, with a three second blank gap between each question.

 

The questions will be randomly selected by the testing programme from 121 different options, ranging from 2 x 2 = up to 12 x 12. The test’s software has been programmed to show children more questions from the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables, as these are trickier times tables focused on more in Years 3 and 4. (The 2s, 5s and 10s are more of a focus in Years 1 and 2.)