Red Oak Primary School, Lowestoft, Suffolk

At Red Oak Primary School we believe that assessment provides the basis of informed teaching, helping pupils to overcome difficulties and ensuring that teaching builds upon what has been learned. It is also the means by which pupils understand what they have achieved and what they need to work on.  We assess knowledge, skills and learning behaviours.

Formative Assessment (Assessment for Learning – AfL)

Formative assessment creates a positive learning environment where children can see the steps necessary for their own success. It enables teachers to set appropriate work at the level necessary for the children’s continuing progress.  Formative assessment is a powerful way of raising pupils’ achievement. It is based on the principle that pupils will improve most if they understand the aim of their learning, where they are in relation to this aim and how they can achieve the aim.

Formative assessments are used to:

• identify children’s strengths and gaps in their skills/knowledge
• identify next steps for learning
• inform future planning
• enable appropriate strategies to be employed
• facilitate the setting of appropriate targets for the class, group, and individual
• track the child’s rate of progress
• facilitate an evaluation of the effectiveness of teaching and learning
• inform future teaching and learning strategies
• identify individuals and groups for specific intervention support.

Summative Assessment - Assessment of Learning

Summative assessment (Assessment of Learning) is important for informing both parents and teachers of a child’s attainment and progress. This will also inform whole school target setting and prediction of a cohort’s future attainment.

Summative assessments:

• identify attainment through one-off standardised tests at any given point in time
• record performance in a specific area on a specific date
• provide age standardised information
• provide end of key stage test data against which the school will be judged
• ensure statutory assessments at the end of EYFS, KS1 and KS2 are met
• provide information about cohort areas of strength and weakness to build from in the future

​Planning for Assessment

• The National Curriculum Programmes of Study and Early Learning Goals are used to guide our teaching. These documents provide us with the framework to ensure breadth and balance in our curriculum.
• Lessons are planned with clear learning objectives, based upon the teacher’s detailed knowledge of each child. We strive to ensure all tasks set are appropriate to each child’s level of ability. The format of our lesson plans ensures that our lessons are planned in detail, taking into account the needs of all pupils.
• Teachers use focused marking to assess children’s progress in relation to the planned learning objectives and set next steps to show where the child is in relation to this aim and how they can achieve the aim. Teachers use this information when planning for subsequent lessons. 
• Termly Pupil Progress Meetings are used to identify and analyse progress and set targets, in reading, writing and maths for classes and cohorts.

Assessing against the 2014 Curriculum

Pupils in all Years are currently being assessed against the new 2014 curriculum as the children are assessed against age related expectations.  The curriculum sets out the content, knowledge and skills pupils are expected to acquire each Year.

At Red Oak we have split the expectations for each Year Group into six steps of Beginning (B) Beginning plus (B+), Working within (W), Working within plus (W+ ) , Secure (S) and Secure plus(S+).  The expectation for most children is that they will follow the schedule as set out below:

As we expect all pupils to progress one band per term this allows us to track the progress of all pupils, irrelevant of their starting points.

We have replaced Average Point Scores (APS) with Points. Points can be used to check progress and attainment numerically (as an average). Points start at P1, which is 2 points and for children who have a special educational need.

The point scale starts at point 36, which is the final term in Reception (this is also working at a good level of development). This can then be counted up to Point 47 (the end of Year 2 expectation) and Point 71 (the end of Year 6). 

All year groups move on 6 points in a year, one step per half term.

More able Children

Rather than moving onto the next year’s curriculum these children will work on ‘mastering’ their knowledge through the application of skills in different contexts – they will be deepening their learning in a variety of ways. There is an additional point for mastery learning. Only a very small number of children will progress onto the next step of yearly objectives.

The depth and application of a child’s learning is an important marker of their achievement and progress.