Assessment

National Curriclum Assessment Principles

At Swinefleet Primary School we believe that good assessment is central to good teaching. It serves several purposes, including (but not limited to):

• Demonstrating what children have learnt.

• Enabling teachers to plan next steps.

• Providing the basis for focused teacher feedback to support pupil progress.

• Tracking children’s progress.

• Providing information for teachers, governors, parents and children.

Our Method of Assessment

• Assessment serves many purposes, but the main purpose of assessment in our school is to help teachers, parents, pupils plan their next steps in learning.

• We use the outcomes of assessment to check and support our teaching standards and help us improve.

• Through working with other schools and using a system of external tests and teacher assessments, we compare our performance with that of other schools.

• We assess pupils against criteria, which are short, discrete, qualitative and concrete descriptions of what a pupil is expected to know and be able to do.

• The achievement of each pupil is assessed against all the relevant criteria during milestone checks at appropriate times throughout the year.

• Each child is assessed as either emerging, developing or exceeding the expectations for their year group.

• Assessment criteria are derived from the school curriculum, which is composed of the National Curriculum and our own design.

• Where a pupil is assessed as exceeding the relevant criteria in a subject for that year they we provide more challenging work which develops their mastery of a subject rathger than move them on to the next skill..

• Assessment judgements are recorded and backed by a body of evidence created using observations, records or work and testing.

• Assessment judgements are moderated by colleagues in school and by colleagues in other schools to make sure our assessments are fair, reliable and valid.

• Assessment in the Early Years Foundation stage uses Development Matters to assess children's level of understanding.

Our Approach to Assessment

• Assessment is integral to high quality teaching and learning. It helps us to ensure that our teaching is appropriate and that learners are making expected progress.

• All staff are regularly trained in our approach to assessment.

• We have a senior leader who is responsible for assessment.

Our Use of Assessment

• Teachers use the outcomes of our assessments to summarise and analyse attainment and progress for their pupils and classes.

• Teachers use this data to plan the learning for every pupil to ensure they meet or exceed expectations. Teachers and leaders analyse the data across the school to ensure that pupils identified as vulnerable or at particular risk in this school are making appropriate progress and that all pupils are suitably stretched.

• The information from assessments is communicated to parents and pupils on a termly basis through a structured conversation. Parents and pupils receive rich, qualitative profiles of what has been achieved and indications of what they need to do next.

• We celebrate all achievements across a broad and balanced curriculum, including sport, art and performance, behaviour, and social and emotional development.

We work very closely with all the schools in the Goole Cluster to create and develop a range of assessment procedures and resources.