Assessment

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Our daughter’s end of year report was fantastic!  All down to a fantastic teacher who cares so much and always goes above and beyond. 

 

ASSESSING AND TRACKING PUPILS’ PROGRESS

The new national curriculum arrangements came into force from 1 September 2014 and with Year 2 and Year 6 children from September 2015. 
From this point, schools have been required to introduce their own method and approaches to formative assessment.

At Bentham CP School, we will continue to track children's attainment and progress with rigour to ensure that all children perform in line with our aspirational expectations. A system has been implemented across the whole school which is continually being evaluated.      

At the bottom of this page you will find links to the DfE School Performance Tables Website.  Please note that there were no statutory assessments in 2020 or 2021 due to Covid19.

Our recent end of key stage results can also be found below for the academic year 2021-2022.  

Key Stage Results

SCHOOL PERFORMANCE INFORMATION 2021-2022

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)  Data 2022

71% of children achieved a Good Level of Development by the end of EYFS.  This is above the national figure of 65.3% (2022). The average total points score for Bentham is TBC. The national figure being TBC (2022).

Year 1 and 2 Phonics Screening 2022

In 2022, 62.5% of children passed the Year 1 Phonic Screening test.  75.8% passed the test nationally (2022).  The average score in phonics for our school was TBC.  This is below the national average score of TBC.

71.4% of those children who did not achieve the screening check in Year 1, achieved the pass mark in June 2022.

Key Stage 1 Data 2022

  % Bentham children achieving age related expectations or above at the end of Year 2: % children nationally achieving age related expectations at the end of Year 2:
Reading 66.7% (0% at Greater Depth) 67.2% (18.1% at Greater Depth)
Writing 57.1% (0% at Greater Depth) 57.9% (8.1% at Greater Depth)
Maths 71.4%  (9.5% at Greater Depth) 67.9% (15.2% at Greater Depth)
Reading, Writing & Maths combined 57.1% (0% at Greater Depth) 53.7% (6% at Greater Depth)

:

Key Stage 2 Data 2022

  % Bentham children achieving age related or above expectations at the end of Year 6: % children nationally achieving age related or above expectations at the end of Year 6 (2022): Bentham Scaled Score Average Progress Score National Average Scaled Score
Reading 88% (59% at Greater Depth) 74% 110 TBC 105
Writing 59% (0% at Greater Depth) 69% N/A N/A N/A
Maths 82% (24% at Greater Depth) 71% 106 TBC 104
Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling 76% (24% at Greater Depth) 72% 105 TBC 105
Reading, Writing & Maths combined 59% (0% at Greater Depth) 59% N/A    

 

Tracking Progress in the EYFS
Children in the EYFS continue to be tracked using the Early years Foundation Stage Curriculum. By the end of their Foundation Year in school it is expected that they reach the ‘Early Learning Goals’.  At the beginning of the year a ‘baseline’ assessment is made of everything they can do so teachers know what they need to learn next. A Learning Journey is kept of their development which we will share with you throughout the year. In 2022 we are moving towards using an online system called Tapestry.


At the end of the EYFS year the EYFS Profile completes the picture of everything they have learnt, and are able to do.  This is reported to parents so parents know if their child is at the age related expectation, is emerging into this or exceeding above. Most importantly it shows how much progress has been made from the baseline, and so teachers in Year 1 are ready to teach them their next steps in the National Curriculum.

Whilst the school's assessment system works to monitor and track academic progress, we must reinforce that we believe in every child as an individual with strengths and talents that amount to far more than a set of levels! This is just one piece of a very large jigsaw.

 

What can I do to help my child?

There is so much parents can help with, reading is very important along with time tables, spellings and practicing number bonds. Also completing homework as well talking about what they are learning at school. Our website has links to supporting websites where there are lots of fun games to support primary learning.


What do teachers use to gauge children’s progress?
Children’s independent work is the biggest indicator of what they can do and how they do it.  Teachers use this on a daily basis to know and check pupil understanding and progress. Special pieces of work to inform assessment is set up throughout the year. This is done alongside Reading and Spelling age tests, the Phonic screening in Yr 1, the EYFS Profile and end of Year assessments for example.


How do all schools know that their judgements about progress and attainment match up with each other?
At Bentham we work across the school and with other local schools to agree and ’moderate’ attainment levels. All school also have external moderation from the Local Authority.


What happens when my child goes to High School?
Secondary schools too will have their own systems and will work with the primaries to ensure that the systems work together, so there is continuity for children’s progress.


Do the teachers use any other forms of assessment?
Throughout all lessons teachers continuously monitor and assess learning, ensuring that any misconceptions pupils have in learning are quickly addressed, so that they can continue to make progress within that session.
As well as reviewing pupils recorded work, teachers will also use tests to review how well pupils have retained learning over a period of time.

REPORTING ON PROGRESS

There are three specific times throughout the school year that we formally report on your child’s progress and achievement.

Effective communication between home and school is vital whether by phone, email or in person. Parents are welcome to meet with the teachers at any time by mutual agreement. 

The school has a well-established system for reporting to parents. This consists of:

Autumn Term - parents are invited to attend a consultation evening where the child’s progress towards settling into a new academic year and targets are discussed. Effort Grade Letters are issued to parents at the start of Spring Term.

Spring Term - parents are invited to attend a second consultation evening where the child’s progress is discussed in terms of age-related and personal expectations. A second Effort Grade Letter is issued to parents at the beginning of Summer Term.

Summer Term - parents receive a full written report which includes details of the child’s achievements and progress for the academic year. Parents are invited to discuss this report, which contains Summer Term Effort Grades, if they wish or are invited to.

In addition, the school has an open door policy for parents whereby staff are available to consult with parents at a mutually convenient time.