Assessment is used to provide pupils, teachers and parents with information to target improvements and celebrate success. Assessment is applied consistently throughout school using standardised grading systems, pupil feedback on progress and in reporting to parents. Staff give grades for Effort/Attitude to Learning; progress grades to indicate whether pupils are on track to meet their target in Key Stage 3; and forecast grades in Key Stage 4.
Reports and Parents’ Evenings
Your child’s progress in school will be monitored carefully and you will receive a full ‘Report to Parents’ once a year and an ‘Interim Report’ at two other points during the year. On all reports, Attitude to Learning will be indicated in one of four categories, Excellent, Good, Minor Concerns, Major Concerns.
Attainment will be indicated by a GCSE grade in Key Stage 4 or a progress grade towards targets in Key Stage 3.
Parents will have at least one formal occasion per year to meet their child’s teachers.
Marking and Feedback
The frequency of marking depends on lesson allocation to each subject and the types of tasks undertaken, including key assessment tasks.
Core subjects: Twice every half-term detailed written comments (tick and target) are recorded on pupils’ work, accompanied with at least once every half-term a grade for effort (A-D).
Non-core subjects: Once every half-term a grade for effort (A-D) and detailed written comments (tick and target) are recorded on pupils’ work.
All subjects: Once every term an attainment grade alongside the effort grade, developmental comment and target for improvement is awarded.
Target Setting
Each teacher will set targets for pupils they teach.
Year 7 and Year 8 are set within target bands as follows:
- Grades 1-3 = L
- Grades-4-5 = D
- Grades 6-7 = D+
- Grades 8-9 = M
Years 9, 10 and 11 are full GCSE target grades.
Targets are intended to be a balance between motivation and achievable.
