Assessment at New Marske Primary School
The assessment system developed within New Marske Primary School meets the requirements set out in Reforming Assessment and Accountability for Primary Schools (March 2014). Within school, assessment is:
- on-going and teacher-led
- a system designed for the pupils of New Marske
- based on formative and summative methods
- fair and transparent;
- a measure of progress (how much pupils have learnt from their starting points) and attainment (how they compare to national averages)
- designed to offer a broad range of information to help parents and the wider public know how well New Marske Primary School is performing.
From September 2015 the school has been using a National Curriculum Grade system to measure achievement across school. At the end of the Autumn Term, Spring Term and Summer Term, teachers will assess pupils against the National Curriculum, assessing if they are working below, at or above their age expectation. All pupils will be assessed in Reading, Writing and Maths.
Writing
The National Curriculum has been split into a number of objectives. Within years 1 – 4 These fall into the following categories:
- Punctuation
- Sentence Structure
- Text Structure
- Composition
- Key Spelling
- Handwriting
- Further spelling*
Within years 5 and 6, they fall into the following categories
- Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
- Composition
- Handwriting and Presentation
- Key Spelling
- Further spelling*
*Further spelling objectives are not used as part of the overall number of writing objectives. These are assessed independently of the writing objectives. Key spelling objectives, which are included against the overall number of writing objectives are the key spelling skills which will allow pupils to meet the requirements of the interim assessment judgements. These objectives build upon some of the further spelling objectives in previous year groups.
By the end of the academic year, pupils in each year group should have covered all of the objectives. Their success against the objectives will provide a measure of their current attainment.
By the end of the academic year, pupils in each year group will have had the opportunity to cover all of the objectives. Their success against the objectives will provide a measure of their current attainment. Each term, teachers will teach a number of objectives and measure progress against these. One of the key aims of the National Curriculum (2014) is that pupils will cover fewer objectives in more depth.
Writing Objectives
Year Group | Total number of objectives | Approximate number of objectives to be covered per term |
Year 1 | 30 | 10 |
Year 2 | 42 | 14 |
Year 3 | 28 | 10 |
Year 4 | 25 | 9 |
Year 5 | 56 | 19 |
Year 6 | 53 | 18 |
Objectives related to age expectations
Within each term, teachers will ensure that they teach the required number of objectives. Successful completion of these objectives will be recorded in the 2Build a Profile assessment system. This system allows a record to be made of the time and date the objective was completed, as well as a record of any evidence associated with this objective. At the end of each term teachers will count how many objectives pupils have successfully completed and link that to a National Curriculum Grade.
Example
At the end of the Autumn term, if a year 1 pupil has successfully completed 8 or more objectives, they are working at a National Curriculum grade of 1-. In the Spring term, if that pupil has successfully completed more than 16 objectives, they will have a National Curriculum Grade of 1=. At the end of the summer term, if they have more than 24 objectives, they will have a National Curriculum Grade of 1+. At each of these stages this pupil is working at their age related expectation and is on track.
Year Groups | Objectives needed to work at age related expectation | ||
Autumn | Spring | Summer | |
Year 1 | ≥8 | ≥16 | ≥24 |
National Curriculum Grade | 1- | 1= | 1+ |
Year 2 | ≥12 | ≥23 | ≥34 |
National Curriculum Grade | 2- | 2= | 2+ |
Year 3 | ≥8 | ≥16 | ≥23 |
National Curriculum Grade | 3- | 3= | 3+ |
Year 4 | ≥ | ≥15 | ≥20 |
National Curriculum Grade | 4- | 4= | 4+ |
Year 5 | ≥16 | ≥31 | ≥45 |
National Curriculum Grade | 5- | 5= | 5+ |
Year 6 | ≥15 | ≥29 | ≥43 |
National Curriculum Grade | 6- | 6= | 6+ |
If a pupil in the Autumn term has successfully completed less than 8 objectives, they will be on at least a R+. If in the spring term this pupil has more than 8, but less than 16 objectives, they will be on a 1- and approximately working one term behind the age related expectation. If this pupil is still between 8 and 16 objectives in the summer term, they will still be on a 1- and two terms behind their age related expectation. If they have more than 16 objectives, but less than 24, they will be on a 1= and one term behind their age related expectation.
Mathematics
Within mathematics, the National Curriculum has been split into a number of objectives. These objectives can be downloaded from this page. These objectives fall into the following categories:
- Number
- Place value
- Measure
- Shape
- Ratio and proportion
- Statistics
- Algebra
By the end of the academic year, pupils in each year group will have had the opportunity to cover all of the objectives. Their success against the objectives will provide a measure of their current attainment.
Mathematic Objectives
Year Group | Total number of objectives | Approximate number of objectives to be covered per term |
Year 1 | 56 | 19 |
Year 2 | 79 | 27 |
Year 3 | 73 | 25 |
Year 4 | 68 | 23 |
Year 5 | 73 | 25 |
Year 6 | 85 | 29 |
Year Groups | Objectives needed to work at age related expectation | ||
Autumn | Spring | Summer | |
Year 1 | ≥15 | ≥31 | ≥45 |
National Curriculum Grade | 1- | 1= | 1+ |
Year 2 | ≥22 | ≥44 | ≥64 |
National Curriculum Grade | 2- | 2= | 2+ |
Year 3 | ≥20 | ≥40 | ≥59 |
National Curriculum Grade | 3- | 3= | 3+ |
Year 4 | ≥19 | ≥39 | ≥55 |
National Curriculum Grade | 4- | 4= | 4+ |
Year 5 | ≥20 | ≥40 | ≥59 |
National Curriculum Grade | 5- | 5= | 5+ |
Year 6 | ≥24 | ≥47 | ≥68 |
National Curriculum Grade | 6- | 6= | 6+ |
In mathematics each year group has a range of non negotiables. These are key objectives that pupils must achieve within that year group. These objectives should be taught and reinforced continually throughout the year.
Objectives related to age expectations
As with writing, at the end of each term teachers will assess how many objectives each child has successfully completed, with that number of objectives relating to a National Curriculum Grade.
Reading
Within reading the curriculum has been split into three key areas:
- Word reading
- Comprehension
- Spoken Language
As pupils move through the curriculum there is less of an emphasis on word reading and an expectation that pupils will have developed these skills to allow them to improve their comprehension of texts. The reading curriculum is supported by the Read Write Inc scheme which works on developing the synthetic phonic skills of pupils in nursery, reception, year and year 2.
Within the reading curriculum there is a selection of key reading for each year group. This highlights the key stories, fairy tales, myths and legends, traditional tales, modern fiction, books from our literary heritage, stories from other cultures and traditions and poetry that our pupils will read in their time at New Marske Primary School.
By the end of the academic year, pupils in each year group should have covered all of the objectives. Their success against the objectives will provide a measure of their current attainment.
Year Group | Total number of objectives | Approximate number of objectives to be covered per term |
Year 1 | 36 | 12 |
Year 2 | 38 | 13 |
Year 3 | 34 | 12 |
Year 4 | 36 | 12 |
Year 5 | 44 | 15 |
Year 6 | 43 | 15 |
Objectives related to age expectations
Within each term, teachers should ensure that they teach the required number of objectives. Successful completion of these objectives should be recorded in 2Build a Profile.
It is important to note that 2Build a Profile should not record coverage, when a teacher taught the objective, but should record when a pupil has demonstrated that they have met that objective.
At the end of each term teachers should count how many objectives pupils have successfully completed and link that to a National Curriculum Grade.
Year Groups | Objectives needed to work at age related expectation | ||
Autumn | Spring | Summer | |
Year 1 | ≥10 | ≥20 | ≥29 |
National Curriculum Grade | 1- | 1= | 1+ |
Year 2 | ≥11 | ≥21 | ≥31 |
National Curriculum Grade | 2- | 2= | 2+ |
Year 3 | ≥10 | ≥20 | ≥28 |
National Curriculum Grade | 3- | 3+ | 3= |
Year 4 | ≥10 | ≥20 | ≥29 |
National Curriculum Grade | 4- | 4= | 4+ |
Year 5 | ≥12 | ≥24 | ≥36 |
National Curriculum Grade | 5- | 5= | 5+ |
Year 6 | ≥12 | ≥24 | ≥35 |
National Curriculum Grade | 6- | 6= | 6+ |
Testing
Throughout school testing is used by teachers to assess how pupils are succeeding against certain objectives. Most testing in school is informal, with testing conditions used when appropriate. Most testing questions are used within lessons to see how pupils can apply their skills in a different context.
Internal Testing
All year groups will experience testing of some form. For most year groups this testing is used by the teacher to provide evidence to help them adapt their teaching to improve outcomes for pupils. The two main systems used in school to help gather this evidence are:
- Testbase a database of test questions which the teacher can adapt for a class. For example a class could have worked on addition. The class teacher could design a test of 20 questions to help assess how pupils work in this area.
- Alfie.com: a testing site that allows on line test to be designed for specific areas, allowing the teacher to work out the strengths and weakness of the class. For example the class could have worked on using inference to help understand a text in reading. The class teacher could design a test that could ask a range of questions about a text. The test would inform the teacher about the types of questions pupils successfully complete and the questions they have more difficulties with.
External Testing
At various times during their time at New Marske Primary School pupils will take part in some kind of external, statutory test which will either set a baseline of where pupils are with their learning, or will measure their progress between year groups or attainment against national averages.
External tests in New Marske Primary School
Year group | Test | Purpose or test | Method |
Reception | Reception Baseline Test (September) (non statutory) | To provide a measure of the starting point pupils enter the reception class. | Test |
Reception | Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (June) | An on going measure of the progress pupils make against the EYFS profile. | On going teacher assessment |
Year 1 | Phonics test (June) | A measure of a pupils phonic ability. Pupils will read 40 real and nonsense words. | Test |
Year 2 | Standard Assessment Test (May June) | Reading Test, English grammar, punctuation and Spelling test and Mathematics test | On going teacher assessment supported by tests |
Year 6 | Standard Assessment Test (May) | Test |
Reporting to Parents
At the end of every term parents will be informed about the achievement of their child/children over the course of the term and year. The report will contain information about how pupils are doing in different areas.
Area | Description |
Attendance |
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Attainment |
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Progress |
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Effort |
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