Assessment

ASSESSMENT IN RECEPTION

The Department for Education introduced a Reception Baseline from in September 2021.  This is a short assessment, taken in the first six weeks in which a child starts Reception.  It is carried out online and is designed to measure progress for each child to the end of Year 6 in Key Stage 2.

During the first few weeks of the Autumn term, school based baseline assessments are also carried out for every child, using adult observations alongside information gathered from parents/carers and previous settings. Once collated, this information enables us to assess each child’s development on entry to Park Hill Infants and to identify their individual next steps for learning.

Ongoing observations and assessments for each child are made throughout the year to monitor each child’s progress and attainment.  Assessments track children’s attainment  and are collated to monitor their progress towards achieving the Early Learning Goals, at the end of Reception.   These assessments are discussed at half termly pupil progress meetings with the class teachers, year group leader, Inclusion leader and Assessment leader, to identify children to be signposted to targeted interventions, (support, booster, nurture), at the earliest opportunity.

 

During the Summer term, each child's development is assessed against the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) in the following areas:

  • Communication and Language
  • Physical Development
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Art and Design

 

Children will be assessed as emerging or expected in these areas.  This information will be reported to parents and used in discussions with children's Year One teachers during transition.

 

ASSESSMENT IN KEY STAGE ONE

In Years One and Two, children’s progress in reading, writing and maths is tracked using ‘Assessment Manager’, (linked to our school management system).

For those children working below age related expectations for the key stage, we use the ‘Bridging the Gap’ statements for reading and maths to track their progress.

Data is collected and analysed rigorously by the Assessment Leader.  Pupil progress meetings are held every half term, with class teachers, year group leaders, Inclusion leader, KS1 leader and Assessment leader, to discuss the progress and attainment of all children.  This allows children to be signposted to targeted interventions, (support, booster, nurture), at the earliest opportunity.

 

Foundation Subjects

We value the whole curriculum and appreciate the importance of monitoring children's progress across the whole curriculum. We use our carefully planned progression of knowledge and skills documents to support children's progress and attainment in the foundation subjects. Subject leaders analyse this data to signpost children to enrichment / support and to make ongoing improvements/adaptations to provision in their subject, according to need.

 

Pupil Support Plans

Our Inclusion Leader and SENDCO work closely with class teachers to identify children who may need additional support in key areas of the curriculum. For children identified as needing to be placed on the Special Educational Needs register, ‘Pupil Support Plans’ are used to set SMART targets.    Progress towards these targets is reviewed and up-dated each term and reported to parents.

 

Statutory Assessment in Key Stage One

Year 1 Phonics Screening Check

During the Summer term in Year One, all children take the National Phonics Screening check. This assessment assesses a child's ability to blend phonemes together to read a selection of real and non-real words. The score of this test is reported to parents, and to the Local Authority for local and national comparison.

Children who do not meet the benchmark in Year One receive targeted intervention throughout Year Two. Any child who did not take the test / meet the benchmark in Year One, retake the test in Year Two.

 

Our extremely positive performance data can be found here.