22/08/2024Assessment, Reporting and Target Setting
The curriculum is well sequenced. It builds pupils' knowledge and develops skills for future learning and employment- Ofsted 2023
Assessment at Waingels is of two types;
1. Assessment of learning: what progress has the student made, from their starting point towards an end goal.
2. Assessment for learning: supporting learners through feedback, helping the student identify areas of knowledge, skills or understanding that need to be improved.
Assessment of Learning
Teachers will assess the student’s understanding of their subject throughout each lesson and will structure relevant feedback in a number of ways including self and peer assessment and verbal feedback. Our teachers will strive to give a combination of these forms of feedback in order to help the students make optimum progress.
Progress and Attitude to Learning is reported two times a year for Years 7-10 and 12, and 3 times per year for Year 11 and 13.
In Years 7 to 9, the reports will assess what progress a student is making from the baseline in the curriculum for they year they are in. Progress will be reported as:
- Making exceptional progress from their baseline step
- Making more than expected progress from their baseline step
- Making expected progress from their baseline step
- Working towards expected progress from their baseline step
- Making less than expected progress from their baseline step
Each report will also include an area of development for students for each subject. These can be viewed below:
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
Year 13
In Years 10 to 11, we report the predicted grade that we believe the student will achieve, at the end of Year 11. It is based on the work completed to date and performance in internal assessments and other tasks.
We report progress grades for the Sixth Form on a similar basis; i.e. the predicted grade at the end of Year 13. Again, it is based on the standard of work completed to date, and students who make improvements can see their predicted grade move up over time.
Progress and Targets
The purpose of assessing progress and setting targets is to guide each student towards an outcome that is demanding but achievable.
Years 7 to 9
We use Key Stage 2 SATS data (where available) as well as CATs tests to generate a baseline for us to measure the progress of students against.
We do not report on, nor predict GCSE targets or outcomes in Key Stage 3. We are assessing and reporting on what students are learning now. We want aspirational and active young learners with no sense of limit on what they can achieve later on in their school career. Key Stage 3 is an excellent opportunity for them to build new, and firm foundations for learning, especially in subjects that are new to them, and they are experiencing for the first time.
It is possible to map out the grades a typical student might expect based on their prior attainment at KS2. We use the model outlined below – this places students in baseline steps broadly based on their KS2 scores, also taking CATs in to account. Other information about students will also be taken in to account where relevant. We then report on the progress students are making against these initial baselines. Baseline steps are reviewed during Year 8 and Year 9.
| Baseline Steps | % of Students in Each Band Nationally | KS2 Standardised Scores | CAT4 Mean SAS | KS4 MEG (Minimum Expected Grade) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X1 | 4 | 115+ | 124+ | 8/9 |
| X2 | 17 | 110-114.9 | 112-123 | 7 |
| X3 | 19 | 106-109.9 | 104-111 | 6 |
| Y1 | 20 | 103-105.9 | 96-103 | 5 |
| Y2 | 18 | 100-102.9 | 88-95 | 4/5 |
| Y3 | 10 | 95-99.9 | 82-87 | 4 |
| Z1 | 5 | 93-94.9 | 77-81 | 3 |
| Z2 | 3 | 90-92.9 | 73-76 | 3 |
| Z3 | 4 | <90 | <73 | 2/3 |
The MEGs (minimum expected grades) are aspirational and demanding – they represent the grades students in the top 25% of schools might expect to achieve. They are not a prediction of what an individual might achieve. However it is important to recognise that achieving these MEGs also rely on a large number of factors such as consistently excellent attitude to learning and consistently good attendance (above 97%) to name just a couple.
Years 10 -13
Our targets at KS4 are based on national statistics, showing the progress made between Key Stage 2 tests at the end of Year 6 and GCSE qualifications at the end of Year 11. They are calculated on progress made by similar students in schools like Waingels, which are in the top 25% of schools in the country.
Target grades are in place for students in years 10-13. These are minimum targets we would like to see the student achieve, assuming that they work at all times with enthusiasm and determination. The targets are designed to be aspirational and challenging – we know that students at Waingels achieve higher than the national average.
We apply a similar philosophy to A-level targets. Again, the targets are based on progress made in schools like Waingels, that are consistently in the top 25% of schools in the country.
Assessment for Learning
Teachers will assess the student’s understanding of their subject throughout each lesson and will structure relevant feedback in a number of ways; self and peer assessment and written or verbal feedback. Our teachers will strive to give a combination of these forms of feedback in order to help the students make optimum progress; verbal feedback will be the most common form.
Throughout the year, students will be given direct feedback which should be used to improve their work and understanding. Up to four pieces of work in the year will be completed by students in a separate book – their Best Book - which will be marked formatively. Teachers will give written feedback on these pieces of work and will then give students the opportunity to re-draft and improve their work. These books will be sent home regularly so that parents can review the learning that is taking place in lessons.
More detail can be found in the Feedback Policy.
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How we Assess and Report at Key Stage 3 |
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Curriculum Presentation from Parent Forum 02/02/2022 |
Attitude to Learning Presentation from Parent Forum 02/02/2022 |
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Assessment Presentation from Parent Forum 02/02/2022 |
Assessment and Feedback Presentation from Parent Forum 02/02/2022 |
