Assessment and Tracking
As a school we are determined to provide the highest quality education for all students. In order to help parents / carers understand the data that we use to monitor progress and to help support the students, we have outlined our processes below. Please feel free to contact the school should you have any comments or questions.
How is my child assessed at school?
At All Saints we assess and monitor student progress in a number of ways:
- Students receive written feedback from their subject teachers which can be found in students’ exercise books. It is written in green pen so that it is helpfully identifiable.
- Students receive oral feedback from their subject teachers.
- Students sit a range of formal assessments, teacher assessments and mock examinations for which they receive a score or grade. Formal assessments take place three times per year.
- Students discuss their progress with their form tutor.
- At 3 points during the year, we give students performance grades and also grades for their engagement in learning and independent learning.
Will I receive any progress data for my child?
Yes. In addition to the feedback provided in exercise books and after assessments, we collect data about each student at 3 points during the year. Your child will be provided with a summary printout of this data to discuss with his/her form tutor and you will be able to access this data using the MyEd app. We also hold at least one parents’ evening for each year group per year, before which you will receive an interim report. Your child’s form tutor is a good point of contact if you wish to discuss your child’s progress.
How can I help my child to progress?
- You can discuss the written feedback in their exercise books and help your child to set targets or areas for development.
- You can monitor the cycle data provided through the MyEd app and discuss changes with your child.
- You can encourage your child to engage in effective independent learning at home by helping to provide space and time for study.
- You can encourage your child to read to develop strong literacy skills through reading and to be inquisitive about learning.
How will I understand the data?
Please read the explanations below.
Explanation of Grades:
Skills Descriptors (Year 7 and 8)
In Year 7 and 8, the knowledge, skills and understanding required for each Skills Descriptor must be mastered across all strands of the curriculum before students progress to the next Skills Descriptor. Students may take time to master all skills for all types of assessment and all taught units. Therefore, students may stay on the same descriptor across multiple assessments and reporting points. This may still be consistent with students making good progress, depending on their starting points. This new approach to the KS3 curriculum will enable students to master the full breadth and depth of the curriculum at their appropriate level.
Year 7
The Skills Descriptor your child has achieved is a combination of their most recent Formal Assessment and their work in class. Skills Descriptors for Year 7 are: Beginning, Developing and Achieving. Depending on their starting points, Year 7 students should aim to master Beginning in Term 1 and progress on to Developing or Achieving by the end of the academic year.
Year 8
The Skills Descriptor your child has achieved is a combination of their most recent Formal Assessment and their work in class. Skills Descriptors for Year 8 are: Beginning, Developing, Achieving, Secure and Extending. Depending on their starting points, Year 8 students should aim to master Beginning and Developing in Term 1 and progress on to Achieving or Secure by the end of the academic year. We would expect a small proportion of higher prior attaining students to achieve Extending in some subjects by the end of Year
Target Grades (Year 9 – Year 11)
The target grade is the level of progress your child should make between their Key Stage 2 SATs in primary school and the end of Key Stage 4 to be in line with other students nationally. We have moved to a target range to ensure targets are aspirational yet achievable for students. The lower grade in the target range indicates the national average grade for a student with similar KS2 data. As a school we encourage our students to be aspirational, and so the higher grade is above the national average. The targets are set by subject and therefore may differ across your child’s subjects.
Forecasted Grade
The forecasted grade is the grade that your child is most likely to achieve at the end of the course and is formulated by a combination of the formal assessment grade and teacher assessment of work completed in class.
Grades for GCSE are 9-1 (9 is the highest and 1 is the lowest). BTEC grades are Level 1 (L1), Level 2 (L2) and Pass (P), Merit (M), Distinction (D).
Target Grades (Year 12 and 13)
The Target Grade (A*-E) represents the expected grade for the end of the course in each subject area, based on the GCSE average point score attained by your child.
Forecasted Grade
The Forecasted Grade represents the subject tutor’s professional judgement as to the probable final grade in each subject area. Where + / – symbols have been used, students are performing close to the next grade boundary.
Forecasted grades available at A Level are A*-E and U.
BTEC Forecasts are: P = Pass (E), M = Merit (C), D = Distinction (A), D* = Distinction* (A*)
Engagement in Learning Grade (EiL)
This grade will indicate how well your child has been learning in each lesson. The teacher will take into account how focussed and committed students are to improving and how positively they respond to feedback.
Independent Learning Grade (IL)
This grade will indicate how your child engages with independent learning (homework). The teacher will take into account how punctual the work is and how much effort was put into ensuring the work impacts positively on progress.