Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning and is a continuous process. It is central to helping children make progress as it allows teachers to identify pupils’ strengths and identify next steps for learning and plan how to meet their learning needs.
At Stratford upon Avon Primary, we use formative assessment every day to identify what the children have learned. Formative assessment is carried out informally by teachers in the course of their daily teaching through live marking at the point of teaching, talking to pupils and on-going observations. Children also undertake many self-assessment activities and use peer assessment to provide feedback to one another.
Summative assessment is used to provide evidence of a pupil’s achievement over a period of time and is carried out and recorded in a number of ways. We baseline Reception children in the first few weeks as they start school and then assess them again at the end of their first year in Early Years Foundation. At the end of Year 6, pupils sit Statutory Assessments (SATs) in Reading, Maths, Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation (GPS) in accordance with government guidelines. Teacher assessment is also made of pupils’ Writing and Science levels.
Pupils in Y1 undertake a national phonics screening test and in Year 2 there is an additional phonics screening test for pupils who did not successfully attain the required standard at the end of Year 1.
Pupils in Y2 undertake optional statutory assessments to inform teacher assessment.
Pupils in Y4 undertake a national multiplication test to establish their understanding and knowledge of multiplication facts.
Teacher Assessment Frameworks (TAFs)
At Stratford upon Avon Primary, TAFs are used to support teachers in making robust and accurate judgements for pupils in year groups 1 to 6.
The frameworks set out the standard(s) children will be assessed against for Reading, Writing and Mathematics. The frameworks are also a useful planning tool for teams and parents/carers may wish to use them to support the children as part of their home learning.
- These frameworks have been created to link explicitly to the expectations set out in the 2014 National Curriculum.
- They are split into ‘Working Towards’, ‘Working At’ and’ Working at Greater Depth’ within the expected age related standard.
- All of the statements are progressive within and across the year groups, and work on the expectation that the majority of pupils will be working on their own year group’s aims. Consequently, the criteria for Working Towards for one year group is not the same as the criteria for Working at Greater Depth in the previous year group.
