Assessment

Assessments at Ferndale Primary School

Assessment is at the heart of every lesson; our teachers and support staff are skilled in using a range of strategies to know where the children are at every point during a lesson in order for them to make rapid progress. This approach also allows us to identify misconceptions, which can be addressed immediately via verbal and written feedback, staff input and modelling or through a specific intervention if needed. 

In lessons, we use a whole class approach and carefully adapt tasks to tailor for the needs of each learner. In maths, this is achieved through the use of Guide it/Model it, Do it, Prove it, Deepen it and Diving Deeper which are aimed at developing fluency, problem solving and reasoning in a progressive manner. In reading, children experience a range of different text types, identifying their purpose and specific features. Activities help develop fluency, awareness of vocabulary, oracy and comprehension skills. Children make comparisons and connections between texts, themselves, and the wider world. Links to reading are made to enhance writing outcomes. In writing, this is achieved through teacher modelling and feedback, use of resources and scaffolding, where necessary, to demonstrate age related expectations for each genre of writing. 

Interventions are planned to address any gaps in learning or to develop a skill further. Interventions are sometimes delivered in small groups if there is a specific skill that needs developing. However, where possible, we attempt to use staff to support ‘in class’ interventions through specific adaptation or same day/next day interventions through the use of learning surgeries and verbal feedback. 

Marking and feedback is used to check understanding, address misconceptions, to develop a skill further and to encourage children to move on to the next step in their learning.  We use verbal feedback during lessons so that children receive immediate feedback, which they can then act on within the lesson. Children use green pens to show the impact on feedback and to improve their work.  

At the beginning of each academic year, teachers set challenging targets for each child in their class with a member of the SLT (senior leadership team), we use historic data and the teacher’s knowledge of the children to do this. Termly pupil progress meetings allow teachers to discuss each child’s progress towards their targets with a member of SLT and if there are concerns, specific plans are made to address these, which are monitored by the assistant head teacher for the year group. 

We formally assess the children at the end of each term, this is logged on our assessment system (Insight). We consulted with parents regarding online or in person meetings. As a result, our Autumn meeting is always in person. As part of our Spring Pupil Progress package, parents are invited to view their child's work, receive a shortened written report and also to meet the child's teacher online. In Summer, a formal, written report is shared, with an opportunity to discuss this. These reports will inform parents of their child’s current level compared to ARE (age related expectation) and how well they have progressed so far. 

National assessments take place throughout a pupil’s time at primary school. Parent information meetings about these assessments are delivered by staff each year to ensure all parents are fully informed about how the assessments are delivered, there is also an opportunity to ask questions about the tests and to see examples of past papers.

As well as the assessments previously mentioned, we also assess our EAL learners on their proficiency of English. Assessing against four aspects; speech, understanding/listening, reading and writing. These assessments are on a scale of A (new to English) to E (fluent). We assess against these to best support our EAL children and adapt teaching as and when needed. These proficiency assessments are taken at the end of every term. Teachers are trained in how to support pupils at every level of proficiency and assessing this allows us to best support learner. Pupils' proficiency in English can affect how they access the entire curriculum and knowing through assessment if a child is new to English or competent will affect how much scaffolding, intervention or adult support the pupil needs. EAL assessment is not an assessment of a pupil’s academic ability but their proficiency of the language.

We assess non-core curriculum subjects three times a year, at the end of every term.  Teachers' judgements are used against the subject skills progression document and outcomes are also considered.  This is also reported to parents in the end of year reports with judgements of emerging, developing, expected or exceeding.