What is progress?

Progress is defined as “Knowing more and remembering more”.

Research in the field of cognitive psychology shows that learning is a change in long-term memory. We know that if nothing has been altered in long-term memory, then nothing has been learned. (Sweller, 2011).

The real substance of learning is in the curriculum. The school’s curriculum is rooted in a solid understanding of what it is we want pupils to know and do. The curriculum is well chunked and sequenced, commensurate with the National Curriculum. The curriculum is the progression model.

The curriculum is carefully planned (intent) and taught (implemented). The well-designed curriculum facilitates changes in pupils’ long-term memory that equip them with a complex web of interconnected knowledge (schema) that helps them to perform complex tasks.

Where is the evidence of the impact of the curriculum?

The content of the curriculum must have been learned in the long term.

The real source of evidence is in the pupils’ heads. In lessons, are pupils drawing upon knowledge stored in their long-term memory? Is it clear that the necessary building blocks (component parts), are being utilised to aid new learning?

Where will evidence of impact be seen?

Pupils’ books should show that the intended curriculum has been covered over time and that the intended curriculum is being taught against the National Curriculum. It may be possible to see where prior content is being used by pupils.

Discussions with pupils show the component parts of the curriculum that must be remembered. Have pupils remembered them securely? What have they learned over time?

How does this apply to the Early Years Foundation Stage?

It is not different in the EYFS. Our curriculum thinking identifies the content knowledge for children in the Early Years and assessment focuses on the knowledge and skills that pupils are gaining rather than activities that pupils are experiencing. The Early Years Framework provides the curriculum framework that leaders build on to decide what we intend pupils to learn.

Leaders and teachers implement the curriculum so that pupils make progress in the seven areas of learning and check the impact of what pupils know and can do.

Language and vocabulary are the main focus of the EYFS curriculum. The well-designed language and vocabulary curriculum should make up deficits by the time pupils finish Reception.

All pupils make progress in their learning and development, relative to their starting points so that they are ready for the next stage of their learning in Year 1.

Our Assessment Principles in the Early Years Areas of Learning in Nursery and Reception

We use Development Matters DFE guidance which follows the Birth – 5 years Child Development Framework, leading up to the Early Learning Goals at set out in the Early Years Framework at the end of Reception class.

Children are assessed on-entry for each of the 7 Areas of Learning and their progress is tracked through the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Our Assessment Principles in Years 1 - 6

Our approach to assessment empowers us to assess the core knowledge and skills underpinning a child’s entitlement within each key stage. The assessment statements are based upon the National Curriculum outcomes for Years 1 – 6 and directly assess the taught curriculum. Therefore in each year and subject there is a clear assessment criteria.

The assessment criteria assess the curriculum intent for each subject in each year. In order to ensure pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education, pupils must know and remember the knowledge and skills that have been taught. Assessing the intended curriculum equips teachers and leaders with an immediate overview of what the child has and has not learnt.

We choose to assess pupils in every curriculum subject from Years 1 – 6 on a set of statements for each year group, that assess directly what is taught through our carefully sequenced curriculum, linked to the National Curriculum. 

There is an individual set of statements for each subject which enables teachers and leaders to track progress from Year 1 to Year 6. In each subject and in each year there are a set of clear objectives that a child must learn to be ready to access the next year of study. Each objective is weighted equally. However, the number of objectives in each strand will depend on the year group. Our model is based upon consolidation, revisiting and expansion of knowledge and skills from the taught curriculum. Almost all children, with the exception of children with complex SEND needs, should achieve all of the objectives within each year and subject.

Making a judgement about pupil outcomes

Teachers will make two judgements about pupil outcomes 

• attainment judgement
• progress judgement

Attainment

What language do we use to describe pupil attainment?

Greater Depth within Expected Standard (GDES)-A pupil will be reported to be at greater depth within Expected Standard when they have attained 100% of the assessment statements for that year group by the end of the year and understand them in great depth.

At Expected Standard (ES) - A pupil will be reported to be at Expected Standard if they have attained 100% of the assessment statements for that year group by the end of the year.

Working Towards Expected Standard (WTES) - A pupil will be reported to be working towards Expected Standard if they have not yet attained 100% of the assessment statements but have met some of the Fundamentals for that year group by the end of the year.

 In Reading, Writing and Maths, pupils with SEND may be learning the curriculum from a year group below that of the one they are in, if appropriate. This is in order that pupils with SEND learn the full sequenced curriculum at a standard that is appropriate for them. For these pupils, an additional attainment descriptor is used in Reading, Writing or Maths:

Below Expected Standard (BES) - A pupil will be reported to be below Expected Standard if they have not attained any of the assessment statements for that year group and subject by the end of the year. In addition to BES teachers should record the year group’s assessment statements that the child is working at eg a year 5 child might be assessed as Maths BES (Y3).

What assessment of attainment is made for pupils in Years 1 – 6 who are working below the standard of the Year 1 curriculum?

Pupils with SEND in Years 1 – 6 who are working below the standard of the Year 1 curriculum but are engaged in subject-specific study (they are taught each National Curriculum subject) are assessed using the Pre-Key Stage 1 Assessment Standards.

Pupils with SEND in Years 1 – 6 who are working below the standard of these pre-key stage standards and are not yet engaged in subject-specific study, are assessed using the Engagement model.

Progress

What language do we use to describe pupil progress?

Ofsted define progress as “Knowing more and remembering more”.

Research in the field of cognitive psychology shows that learning is a change in long-term memory. We know that if nothing has been altered in long-term memory, then nothing has been learned. This should inform the way we assess progress.

In our schools, pupils progressing through the intended curriculum are described as making the necessary progress to meet their end of year targets.

Measuring pupil progress from the end of Year 2 to the end of Y6

There is a national formula in place to measure progress from the end of Year 2 to the end of Year 6. This measure compares pupil progress with pupils with similar starting points nationally.

Moderation

At the Spring and Summer assessment points, teachers from each year group moderate assessments in writing and maths with other teachers across the school partnership, led by the Heads of Schools.

The purpose of moderation meetings is to:

1. Ensure teacher assessments of attainment in writing and maths is accurate and consistent.
2. All teachers show a shared understanding of attainment judgements by sharing examples of children’s work at each standard (e.g. below expected standard, working towards expected standard, expected standard and greater depth.).
3. Ensure consistent practice across schools.

Led by the Heads of Schools across the school partnership, teachers match evidence in the books to the assessment statements to explain why they have reached the attainment judgement they have made.

The Heads of Schools will compare this to the evidence of similar pupils across the schools and make a judgement as to whether the teacher’s assessment is secure.