assessment at Trimley st martin
ASSESSMENT LEADER - MRS Ross
If you have any questions about Assessment speak with Mrs Ross
| Assessment Policy 2025 |
ASSESSMENT
Why Do We Assess?
Assessment enables school staff and stakeholders to see what progress your child is making and provides information which assists to plan how to help pupils make further progress. Assessment is very important for tracking this progress, planning next steps, reporting and involving parents, children and young people in learning.
ASSESSMENT AT TRIMLEY ST MARTIN
Assessment is integral to effective teaching and learning. Through internal assessment, such as observation, questioning, discussions and feedback, we can gather information about each pupil’s abilities, learning needs and performance, and use this information to adapt teaching and learning practices to meet a pupil’s individual needs. Via this continuous feedback mechanism, we can ensure that each pupil receives teaching specific to their needs, enabling them to reach their full potential.
We believe that assessment for learning should:
Assessment for learning is used to provide ongoing formative assessment, through the use of feedback marking and/or observations of pupils’ learning, against learning objectives and success criteria. This information is then used to assess progress towards meeting learning objectives, and to identify and set next step targets for each pupil. Formative assessment builds pupils’ “learning to learn” skills by emphasising the process of teaching and learning, and involving learners as partners in that process. It also builds pupils’ skills at peer-assessment and self- assessment, and helps them develop a range of effective learning strategies.
Summative assessments are any method of evaluation performed at the end of a unit or term, allowing staff to measure a pupils’ understanding against standardised criteria. It can result in the pupil receiving a determined grade or standard that tells the staff and pupils how well they are performing academically. Staff can also use these results to evaluate how successful their teaching methods were and see if they need to be adjusted next time they teach that unit. These are some of the range of summative assessments used in key phase groups.
Assessment enables school staff and stakeholders to see what progress your child is making and provides information which assists to plan how to help pupils make further progress. Assessment is very important for tracking this progress, planning next steps, reporting and involving parents, children and young people in learning.
ASSESSMENT AT TRIMLEY ST MARTIN
Assessment is integral to effective teaching and learning. Through internal assessment, such as observation, questioning, discussions and feedback, we can gather information about each pupil’s abilities, learning needs and performance, and use this information to adapt teaching and learning practices to meet a pupil’s individual needs. Via this continuous feedback mechanism, we can ensure that each pupil receives teaching specific to their needs, enabling them to reach their full potential.
We believe that assessment for learning should:
- Be at the heart of classroom practice.
- Focus on how pupils learn.
- Promote a commitment to learning goals.
- Provide pupils with constructive guidance to enable improvement.
- Develop pupils’ ability to self-assess, to enable them to become reflective self-learners.
- Recognise the achievements of all learners.
Assessment for learning is used to provide ongoing formative assessment, through the use of feedback marking and/or observations of pupils’ learning, against learning objectives and success criteria. This information is then used to assess progress towards meeting learning objectives, and to identify and set next step targets for each pupil. Formative assessment builds pupils’ “learning to learn” skills by emphasising the process of teaching and learning, and involving learners as partners in that process. It also builds pupils’ skills at peer-assessment and self- assessment, and helps them develop a range of effective learning strategies.
Summative assessments are any method of evaluation performed at the end of a unit or term, allowing staff to measure a pupils’ understanding against standardised criteria. It can result in the pupil receiving a determined grade or standard that tells the staff and pupils how well they are performing academically. Staff can also use these results to evaluate how successful their teaching methods were and see if they need to be adjusted next time they teach that unit. These are some of the range of summative assessments used in key phase groups.
The ASSESSMENT PROCESS
EYFS |
|
- Pupils joining the school will receive a baseline assessment early in the Autumn term following the DFE’s Reception Baseline Assessment guidance.
- Pupils will be assessed using the Early Years Statutory Framework which requires the Early Years Foundation Stage Profiles to be completed by the final term of the year in which a child reaches age 5, and no later than 30 June in that term.
- The EYFS profile is made up of an assessment of the child’s outcomes in relation to the 17 early learning goal (ELG) descriptors through seven areas of learning. These can be updated on our assessment system called Sonar.
- Children are defined as having reached a Good Level of Development (GLD) at the end of the EYFS if they have achieved at least the expected level for the ELGs in the prime areas of learning and the specific areas of mathematics and English.
- Further information on EYFS assessments can be found here – https://www.theschoolrun.com/what-early-years-foundation-stage-profile
key stage 1 |
|
- Pupils will be assessed termly in reading, writing, maths and science to evaluate their standard against national curriculum assessments. Sonar will be used to hold this data.
- Curriculum objectives will be assessed using Sonar Tracker in reading, writing, maths and science. Curriculum objectives and skills will be reviewed for all subjects and summative assessments recorded on Sonar.
- Year 1 will undertake a statutory Phonics Screening Check in June each year. Those Y1 pupils who do not pass the threshold will get an opportunity to re-sit the test in Y2.
- Teachers will make statutory end of year assessments against national frameworks in reading, writing, maths and science at the end of Key Stage One (Y2).
- Optional assessment tests (SATs) will also be undertaken for Y2 pupils in reading and spelling, punctuation and grammar tests. Maths is assessed using Maths.co.uk. These assessments are used alongside teacher assessments for reporting to parents.
key stage 2 |
|
- Pupils will be assessed termly in reading, writing, maths and science to evaluate their standard against national curriculum assessments. Sonar will be used to hold this data.
- Curriculum objectives will be assessed using Sonar Tracker in reading, writing, maths and science. Curriculum objectives and skills will be reviewed for all subjects and summative assessments recorded on Sonar.
- Y4 will undertake a statutory Multiplication Tables Check in June each year. The purpose of the MTC is to determine whether pupils can recall their times tables fluently, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It helps identify pupils who have not yet mastered their times tables, so that additional support can be provided.
- Teachers will make statutory end of year assessments against national frameworks in reading, writing, maths and science at the end of Key Stage Two (Y6).
- Statutory assessment tests (SATs) will also be undertaken for Y6 pupils in Reading, GPS (Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling) and Maths. Results of these tests are reported to parents/carers in the end of year reports.
- Non-statutory assessments are undertaken in Y2-Y6 in maths using Maths.co.uk and reading in Y3-Y6 using Accelerated Reader.
Year Group Expectations
Each year group has a clear set of knowledge, skills, and learning behaviours that pupils are expected to develop by the end of the school year. These expectations help ensure that children make steady progress as they move through the school and are fully prepared for the next stage of their learning.
What Year Group Expectations Mean
What Year Group Expectations Mean
- Curriculum coverage: Pupils should have learned the key topics and concepts set out for their year group in subjects such as English, maths, science, and the wider curriculum.
- Progression of skills: Children build on what they learned in previous years. Expectations reflect a natural step up in difficulty, independence, and depth of understanding.
- Secure understanding: Pupils are expected not just to complete tasks but to demonstrate secure understanding that they can apply in different contexts.
- Independence and responsibility: Each year expects children to become more independent—whether that’s in organising their work, solving problems, or using feedback to improve.
- Readiness for the next year: Meeting year-group expectations ensures children have the foundation they need for the next part of the curriculum.
|
|
| ||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||||
Teachers use Sonar to record whether each pupil is "Significantly Below", “Below”, “Just At”, “Securely At”, "Above", or “Significantly Above” the expectations for their year group.
REPORTING TO PARENTS ABOUT ATTAINMENT AND PROGRESS
During the year, we will have conversations with parent's/carer's about a child’s progress. We will share the progress seen in children's work, we will talk through where the strengths and gaps are in a child’s learning and how this compares to the expectation for the year group the child is in.
The school will use a pupil progress report to share assessment information with parents. Each full term this information will be updated to indicate how a particular child is progressing with the year group expectations.
The school will use a pupil progress report to share assessment information with parents. Each full term this information will be updated to indicate how a particular child is progressing with the year group expectations.
YEARLY ASSESSMENT CYCLE
