In September 2014 the Government introduced a new curriculum and also abolished National Curriculum levels that schools used to use to assess children. This has given more flexibility for individual schools to develop their own systems to track, monitor and assess pupil progress. National Curriculum 2014 sets the expectations for each year group and these expectations are higher and more demanding than the previous curriculum. 

Our Assessment System

Our assessment system has been devised to be effective, robust and personalised (for the school and pupils). Our system is also child centered, rather than just reporting numbers. Our system involves our school target sheets for reading, writing and maths. Dependant on the number of targets a child has met they will be assessed as either:

WT: Working Towards the National Standard

AT: Working at the National Standard

AB: Working Above the National Standard

How we assess your child

We continually assess pupils on an ongoing basis: during lessons, through pupil observation, discussion with pupils and when marking work. Summative assessments (tests) are also used on an ongoing basis to determine outcomes against end of year expectations. Regular pupil self-assessment and peer assessment will be encouraged and used throughout the school. Pupils will be assessed on a ‘scale’ which allows the school to track progress and set high expectations.

How we report to parents and carers

In autumn and spring we will report a pupil’s effort grade in each subject and an overall behaviour grade. Copies of reading, writing and maths target sheets will be copied and sent home. These target sheets will be the main discussion point during Parent’s Evenings where teachers will highlight what a child can do and what they need to do to meet end of year expectations.

In the summer term, in addition to effort and behaviour grades, we will provide parents with one of the following teacher assessments for reading, writing and maths.

Working Towards the National Standard

Working at National Standard

Working Above the National Standard

How we ensure high expectations

We set end of year targets for every pupil. If a pupil is working at the National Standard one year, they’ll be expected to be working at the National Standard the following year. Pupils working towards the National Standard will have additional intervention throughout the following academic year to accelerate progress. Pupils working above the National Standard will be expected to consistently work at this level by the end of each year.

Target sheets for reading, writing and maths

These sheets link to the end of year and key stage expectations set out in the 2014 National Curriculum. They also include additional targets that have been developed by staff at Parkfield to ensure high expectations. Teachers and pupils use these documents regularly to assess what a pupil can do and identify the targets they need to work on. The information on these sheets provide the basis for teacher assessment each term and these documents will be used to demonstrate the progress a pupil makes across the year.

You can find the targets for each year group by clicking on the links below.

READING   WRITING    MATHS

(A large number of schools have shown interest in our targets. If you would like to use these targets at your school, please email mkemp@parkfield.rochdale.sch.uk for editable versions of the files.)

Assessments sent home

We regularly send assessments home - such as spelling tests, timetables tests, reading comprehensions and maths tests.  This is so parents know how well your child is doing by celebrating their achievements and highlighting areas that they could need support in. We strongly believe in the home/school partnership and know that working together will help children achieve their full potential.

Why do we send tests home?

We want you to know how well your child is doing by celebrating their achievements and highlighting areas that they could need support in. We strongly believe in the home/school partnership and know that working together will help children achieve their full potential.

What do I need to do with the tests?

First of all, praise your child for the questions that they got correct. It would help if you talk through some of the answers with your child, particularly those that they have got incorrect. However, just focus on a couple of incorrect questions as they’re more likely to remember them.

Why is another child’s score higher/lower?

Please don’t compare scores. We don’t compare scores between children in school; we celebrate the achievements of the individual. Children’s achievements are different from one test to another because they have strengths in particular areas. Also, children have different abilities and highlighting the fact that someone has achieved more or less than them can harm their self-esteem and put them under unnecessary pressure, which we certainly wouldn’t want to do.

 Why is my child’s score low?

In some subjects, particularly maths, we ask children to complete a test at the beginning of a unit of work. This allows us to find out what your child already knows so that we are able to personalise future work to their particular learning needs.

Scores may also be low because some of the topics being covered on a test may not have been taught during a particular unit of work. This is because units of work are repeated over the year so that by the end of summer term, all work has been covered.

If I have concerns, what should I do?

Using the tests sent home, in addition to everyday class based teacher assessment, your child’s class teacher will know what your child can and can’t do. They will work in class with your child to support them with aspects of learning that they’re struggling on.  These assessments are used on a termly basis to let parents know how well their child is doing. However, if you do have specific concerns, please arrange a meeting with the class teacher who will be happy to discuss your child’s progress.

 Parent's Views on the Parkfield Assessment System:

Our assessment was introduced to parents in a series of special presentations. A total of 46 sets of parents/carers attended the ‘life after levels’ presentations. 100% of those that attended, agreed or strongly agreed that they understood how we were going to assess their child using the new system.

Some comments we received after the parent’s meeting:

• I like the fact that a highlighted sheet will be used to show specific progress.

• A very useful session. Thank you for all your hard work developing this system and making it personal for the school.

• It seems an easier system to follow.

• Never understood the previous levels anyway.

• I’m worried that expectations are higher. What happens if they get to year 5 and have always been below national target and now expecting more?

• We will use the new sheets to help our boys as much as possible.

• I think the new system sounds very structured.

• Clear and easy to follow information.

• Targets seem higher which I assume is to obtain higher levels of learning as opposed to setting lower expectations. Seems a good system.

• Very clear and helpful, thank you!

• Very helpful, I feel that I now know how to help my child more with achieving his grades.

• Found the presentation really good.