Our approach to assessment

• Assessment is integral to high quality teaching and learning. It helps us to ensure that our teaching is appropriate and that learners are making expected progress.
• All staff are given training in our approach to assessment and have regular opportunities to discuss and moderate assessments made. 

Our method of assessment

• Assessment serves many purposes, but the main purpose of assessment in our school is to help teachers, parents and pupils plan their next steps in learning.
• We also use the outcomes of assessment to check and support our teaching standards and help us improve.
• Through working with other schools and using external tests and assessments, we regularly compare our performance with that of other schools.
• We assess pupils against assessment criteria, which are short, discrete, qualitative and concrete descriptions of what a pupil is expected to know and be able to do.
• Assessment criteria are derived from the school curriculum, which is composed of the National Curriculum assessment frameworks, use of purchased materials and our own local design.
• Assessment criteria for periodic assessment are arranged into a hierarchy, setting out what children are normally expected to have mastered by the end of each year. Age related expectations are tracked against NC expectations using a steps framework.
• The achievement of each pupil is assessed against relevant criteria at appropriate times of the school year.  Further information can be found in the annually updated Assessment Procedures document. 
• The outcomes of summative assessments are recorded on the school’s tracking system and analysed through pupil progress meetings.  At these meetings the progress of every child in the class is discussed and tracked. If there are groups or individual children who are either making more or less than expected progress then these are discussed and additional support or challenge is put in place.  The progress of groups such as those in receipt of pupil premium, children with SEND and high attaining pupils are specifically tracked. 
• Where a pupil is assessed as exceeding age related expectations they may also be assessed against the criteria in that subject for the next year. For those pupils meeting and exceeding the expected standards, we provide more challenging work, aiming to ensure the child develops greater depth in their work.
• Assessment judgements are recorded and backed by a body of evidence created using observations, records of work and testing.
• Assessment judgements are moderated by colleagues in school and by colleagues in other schools to make sure our assessments are fair, reliable and valid. We also participate in moderation processes for statutory assessment administered by Oxfordshire County Council.