Assessment & Reporting

Assessment and Reporting

Assessment is integral to high quality teaching and learning at Thomas Bennett. As stated by the EEF, “providing high-quality feedback to pupils is integral to effective teaching. Equally, gathering feedback on how well pupils have learned a topic is important in enabling teachers to address any misunderstanding and provide the right level of challenge in future lessons.”

Broadly, assessment takes two forms – formative and summative. 

Formative assessment takes place on a day-to-day basis during lessons, allowing teachers and students to assess attainment and progress more frequently. Formative assessments may be questions, tasks, quizzes or more formal assessments. 

Summative assessment sums up what a pupil has achieved at the end of a period of time, relative to the learning aims and the relevant national standards. There may be an assessment at the end of a topic, at the end of a term or half-term, or at the end of a year.  A summative assessment may be a written test or a task. Summative assessments show what has been achieved and provide individual and cohort data that will be useful for tracking progress and for informing stakeholders (e.g. parents, governors, etc).

Each faculty has their own policy for how assessment takes place in their faculty.  When creating this policy, leaders have considered the opportunity costs of assessment – recognising that the time and effort spent on assessment must be as valuable – if not more so – than other ‘opportunities’ such as teaching time. 

Reporting

Progress and Attitude to Learning is reported at different stages during the academic year. 

Descriptors

The Attitude to learning grade indicates a student’s general approach towards their studies, with a focus on effort and learning skills. The descriptors are:

O :Outstanding Highly-motivated and determined learner. Settles to work quickly, listens attentively and follows instructions right away. Classwork is always completed to the highest standards. Fully able to work independently or collaboratively with others.   Successfully reflects upon their work in order to understand ways to improve.

G : Good  Motivated and generally resilient learner. Settles to work, listens attentively and follows instructions. Classwork is completed to a good standard. Works independently or collaborates with others when required   Can reflect upon work and generally knows how work can be improved.

R : Requires Improvement Shows some resilience and motivation, though needs to show more courage to persevere with challenging work.   At times can be slow to settle to work in lessons. Classwork is completed but not always to the best of their ability.    Independent work and collaborative work is completed after being prompted.   Accepts advice but rarely seeks it and reflection on work can be forced.

C : Concern  Levels of commitment and motivation are rarely evident. Slow to settle to work in lessons and instructions often need to be repeated before being followed.   Independent work is minimal and collaborative work can be a struggle.   Sees learning as something forced upon them and finds reflecting upon their work difficult to do.   Classwork is rarely completed.

The Homework and Organisation grade indicates a student’s approach towards homework.

The descriptors are: 

O :Outstanding Homework is always completed to the highest standards. Homework is always handed in on time. Arrives on time and fully equipped.

G : Good  Homework is completed to a good standard. Homework is usually handed in on time. Arrives on time and lack of equipment is a rarity.

R : Requires Improvement Homework is EITHER completed but not always to the best of their ability OR only sometimes completed.    Homework is not always handed in on time.  Requires improvements in organisation of equipment and books.

C : Concern  Homework is rarely completed. Homework is rarely handed in on time. There is a lack of equipment or books in most lessons.

For Year 10:

A Predicted Grade is a professional prediction by the teacher and is the final grade the student is likely to achieve at the end of their KS4 or KS5 course if they continue to work as they currently are. Predicted Grades take into account the recent mock exams, as well as a holistic view of classwork and assessments over a longer period of time. 

Predicted Grades are graded on the 9-1 scale and are ‘fine graded’. Each ‘fine grade’ (a grade with a +, -, or = sign next to it) indicates how secure the grade is. For example:

6- indicates that a student has the potential to drop to a Grade 5

6= indicates that the grade 6 is secure

6+ indicates that a student could improve to a Grade 7 

For Year 7-9: 

Current Skill Level indicates the level at which the student is currently working at:

M: Mastering; 

S: Securing; 

D: Developing; 

E: Emerging.