Assessment

Secondary

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The Assessment Policy ensures that assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning. The assessment practice at SBS is aimed at providing high value information to parents and students, which accurately reflects the level each student is working at, and provides them with clear steps that need to be taken to improve.

  • Provide baseline information for all students.
  • Use data and assessment information to inform teachers’ planning so that it responds to the needs of the students.
  • Monitor the academic performance of students as they move through the school
  • Encourage students to become more independent learners through their ability to use peer and self-assessment.
  • Identify specific strengths and areas for improvement for all of our students in all of their subjects.
Key Features of Assessment

A variety of assessment techniques are used, which are clearly identified in subject Schemes of Work and Assessment Objectives. Assessment generally falls under three areas:

  • Formative assessment – Identifying future goals
  • Summative assessment – Measuring current level of attainment
  • Diagnostic assessment – Identify potential gaps and intervention needs

In Term One and Term Three, all students will take part in an assessment week, with Year 10 having an additional assessment week in Term Two. This week is aimed at preparing students for external exams and to ensure rigour in the assessment cycle. This information will be reported back to parents three times a year, including the exam grade and the student’s class performance.

Baseline and CAT Information

Students will undertake internal baseline assessments in all subjects at the beginning of the academic year. The performance in these assessments will inform planning and delivery of the curriculum.

Students will undertake internal baseline assessments in all subjects at the beginning of the academic year. The performance in these assessments will inform planning and delivery of the curriculum.

  1. Projected Performance – based upon the CAT reports, students will be given expected outcomes based upon students who scored similar in the CAT tests; this is key in identifying target grades and measuring the progress of students.
  2. Student Learning Strength – the CAT report also identifies subjects and tasks that students will show areas of strength in, and areas they may potentially struggle in. This information is used within the classroom, to ensure that all students are challenged and supported to unlock their potential.

Parents will receive a data card report three times a year, including an attitude to learning measure, assessment week grade and a term grade based on the student’s overall performance during the term.

Parents will also receive one full written report from subject teachers that will include a general overview, a personalised comment, and next steps.

In addition each year group will have a parent/teacher meeting during the year to discuss the progress of their child with the subject teacher.

Quality assurance procedures and guidelines are provided to improve the quality of reports. All grade cards and reports are released to parents through the iSAMS parent portal.

Summative assessment

Often referred to as assessment of learning. This covers those assessment events that aim to provide information about how much a student has actually learned at the end of a particular section or unit of work. End-of-year exams are summative assessments.

Formative assessment

Often referred to as assessment for learning (AfL). It is often viewed as more of a natural part of the teaching and learning process. It can include strategies such as observations, having students read out loud, questioning in class, as well as the use of different digital platforms. Formative assessment is at the heart of effective teaching.

Diagnostic Assessment

Any assessment event that seeks to identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses.

Skill Steps

The skills and knowledge which students require for success in further education and life beyond school begins in Key Stage 3. As such, at SBS we ensure that the assessment, curriculum and reporting systems are focused on the key skills and knowledge that students are developing.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment criteria are based upon GCSE / IGCSE Assessment Objectives per subject. These have been mapped to allow students to progress through a ‘skills ladder’ over Key Stages 3 and 4. This is aimed at developing the subject-specific skills required to succeed.

Whilst it is expected that most students will make one level of progress during the year, it is possible that students may:

  1. Accelerate through the steps, as students rapidly develop their
  2. Stay on the same step, as students underpin their
  3. Move down a step, if students do not secure their skills.

These changes may happen between data points, to ensure the information reported home is as accurate and reflective of the current position as possible.

Every subject will have an overview of the Assessment Objectives and provide a clear expectation of what needs to be done, to secure each step. You will be able to track progress and performance in each subject during the course of the year.

Key Stage 3

Every subject will have an overview of the Assessment Objectives and provide a clear expectation of what needs to be done, to secure each step. You will be able to track progress and performance in each subject during the course of the year.

“– ” means the student is currently working at the lower step of the level, their grasp of the skills is insecure, and they could drop to the level below if they do not take action.

“+” indicates the student is consistently working at this level and starting to move towards the next one.

Key Stage 4

In Key Stage 4 the awarding of grades will no longer be projected outcomes. Instead they will be based on current ‘working at’ grades.

Inclusion

At Safa British School, our Inclusion team of subject specialists collaborates closely with the teaching staff to ensure the needs of all children are met within the classroom environment, creating a truly inclusive experience for all our secondary students. We aim to make every child feel like they belong and can thrive alongside their peers.

Flight Path

At the beginning of KS3, each student is set a projected GCSE target grade based on their CAT4 results, and this is used to create a unique “flight path” for every child. SEND students are closely monitored by the Inclusion team, headed by Denise McQuinn, to ensure they meet their targets. We follow the “Assess, Plan, Do, Review” cycle three times a year, to tailor our support and monitor student progress. Every term, IEPs (individual learning plans) and detailed end-of-assessment cycle reports are created and shared with parents and students.

Assessment Weeks

During assessment weeks, SEND students are further supported where appropriate. This support may take the form of extra time allocations, a smaller quieter space in which to write tests, having Inclusion staff in the room to clarify instructions and address student queries, reading instructions aloud for EAL students, and scribing for students who cannot write. In this way, students are not only supported in the classroom but during assessments as well to ensure they are able to fulfil their potential.

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