Assessment and School Reports
Assessment and School Reports
Students are assessed regularly in lessons and have two formal assessments per year
Assessment used gives valuable information to students about their strengths and areas for development, supporting students to identify the steps required to improve their learning and progress. Teachers also utilise feedback gathered from assessments to inform their day-to-day planning, give targeted students feedback and to design and deliver both in and out of lesson strategies to help students to improve and reach their full potential.
Parents receive two reports per year for their child, one following each formal assessment. These reports will summarise the academic and non-academic progress made.
What grade should my child be achieving?
The minimum expected grade is complicated as it is based on the actual marks in KS2 tests (or CATs tests for pupils who did not sit KS2 tests) rather than the levels. Our target grades are based on the latest DfE tables, with the target being formulated by our expectation that pupils can achieve one grade higher than the national average. Your child's target grade reflects our expectation that they can meet or exceed at least a grade higher than the national average.
As the tests are designed to cover material that has been taught, we would expect pupils to be able to achieve their target grade at each assessment point. Therefore, maintaining their target grade in a following assessment point would demonstrate that they have made progress because they will have achieved that grade having been tested on a greater quantity of topics. Exceeding their target grade would be exceptional as it would show that they are achieving well beyond expectations.
What happens after the assessments have taken place?
After the assessments have taken place, teachers will review progress in teams and with pupils. Teachers will share the grades as well as strengths and areas to improve with pupils. We expect all pupils to take time to reflect on their progress and to ensure they take the actions needed to improve. Some of the content will need to be re-taught and we have included curriculum time to do this.
At HASJW, we have a fluid banding (setting) cycle which works in tandem with the assessment cycle. After the assessment points, departments meet and review the current ability bands pupils are in. They use the assessment data but will also discuss classwork and homework to support the Head of Department to make decisions about any banding changes.
The curriculum has been designed so that the blocks for English, Maths and Science are independent of one another. We understand that learning is not linear, and this system allows for pupils to change the band they are in 2-3 times a year and for different subjects. The aim of this is to ensure the pace of the lesson best suits their learning needs and it maximises the chances of them achieving excellent grades by the end of Year 11.
Use of baseline data
Baseline data helps to allocate appropriate groups based upon their demographic and non-academic data which allows for a rich mix of very different personalities and characteristics within each group.
This helps to create a supportive and nurturing environment ensuring that pupils are exposed to peers who can act as role models. It supports classroom teachers to target specific pupils in order to proactively better support their needs and development.
At KS4 and KS5, students may be allocated to specific intervention sessions delivered by a subject specialist, initially using baseline data and re-evaluated after the different assessment points throughout the year. The sessions run at various different points depending on the need, such as at the end of the school day or during half term breaks.
Our assessment policy can be found at the bottom of the page.
Example of a Year 7 to 9 Report:
Upcoming Assessment Dates
Please click here to see our assessment calendar for 2023/ 2024 which shows the assessments organised within our academy.
For external examinations (such as GCSEs and A Levels), please click here.
Useful revision websites
Exam boards (For Year 10 onwards)
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Year November Mock Examinations
Please view below for information regarding the November mock examinations for Year 11, including their timetable and an advised revision timetable for over the Half Term break.
