Assessment, recording and reporting

Assessment at our School

Formal assessments will take place three times a year towards the end of each term and will assess the students’ ‘Working at’ (WA) grade.  These will be in-line with curriculum assessment maps and will cumulatively assess students’ knowledge and understanding.

A judgement is made whether or not the student is ‘Exceeding’, ‘Achieving’, ‘Working Towards’ or ‘Below’ in relation to their stage of learning.  This judgement is reflective of the distance.

  • Exceeding Expectations – making more progress than students with the same starting point
  • Achieving Expectations – on track and making progress in-line with students with the same starting point
  • Working Towards the Expected Standard – working slightly below other students with the same starting point
  • Below the Expected Standard with Concern – working much lower than other students with the same starting point. Intervention and further support required.

For Working At (WA) assessments in English, Maths and Science all student at KS3 will sit a Challenge Academy Trust (TCAT) standardised test. All students in TCAT schools will sit these assessments. Each student will be awarded a score as a percentage. This allows us to have an accurate picture of how much knowledge and understanding our students have secured in the what has been taught when compared to other students of the same ability across students both in our own school and 4 other secondary schools. Approximately 900 students will sit these assessments in each year group.

How this information will look in the report that will be posted home:

Subject End of School target % Achieved on WA1 Assessment TCAT Band Average % Progress Judgement (WA1) Attitude to Learning (ATL) Homework
English 5 75% 70% Achieving 1 1
Maths 5 80% 65% Exceeding 1 1
Science 5 68% 74% Achieving 1 1

 

For other subjects, the percentage a student achieves on the assessment will be reported in addition to the class and Year group average for Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School.

How this information will look in the report that will be posted home:

(Not all subjects have been included in the report below for illustrative purposes)

Subject End of School target % Achieved on WA1 Assessment Class Average %  

Year Group Average %

Progress Judgement (WA1) Attitude to Learning (ATL) Homework
Geography 5 75% 70% 74% Achieving 1 1
History 5 80% 65% 67% Exceeding 1 1
Technology 5 68% 74% 70% Achieving 1 1

Key Stage 3

The targets that we set for our students at Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School are based on individual ability and potential, informed by formal assessments undertaken at primary school.  These targets are not fixed and will be reviewed as appropriate throughout a students’ time with us; in consultation with Teachers, Curriculum Leaders and the Senior Leadership Team.  There is a strong correlation between students’ performance in their formal assessments at primary school and their achievement in GCSE’s.

Students are set end of school targets that they will be working towards from Year 7 to Year 11 with target grades being on the GCSE 9-1/BTEC grading system. The targets set for students to achieve at the end of the Year 11 will result, in most cases, students making strong progress compared to other students across the country with the same Key Stage 2 starting point to the end of Key Stage 4.

If students achieve their target in all of their qualifications they will be in a strong and advantageous position against their peers when securing placement in colleges, apprenticeships and the work place.

Key Stage 4

In Years 10 and 11 students’ complete formal assessments, where students undertake a significant assessment under exam conditions. Year 11 sit Pre-Public Exams (PPE) in January and March which are full GCSE exam papers. This helps our student be fully prepared for the real GCSE exams in the summer which span over four weeks. Year 10 students sit sections of GCSE exam papers building up to students sitting Pre-Public exams at the end of the academic year in June 2020. All assessments and PPEs are graded using mark schemes and published grade boundaries.

It is important that the students themselves know how they are doing in relation to expectations and what steps are needed to progress to the next grade. Three times a year, students are given a Working At (WA) grade in their subjects. These grades are discussed with their class teacher and the report is sent home or given out at Parents’ evening to parents/carers.

GCSE Grading Structure

In 2017 the traditional GCSE A*-G grading structure was replaced by a new nine-point (9-1) grading system for English and Mathematics. This grading structure is now applied to all subjects studied by our current students. This change affected all secondary schools nationally from 2018.

GCSE grades explained:

  • Grade 9:the highest grade to be achieved; about half of the 6.8 per cent of students who previously would have achieved A*s
  • Grade 8:the rest of those students who previously would have achieved A* but did not qualify for a 9
  • Grade 7:equivalent to an A grade
  • Grade 6: equivalent to a top of a B grade
  • Grade 5:international benchmark, showing performance equaling that of students getting top-grade passes in high performing countries in international league tables. Equivalent to the top of a C grade to a low B grade (Strong Pass)
  • Grade 4: equivalent to the bottom of a C grade (Standard Pass)
  • Grade 3:equivalent to a D grade
  • Grade 2: equivalent to an E grade
  • Grade 1:equivalent to grade F/G grade

BTEC Grading Structure

As a school we want to develop self-motivated and mature young people who enjoy learning. We offer a selection of BTEC courses as well as traditional GCSEs. BTECs are work related qualifications providing a more practical, real-world approach to learning alongside a key theoretical background. Students complete units of work which are internally assessed and verified. They also complete an external exam component. Students are graded with a Pass, Merit, Distinction or Distinction*. Each of our BTEC courses are equivalent to one GCSE.

The BTEC grades explained:

  • D2*: equivalent to a GCSE grade 8.5
  • D2: equivalent to a GCSE grade 7
  • M2: equivalent to a GCSE grade 5.5
  • P2: equivalent to a GCSE grade 4
  • D1: equivalent to a GCSE grade 3
  • M1: equivalent to a GCSE grade 2
  • P1: equivalent to a GCSE grade 1.75