Secondary Assessment

At KS3 and KS4, we have a rigorous centralised process of assessment that ensures students complete frequent low stakes testing but allows departmental leaders the freedom they need to select relevant and challenging tasks for assessment.  Our approach has been designed to support staff wellbeing and improve student outcomes, as well as ensure that parents get the most accurate data on reports. 

All students sit a multiple choice 'mid term test', in the third week of the Half Term, in each subject area, this is designed to build knowledge through recall and can be easily peer assessed.  All students then sit an 'end of term test' in the sixth week of the Half Term, which asks them to engage in more complex, independent, problem solving, essay writing or creative work. For instance in English they may produce a short piece of creative writing, whilst in Art they may produce a still life drawing. 

Staff mark these assessments and students complete feedback on them within a two-week window. These assessments are given a single percentage or grade score which matched against their KS4 targets, informs all stakeholders of the grade they are working towards and whether they are off, on, or above, target. 

Assessment books and folders are kept entirely separate from exercise books, which are not marked. These books and folders are kept in blue boxes in each classroom and printed to contain curriculum maps for the relevant key stage and a progress tracker for the student to complete each time they finish an assessment. Although books and folders do look different in different areas, they follow a similar design pattern, so stakeholders will always recognise them and their contents. You can see below, some examples of what these books look like.

At KS5 departments are expected to meet our same high standards of consistency and rigour, as well as to clearly maintain a record of assessment in a dedicated book along with a progress tracker. However, given the unique nature of our VI form curriculum and the breadth of course styles delivered, as well as the increasing complexity of the content, we give Heads of Department autonomy within their subject area, regarding the nature, timing, and content of assessment.