Assessment
Assessment
Assessment is integral to ensuring that pupils progress successfully through the curriculum. In all lessons, staff will be continually checking on how well pupils have understood and retained important knowledge and concepts and intervening where necessary.
Pupils will also be prepared for more substantial summative assessments throughout the year. Parents and pupils will be informed about this and issued with an assessment calendar and an outline of assessments requirements each year.
As additional support, in key stage 4, when pupils are preparing for formal mock examinations they will receive detailed revision booklets to help them prepare and plan their home study successfully for these important assessments.
The assessment principles we adhere to at Blessed Trinity are outlined below:
Assessment principles
Purpose of Assessment
- To know how well pupils are learning
- To know how well curricular intent is being implemented and, hence, to support curriculum improvement
- To support whole school improvement
What should be measured in subjects?
- Subject assessment should measure progress against the substantive and disciplinary knowledge/skills specified in learning plans and SoW
- All subjects should provide an assessment overview for each year/key stage
- Data from assessments will be analysed in a timely manner to support pupil progress as well as curriculum development
Validity and Reliability of assessment and data
- Assessments in all subjects will ensure that the curriculum is knowledge-rich
- Assessments will be cumulative and build to cover all content taught from the start of the academic year
- All teachers teach the knowledge that has been specified in the learning plans and SoW, using the pedagogy agreed by the subject team
- Questions are not shared with teachers and pupils before any formal assessment
- Assessments and their delivery must allow fair access for all pupils
Assessment schedule
- All teachers implement retrieval practice in lessons and employ swift, effective feedback techniques on key class work and homework tasks
- KS3 pupils complete summative assessments throughout the year during midyear assessments.
- All pupils will receive a formative mid-topic assessment as well as a summative end of unit assessment.
- All pupils complete 2 summative assessments each year, year 11 will do November and March mock exams.
What we do after assessments
- Report outcomes to parents and carers so they understand how well pupils are progressing and what they have achieved.
- Identify and address gaps in knowledge and misconceptions using assessment information to inform teaching, provide targeted support and ensure pupils secure essential knowledge.
- Review pupil progress and attainment to identify pupils who may need additional support or further challenge.
- Make changes to teaching groups and sets where appropriate, using assessment evidence alongside our understanding of pupils’ ability and progress to ensure they are placed in the most suitable group.
- Adapt future teaching in response to assessment outcomes, ensuring that pupils build on their existing knowledge and are ready to progress to the next stage of the curriculum.
If the majority of pupils have not learnt the curriculum, subject leaders should share a plan of how the curriculum will be retaught and assessed
Assessment information by Year Group
Year 11 Mock Exams Information
Assessment Overviews Below