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Assessments

At Marston Vale Middle School, we believe that assessment should place the child at the centre of their learning and that it should raise achievement for all. We focus on the progress of each individual child. Assessment is not a singular activity; it is both about the measurement of performance at a given point in time and an ongoing process of gaining information to promote future learning. We believe that this process should be thorough, manageable and relevant. 

Aims:

  •  To gather information about the performance of individual children, groups and cohorts in      order to inform target setting and to monitor progress
  •  To provide information to inform the school’s strategic planning
  •  To gather information to inform teachers’ planning
  •  To track individual, group and cohort progress
  •  To allow children to be involved in their own learning
  •  To inform the Governing Body of the school’s standards and achievement
  •  To ensure that the positive achievements of a child are recognised and the next steps are planned
  • To ensure that barriers to learning can be identified quickly and appropriate intervention and support is given
  • To systematically record the overall achievements of all children
  •  To ensure that the legal requirements for record-keeping, assessing and reporting are met. 

All of the above will ensure that the school operates a rigorous system for assessment, where a wide range of factors are triangulated in order to ensure the highest standards possible for all pupils. In addition, assessment supports teachers and the Senior Leadership Team in monitoring the effectiveness of teaching and learning. 

Effective Assessment at Marston Vale will:

  •  Raise standards of attainment and behaviour
  •  Enable the active involvement of pupils in their own learning by providing effective                feedback which closes the gap between present performance and future standards required 3
  •  Promote pupil self-esteem through a shared understanding of the learning process and the steps to improvement
  •   Guide and support the teacher as planner, provider, facilitator and evaluator
  •   Enable the teacher to adjust teaching to take account of assessment information and to   focus on how pupils learn
  •   Draw upon as wide a range of evidence as possible using a variety of assessment activities
  •   Track pupil performance and in particular identify those pupils at risk of underachievement
  •    Provide information which can be used by teachers and the Senior Leadership Team as they plan for individual pupil, groups and cohorts

 

 Reporting to parents

Parents receive a half termly update on their child’s attitude to learning (ATL) and termly updates on attainment and their progress towards their targets. The termly updates will show parents what level their child is currently working at in the subjects they study, their target grade and the pupil’s attendance. 

 

Age Related Expectations (AREs)

Age Related Expectations (AREs) have been written in all subjects. AREs are the core skills and knowledge that are to be learnt in a subject which means they will be GCSE ready by Year 10.

We have three descriptors:

Mastery (M)

Expected (E)

Developing (D)

 Those pupils who are working below the level for their key stage, will be given the grade descriptor of:

  •   Pre key stage 2
  •    Pre key stage 3

To further show the security of the pupils’ knowledge and understanding within each grade descriptor a number will be used.

1 = Pupil is consistently working within the expectations for this descriptor and occasionally

   working beyond.

2 = Pupil is mostly working within the expectations for this descriptor.

3= Pupil is occasionally working within the expectations for this descriptor.

 

 

Pupil Progress at Marston Vale Middle School

GL Progress Tests - All Year Groups

 These assessments enable us to carefully monitor the progress of our pupils from entry in year 5 through to the final tests when pupils leave in year 8 and to identify any areas of a pupils' knowledge that may need consolidating.

The tests in English, Maths and Science are set by the leading national provider of independent tests in England, GL Assessment, who are part of Pearson International.  GL set and mark the tests, and grade pupils against their national performance data.  Our pupils are tested in the summer term each year.  However Year 5 are also tested on entry to year 5 to provide a secure benchmark for progress during their time at the school.

Once pupils have taken these tests in 2 consecutive years, GL can then assess the rates of progress made by Marston Vale Middle School pupils.

 

  • Very high - top 4% of national results

  • Above average - the next 19% of national results

  • Average - the middle 54% of national of national results

  • Below average - 19% of national results

  • Very low - 4% of national results