Assessment 

Young people should be able to reach the highest level of education they are capable of. (UNCRC Article 28)

The purpose of education is to develop every child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities. (UNCRC Article 29)

EYFS (Nursery and Reception)

Children in the EYFS are assessed in daily practise to ensure they remain on track for age related expectations. This is supported by Development Matters age bands. By the end of their year in Reception, they are assessed against the 17 Early Learning Goals to see if they are at an Emerging or Expected level for each goal. 

At the beginning of the year, a ‘baseline’ assessment is carried out with each child so teachers can identify starting points and focus on what needs to be taught next. This includes the government’s statutory Reception Baseline Assessment, as well as some additional assessments carried out through observation in class. Children are tracked through their development in the seven areas of learning in the Early Years through careful observation of what they can do, how they interact with others and how they explain what they know.  The seven areas of learning consist of three prime areas (Communication & Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development) and four specific areas (Understanding the World, Literacy, Mathematics and Expressive Arts and Design).

An online profile is kept of their development which we will share with parents throughout the year (via Tapestry), and samples of work are collected as supporting evidence. Teachers also assess children’s understanding formatively every day to feed into their teaching, and keep notes about their focus work with children and reading. Parents/carers can contribute to the online profile to include what children can do, and what they are interested in at home. The Foundation Stage Profile is reported to Reception parents in July, so parents/carers know if their child is at the Age Related Expectation or is emerging into this. End of year assessments are shared with Year 1 teachers too to ensure a smooth transition to the next phase of their education. 

The government are introducing a new baseline assessment in September 2020 which will be carried out with all Reception pupils in the first half of the Autumn term. More information on this can be found here. 

At the end of Reception children are assessed against the 17 Early Learning Goals, and you will be provided with information about this at the time. 

Years 1-6

Progress within ARE – Years 1 to 6

Penwortham follows the National Curriculum. The curriculum outlines the ‘End of Year Expectation’, which state the requirements for a learner in order to ensure continued progress from the previous year in line with age-related expectations (ARE). Any gaps identified in learning for the children due to the increased expectations are identified early in the academic year and teaching is structured to ensure that these gaps are quickly and effectively filled.

Assessment and Reporting 

The curriculum is split into year groups. Children are continuously assessed to decide what ‘step’ they are working at within a year. As children progress through a school year, we track their progress very carefully. Each half term, teachers use a range of evidence to record the step on which children are working. Using this process there is clarity about what the children can and cannot yet do: therefore, we can identify how best to support them in moving forward.  It also allows the children to learn at a deeper level rather than rushing them through the curriculum.

At our progress evening meetings, parents will get the chance to discuss their child’s current attainment, targets and their progress towards end of year expectations.

Each child will now fit into one of the following bands for each of the year groups; Working Towards Expected Standard  (WTS) Age Related Expectations (ARE) Greater Depth Standard (GDS).Each child’s band is then matched in relation to the expectations of the Curriculum descriptors, together with the band given. 

 Penwortham Assessment and Feedback Guidance 2022