When students start school with us, they are baseline tested by Subject Teachers and the SEN Department. Subject Leaders test for the skills required for their subject so they can teach to the identified gaps. All students are tested using Cognitive Ability Tests, which give us an indication of general ability and gaps. We use this information to set students for core lessons, and to allocate any intervention. 

All students are set an ‘End of Year’ and ‘End of Key Stage Four’ target based on their KS2 decimalised score or scaled score for students in Years 10 and below. This score is based on Key Stage Two test scores in English and Mathematics for Year 11 and Key Stage Two Scaled Scores in Reading and Mathematics for Years 7-10. We use Attainment 8 estimates to help us calculate target grades for individual students so their attainment and progress is targeted against a national standard. In the absence of this data, we use CATS data to set GCSE targets. 

In Key Stage Three, students use the Assessment Matrices within their lessons so they can clearly see the ‘next steps’ they should take in order to make progress in a given aspect of the subject being studied. These can be found at the very front of student’s books and folders for the individual subjects. Full copies of the Assessment Matrices for individual year groups can be found below. These include some general information on assessment.

In Key Stage Four students use the relevant GCSE or BTEC assessment criteria for the courses they are studying. They will use this in lessons as an Assessment for Learning tool so they are clear of what they need to do to progress through and within each criteria band. Full copies of the specification being studied can be found in departments and also on the websites of the chosen exam board. A general overview of the course, including percentages of each component can be found at the front of the student’s books and folders.