Assessment approaches 

At Harrietsham Church of England Primary School we see assessment as an integral part of teaching and learning, and it is inextricably linked to our curriculum. 

We use 3 broad overarching forms of assessment: day-to-day in-school formative assessment, in-school summative assessment and nationally standardised summative assessment.

Assessment for Learning AFL

Effective in-school formative assessment enables: 

• Teachers to identify how pupils are performing on a continuing basis and to use this information to provide appropriate support or extension, evaluate teaching and plan future lessons 

• Pupils to measure their knowledge and understanding against learning objectives, and identify areas in which they need to improve 

• Parents/carers to gain a broad picture of where their child’s strengths and weaknesses lie, and what they need to do to improve 

 Assessment for learning focuses on how children learn and is central to classroom practice and planning. Learning outcomes are shared with pupils and teachers discuss with pupils how learning outcomes can be achieved. AfL takes place on a daily basis and is integral to teaching and learning. Peer and self-assessment is encouraged throughout the school.  

In-school summative assessment 

Effective in-school summative assessment enables: 

• School leaders to monitor the performance of pupil cohorts, identify where interventions may be required, and work with teachers to ensure pupils are supported to achieve sufficient progress and attainment 

• Teachers to evaluate learning at the end of a unit or period, and the impact of their own teaching 

• Pupils to understand how well they have learned and understood a topic or course of work taught over a period of time. It should be used to provide feedback on how they can improve 

• Parents/carers to stay informed about the achievement, progress and wider outcomes of their child across a period 

Summative assessments occur at the end of Term 2, 4 and 6 in Reading, Writing, GPS and Maths. We use nationally recognised standardised testing materials which include GAPS for GPS; White Rose termly tests which are standardised using Smart Grade; and PiRA for our reading assessments. The assessments allow the teachers to obtain detailed information about their pupils’ gaps in knowledge and skills which enables them to adapt and inform future planning. We use Arbor to collate and analyse this data at class, year group and school level. This data is analysed further at all levels of leadership from subject leaders to our senior leadership team where a forensic look is made of our key groups and decisions are made about the strategic direction of our school.

In school moderation occurs seasonally and inter-school moderation occurs at least twice a year. We attend EYFS and KS2 moderation at county level.  As part of our Early Reading and Phonics teaching we use the Little Wandle assessment programme to provide regular summative assessment data, which informs future planning and intervention.

Nationally standardised summative assessment 

Nationally standardised summative assessment enables: 

• School leaders to monitor the performance of pupil cohorts, identify where interventions may be required, and work with teachers to ensure pupils are supported to achieve sufficient progress and attainment 

• Teachers to understand national expectations and assess their own performance in the broader national context 

• Pupils and parents/carers to understand how pupils are performing in comparison with pupils nationally 

Nationally standardised summative assessments include: 

• Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) profile at the end of reception  
• Phonics screening check in year 1 
• Multiplication and Times table check in year 4
• National Curriculum tests and teacher assessments at the end of Key Stage (KS) 2 (year 6)  

To see information designed for parents about these national tests, and what they mean for your children, please see the leaflet links below.