Key Stage Three Assessment

We have developed a new system of assessing students at Key Stage Three. When designing our system, we prioritised the core principles of the new national curriculum. Our system:

• informs all involved how well a student is doing and what they need to do to improve
• provides evidence of progress over time, enabling intervention where appropriate
• informs parents about their child's attainment and progress
• is inclusive and appropriate for students with SEN and disabilities

Key Stage Three Grouping Arrangements

The subjects are divided into three main disciplines:

• COMMUNICATION subjects (English, History, Geography, French, Religious Studies)
• STEM subjects (Mathematics, Science, Computing, Design & Technology)
• CREATIVE subjects (Art, Music, Performing Arts, Life Skills)

Students are taught in ability sets (with other children of a very similar ability) in the COMM and STEM subjects. Classes are mixed in ability in the CREATIVE subjects. Physical Education is taught in single-sex groups.

Our system allows students to be fully challenged and supported but also mix with many other students.

At the end of Year 6, most children take end of Key Stage Two examinations in Reading, Mathematics and SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar.) Writing is usually teacher assessed. In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, no examinations took place in the UK. Instead, each Year 6 will have teacher assessments for Reading, Mathematics, SPAG and Writing. These assessments fall into three catagories:

• Greater depth within the expected standard.
• Working at the expected standard.
• Working towards the expected standard.

We consider Key Stage Two results to create projections of the most probable GCSE grades (see the projection table below).

We use this information to set our Year 7 students in COMM and STEM subjects.

Key Stage Three Attainment Standards

During each learning cycle, teachers evaluate the learning of each student, using a range of classwork, homework, oral contribution and formative assessments. At the end of each learning cycle, a summative assessment takes place, testing students on what they have learnt during the learning cycle but also on the knowledge and skills taught in previous learning cycles.

Once these summative assessments are standardised, the subject teachers combine the results with other assessment information and use their professional judgement to award an attainment standard to each child.  Students may move sets as a result.

Key Stage Three Progress

In order to maximise progress, we want all students to develop a growth mindset; students who genuinely believe they can improve, work hard and value their feedback. We aim to produce a culture of high aspiration where each student is challenged to produce excellence.

Evaluating progress is an ongoing process. We do not attempt to summarise progress or give an overall progress score.  Progress is discussed at parents’ evenings or parents can get in touch with teachers via the students’ planner, phone or email.

Key Stage Four

Progress 8 is the Government's new way of measuring how well students make progress at secondary school. Click below to watch a useful video about this.