Our Assessment Philosophy

At St Ann’s, we believe that all children have the right to achieve their full potential in their primary education. Not only should children be able to succeed, but they should be able to actively participate and shape their learning alongside their teachers and school setting.

We know that an effective assessment system involves children and parents in decision making and target setting, allows practitioners to clearly identify specific areas for improvement, and is manageable for staff ensuring they can spend the majority of their time focusing on effective and engaging teaching and learning.

Our assessment system is free from bias, stereotyping and generalising and is engrained in the centre of every learning experience our children receive.

Aims of our Assessment System

To raise standards for all children.

To meet expectations of the 2014 National Curriculum.

To motivate and put children in control of their learning journey.

To systematically identify and address specific learning needs.

To inform and involve parents.

Our Assessment Model

At St Ann’s we want children to be fully involved in their learning journey. Our assessment systems are inspired by our assessment model, in which children are active participants in all four stages of the assessment cycle. The questions in blue are questions we actively encourage children to ask throughout the year, and we support this with a range of school wide systems.

Mentoring Conversation

Across the academic year, parents and carers will be invited to two Mentoring Conversations (November & March/April) with the child's class teacher. Mentoring Conversations provide a child focused discussion about their progress and attainment.  During the Mentoring Conversation, the child's targets and Pupil Profile will be discussed. The child is the central focus for the meeting and so the majority of dialogue will be directed towards them, this is to ensure they are actively participating rather than being a passive observer.

Target Setting

Following each assessment period, staff undergo a rigorous target setting process to generate personalised and specific targets for your child across the core subjects. These targets are crucial in ensuring that children makes sustained progress and address their areas for improvement. Each child will receive three targets, one for Maths, Reading and Writing following each major assessment period. These targets will be discussed at the Mentoring Conversation to ensure the child and parents understand the target and how it can be achieved.

Pupil Profiles

Pupil Profiles sum up a child’s current attainment and progress in their current year group and will be available at Mentoring Conversations. They provide a helpful snap shot of child’s current academic achievement in school.