Exams Officer: Mrs Elizabeth Vaughan
KS3 Assessment
Introduction
Following the end of National Curriculum levels, Hardenhuish introduced a new assessment and reporting system in September 2016 for Years 7-9. The new system aims to further enhance the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that our pupils make outstanding progress and have a strong foundation for achieving success at GCSE. When embedded, the system will:
- be aspirational and challenging while giving pupils a sense of achievement
- provide a precise and robust measure of pupil progress and attainment
- make it clear to pupils the knowledge, understanding and skills that they have mastered and the next steps they need to take in their learning
- give reliable information to parents about how their child is performing
- be coherent with the reformed GCSEs
Progress Maps
Each subject has a Progress Map which describes the standard of each grade for typically 3-4 assessment objectives. An assessment objective is a key strand of learning that is taught and assessed in a subject. These have been designed to make our assessment at Key Stage 3 coherent with how pupils will be assessed at GCSE. Progress Maps are used in everyday lessons, especially during assessments, to make it clear to pupils the grade they are working at and the next steps they need to take in their learning.Types of Assessment Subjects assess and grade pupils once per new term (6 times a year) using a combination of assessments that best suits that subject. This may include formal end of topic tests under exam conditions, project based assessments where pupils work in lessons and at home and other forms of assessment such as group presentations. Each termly assessment does not necessarily cover all of the assessment objectives in a subject’s Progress Map but does so over the course of a year. There are formal annual exams in Year 8 (January) and Year 9 (June) in which content covered thus far in Key Stage 3 is assessed under exam conditions. Each exam period lasts for a fortnight and pupils receive an exam timetable which shows when each subject exam takes place. ReportingThree Progress Reports are published each year which contain an overall 1-9 grade for each subject as well as information about a pupil’s learning attributes including their effort, behaviour and homework. The progress which a pupil is making is monitored by comparing their 1-9 grade with a subject specific target. The final report sent home in Year 7, 8 and 9 also includes grades for each of the assessment objectives in the Progress Map for every subject.
Examinations
It is very important to make sure that pupils and parents have all of the information they need for GCSE and A Level options. We believe that pupils are more likely to achieve their best in their public examinations if they and their parents are clear about all that is involved.
Therefore leading up to your child’s examinations, we will provide information and guidance to all pupils and parents to include:
- The courses and assessment requirements for all the GCSE and vocational subjects being offered by the school.
- What pupils need to do in order to do well in their examinations.
- Details of any coursework deadlines in each subject.
- An explanation of the agreement between home and school for ensuring that pupils attend school for the examinations.
- An explanation of the school’s examination entry policy.