Our Approach to Assessment

Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning and is a continuous process. It is central to helping children make progress as it allows teachers to identify pupils’ strengths and weakness, identify next steps for learning and plan how to meet their learning needs.

At Bolham Community Primary School we use formative assessment every day to identify what the children have learned. Formative assessment is carried out informally by teachers in the course of their daily teaching through marking pupils’ work, talking to pupils and on-going observations. Children also undertake many self-assessment activities and to use peer assessment to provide feedback to the teacher.

Summative assessment is used to provide evidence of a pupil’s achievement over a period of time and is carried out and recorded in a number of ways.  At the end of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils take SATs tests in reading, maths, grammar, spelling and punctuation in accordance with government guidelines.  At the end of Y6 teacher assessment is also made of pupils’ writing and science levels.

Pupils in Y1 undertake a national phonics test and in Year 2 there is a phonics test for pupils who did not successfully attain the required standard at the end of Year 1.

Pupil Progress evenings take place twice a year, in the autumn and spring terms for parents and their children where the focus is on the child’s attainment and progress, their learning behaviours and how school and home can work in partnership to support learning.

Parents receive a written report at the end of each academic year on their child’s academic progress in the core and foundation subjects and on their skills and abilities in all areas of the curriculum. SATs results are included in the reports of children in years 2 and 6 and Phonic results for those in Year 1.