The aim of assessment at Southam College is to provide teachers, students and parents with an understanding of the progress a student is making towards achieving their potential.
Types of Assessment
Formative assessment is an ongoing practice that informs both the teacher and the student of areas of strength and areas for development. Formative assessment usually comprises of verbal or written feedback from the teacher to the student on a regular basis. Teachers use the FAR approach: providing Feedback on what the student’s strengths and areas for development, an Action that allows students to immediately improve upon the standard of their work, and a required Response from the student to this action to show they have understood how to make further progress.
Summative assessments take place at scheduled points throughout the year in all subjects. These provide information on a students’ progress towards their target grade and inform the progress reports that students and parents receive throughout the year.
Students will sit at least 3 internal summative assessments in each subject across an academic year. One of these assessments may be sat as an internal examination. These internal summative assessments are designed by departments to reflect key subject-specific concepts and skills that are assessed in external assessments (i.e. GCSEs). Internal summative assessments will provide accurate and robust information about a students’ progress towards their target grade. Department moderation of internal summative assessments will be conducted as appropriate.
Assessment Grades
Students’ KS2 SATs results will be converted to a Y7 starting point. From this starting point an end of KS4 target grade is set to reflect expected progress in line with national data.
Once every term, teachers will provide information on either students’ current level (Y7/8/9) or the forecasted end of KS4 grade (Y10/11). Teachers will report a whole grade and a sub-level: a, b or c for Years 10 and 11.
We have reviewed our reporting system at KS3 and are phasing in a new-style progress report: In Y7 and 8, teachers will now report on students’ current level of "Developing" / "Secure" or "Exceeding" progress expectations
In Y9, teachers will still report on students’ current working at grade using grades 1 – 4 and a sub-level: a, b or c. For example, 1a is a student who is at the top of a Grade 1, nearly achieving a grade 2. 1b is a student working in the mid-range of a Grade 1 and 1c indicates a student working at the bottom end of a Grade 1. This is under review and may change to the new-style reporting used in Y7 and Y8 for the year 2024/25.
In Y10 & 11, teachers report students’ forecasted grade for the end of KS4 using GCSE grades and a sub-level: a, b or c. For example, 5a is a student who is forecasted to achieve a grade 5 at the end of KS4 and is close to achieving a grade 6. 5b is a student who is forecasted a secure grade 5. 5c indicates that a student is forecast to achieve a grade 5 but it is not secure and the student could achieve a grade 4 at the end of KS4.
