On arrival in y7 students will sit a national baseline test to establish ambitious targets and gauge their starting point in English and Mathematics. From these test scores and in line with other national data we are able to establish a challenging target for all subjects.

Students will receive a score off the standards criteria detailed below which will be their starting point at the beginning of year 7.

Our internal grading system allows students, parents and carers to track their progress over time. The grading system is divided in to 3 categories DEVELOPING, ASSURED, EXTENDED and then further fine grading of 1-3 for each category. The fine grading allows students to see how secure they are within each category.

Some students on arrival at Cockshut Hill School may not yet be working at a level on our D1-E3 tracking system in English and Mathematics. For these students they will be placed on a continuum where their progress in specific mathematics skills, reading and writing will be monitored. Students that are in line with the continuum and not yet reaching the expected standard in year 7 will be given additional support and interventions in both subjects to ensure they achieve in line with national expectations by their assessment point in the summer.

The minimum expected progress that a student will make is 1 sublevel per term. Therefore, if a student’s starting point in Mathematics is a D3, by the end of year 7 they should be achieving an A3.

Students targets will remain the same each year in KS3. If a student has a target of an A2 in English in y7, their target will be A2 in Y8 and Y9. The standards criteria will get harder year on year meaning the level of challenge increases each academic year to reach their target.

• Students will receive ongoing formative assessment throughout the academic year
• Students will sit formative assessment pieces (FAP) in all subjects every half term. They will sit 2 FAP’s in core subjects (English, Maths and Science) and 1 per half term in all other subjects
• Each FAP that students sit will be marked and students will receive feedback on areas of improvement, students will then respond to this feedback to allow them the opportunity to improve their work and make progress
• Teachers will complete a Question Level Analysis of each FAP that students sit to identify any gaps in knowledge or application for each individual student. This allows teachers to plan effectively to ensure students make the necessary progress towards target identifying where retrieval or additional specific support may be required
• Teachers will inform students after each formative assessment piece of whether they are below, on track or exceeding expectations to achieve their target by the end of the academic year
• Student’s progress to target grade in each subject will be detailed on their progress tracker in the front of their book and will be reported home to parents alongside, reading age attendance and behaviour data twice a year
• Students will sit 1 summative assessment per year in the summer term which will give them an end of year grade and will be reported home to parents in their final year academic report

Students reading ages will be tracked on arrival at Cockshut Hill through accelerated reader using the star tests. Students will receive a ZPD range which will give them an indication of what books they should be selected to ensure challenge and improve their reading ages.

Students reading and spelling will be tested at the beginning and end of each academic year.

Students will receive 3 reports home per year. The first 2 reports will detail:

• Commitment to learning in each subject
• Progress to target grade in each subject
• Reading age
• Attendance
• SOAR points
• Behaviour tiers

The final report will detail their grade in each subject achieved in their end of year summative assessment.

Parents will also be invited to attend a parents evening once a year where they will have the opportunity to speak to their child’s class teachers, the achievement leader, support staff and members of the senior team.

• All students in KS4 will be set homework by class teachers in all of their GCSE subjects, with the exception of art and iMedia.
• Students will also be expected to read at home on a regular basis.
• Students will be expected to write their homework into their planners and the date that it will need to be handed in.
• If students do not complete homework on a regular basis parents will be informed.