Assessment

Assessment at Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College

At Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College we believe that assessment is a central process in education, within our curriculum and is one of the most important strategies that can help every student achieve their potential. It is through assessment that we can find out whether students have learnt what they have been taught, so that the school can make appropriate adjustments to our teaching to ensure achievement is for all.

Students will be assessed in many forms across their subjects, from questioning and low-stake quizzes happening every lesson, to a formative assessment or progress check after a sequence of lessons, to a more formal summative assessment that will take place after a unit of work / topic has been taught.

The purpose of assessment at Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College is to:

• Provide students, parents / carers with a continuous record of achievement and ongoing progress in subjects taught at Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 5; allowing students and parents / carers to identify their strengths and areas for improvement in a subject.
• To gauge what students know and remember over time, to ensure that learning has taken place
• To allow teachers to plan, adapt to the needs of the students and deliver lessons that support achievement for all students.
• To help motivate students to strive to improve their knowledge and understanding of a subject to become experts and achieve their full potential.

 

Key Stage 3 Assessment

Across Key Stage 3, students will complete a range of assessments over the three academic years.  Assessments will include formative assessments; these are regular in-class checks to gauge knowledge and understanding of curriculum content focusing on a small part or a specific part of the curriculum.  Formative assessments can range from in-class progress checks, retrieval tasks, practical tasks, quizzes, extended writing, project work and home learning.  This form of assessment will happen frequently.  Students will receive feedback from the teacher on how they can improve their work.  The focus will be on improving students’ knowledge and giving them clear steps on how to improve.

Students will also complete bi-annual summative assessments which will assess what students have learnt over time.  Summative assessments will assess the long-term acquisition of knowledge over time and, as such a wide range of curriculum content, knowledge and skills will be assessed at these points. 

In Year 7, 8 and 9, students and parents/carers will receive three progress updates – two progress reports and an invitation to a Review Evening.   The first progress report will give a summation of each curriculum area studied, an attainment level (the level the student is working at with further information below), a next step (a specific target to improve student progress and attainment) and a comment on the student’s attitude to learning in each curriculum area.  The second progress report will include an attainment level, a next step, a comment on attitude to learning and a comment from the student’s form tutor.  All parents/carers will be invited to an annual Review Evening where progress will be discussed with class teachers.

 

Key Stage 3 Attainment
Emerging	The student is beginning to learn some of the curriculum content, demonstrating some understanding of the knowledge and skills expected, there may be some gaps in the skills and knowledge expected
Developing	The student is successfully learning the majority of the curriculum, demonstrating an adequate understanding of the knowledge and skills expected, there may be some minor gaps in knowledge and/or skill
Securing	The student is successfully learning most of the curriculum, demonstrating a good understanding of the knowledge and skills expected
Mastering	The student is successfully learning the curriculum, demonstrating a strong understanding of the knowledge and skills expected

 

Key Stage 4 Assessment

Across Key Stage 4, students will complete a range of assessments over the two academic years.  Assessments will include formative assessments. These are regular in-class checks to gauge knowledge and understanding of curriculum content focusing on a small part or a specific part of the curriculum.  Formative assessments can range from in-class progress checks, retrieval tasks, practical tasks, quizzes, extended writing, project work and home learning.  This form of assessment will happen frequently.  Students will receive feedback from the teacher on how they can improve their work.  The focus will be on improving students’ knowledge and giving them clear steps on how to improve.

Students will also complete bi-annual summative assessments which will assess what students have learnt over time.  Summative assessments will assess the long-term acquisition of knowledge over time and, as such, a wide range of curriculum content, knowledge and skills will be assessed at these points. Some of these summative assessments will take place in formal exam conditions in the Sports Hall and Access Arrangement room.

In Year 10 and 11 students and parents/carers will receive two progress review updates per academic year, in addition to a progress report and an invitation to a Review Evening each academic year. Furthermore, in Year 11, students and parents / carers will be invited to attend a Year 11 Information evening which breaks down all the key information regarding the students’ GCSE exams that year.  

At Key Stage 4 all students will be given a minimum target grade to work towards and this is set in line with the Department for Education’s guidelines for monitoring progress using the student’s Key Stage 2 data. Each progress update will include a current progress grade (the grade a student is currently working at) and an estimated grade (the grade teacher’s believe students could achieve at the end of Year 11 if the student continues to work the way they are). Both the current and estimated grade are calculated using all the formative and summative assessments completed up until that point.

 

The current progress and estimated grade update will be in the format below and linked to the GCSE numerical grade scale. The grade will have a fine grade next to it e.g an a, b or c and a definition of each fine grade is below.

a = VERY SAFE – almost achieving the grade higher, slight improvement will secure this higher grade b= MIDSAFE – securely within the grade, with sufficient effort, we could achieve the higher grade c = NOT SAFE – could drop to the grade below without an increase in work ethic.

 

GCSE Grades	Cambridge Sport/Creative iMedia	BTEC
9	D*	L2D* (Level 2)
8
7	D	L2D
6	M
5	P	L2M
4		L2P
3	L1D (Level 1)	L1D (Level 1)
2	L1M	L1M
1	L1P	L1P

 

Supporting your child

To help support your child achieve their potential and prepare for the range of assessments they will have in their subjects, you will be able to see what they are learning via the school and subject’s Curriculum Maps. This will give you an indication of what they are learning in every subject each term. We also recommend that you regularly look through your child’s exercise books to see the fantastic work they are completing the progress they are making, and together we can ensure your child shines at Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College.

In addition to this, all home learning is also set on the app Satchel One. Here you will be able to monitor and support your child with the home learning that is set to help consolidate their knowledge and understanding in each subject.

Finally, as part of the school curriculum, students are also taught how to apply the most effective revision strategies as part of the BTHCC Core Four. This consists of:

• Brain Dumps;
• Mind Maps;
• Flash Cards;
• Online Revision Platforms

By consistently using these strategies outside the classroom, students will be prepared for the formative and summative assessments they will complete in their subjects and be able to show what their strengths are and also what they need to improve to ensure they achieve their full potential.