St Bernadette’s PS
Assessment Policy and Framework

Vision
Every child will be supported, nurtured and challenged on their learning journey in our pursuit of excellence and equity.

Rationale
Assessment is an integral part of learning and teaching. It helps to provide a picture of a child’s or young person’s progress and achievements and to identify next steps in learning.
‘A robust tracking system together with effective interventions ensures continuous progress for learners across the curriculum and at all phases in their education, including points of transition.’
GTCS 2.1.3, Have a depth of knowledge and understanding of Curriculum Design
As a registered teacher you are required to demonstrate a depth of knowledge and understanding of:
• principles of curriculum design and how these can be applied to learning in different sectors and contexts;
• theory and practical skills required in curricular areas as set out in current national and local guidelines;
• the value of learning beyond curricular areas/subject boundaries and of cross curricular subjects, e.g. literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, Learning for Sustainability and digital literacy;
• processes used to change and develop the curriculum;
• curriculum content and its relevance to the education of every learner;
• interdisciplinary learning between curricular areas, stages and/or sectors; n the skills and competencies that comprise teacher digital literacy and know how to embed digital technologies to enhance teaching and learning;
• and the need to take account of learners with additional support needs.

2.1.4 Have a depth of knowledge and understanding of Planning for Assessment, Teaching and Learning. As a registered teacher you are required to demonstrate a depth of knowledge and understanding of:
• how to plan for effective assessment, teaching and learning, individually and collaboratively, across different contexts, and in order to support the needs of every learner;
• how to adapt planning approaches to ensure that the needs of every learner are effectively addressed;
• individual and collaborative approaches to a wide range of assessment, recording and reporting as an integral part of learning and teaching;
• national assessment requirements and requirements of other relevant awarding and accrediting bodies;
• and the positive impact of engaging learners in dialogue about their progress and how to provide meaningful feedback to support and agree next steps.
Rights Respecting School CRC Article 23 – Every child has the right to access education
Principles
Assessment supports learning by focusing on the process of children moving from where they are in their learning towards their desired goals. Assessment can also be used to identify and plan any support they will need to achieve these goals. At all stages, learners should understand that assessment will support them in their learning and help them develop ambition to learn in increasing breadth and depth. Assessment has to be fair and inclusive and must allow every learner to show what they have achieved and how well they are progressing. Staff can ensure that assessment meets all learners’ needs by providing each child and young person with the most appropriate support. In doing so, they will ensure that every learner has the best chance of success.
Aims
• To ensure an effective assessment system which supports progression, breadth and depth of learning and a greater focus on skills development
• To provide a well-planned assessment system with appropriate links to pre-school and secondary schools to promote smooth transitions in learning
• To ensure a clear understanding of effective assessment practice and sharing of standards and expectations, as well as a consistent approach to assessment at all stages
Assessing Progress and Achievement

Both formative and summative assessment will be used on an ongoing basis to assess progress and achievement of pupils in St Bernadette’s Primary School. Assessment will be planned alongside learning and teaching and will involve assessing what the children can write, make, say and do. The assessment evidence will be used to inform future planning. Children will be involved in target setting and self and peer assessment on a regular basis. Assessment data will be collated regularly by class teachers and recorded on the Seemis Progress and Achievement system. The system will be used as the overall tool for recording progress and achievement across the Curriculum in St Bernadette’s, including wider achievement. Information from the system will be used to inform parents of progress through bi annual reports and provides overall ACEL data for the school.

Sharing Standards and Expectations

In St Bernadette’s school we will ensure consistency of standards and expectations through collegiate and collaborative planning, moderation activities at a local, cluster and regional level and through using standardised criteria and assessments. These may include –

• Health and Wellbeing Indicators
• HWB Strengths and Difficulties assessments
• Polar assessment for P1
• PM Benchmarking for reading
• Bug Club reading assessments
• Read, write inc assessments
• NLC Active Literacy Phonic Assessments
• Single Word Spelling Test
• YARC – reading comprehension assessment
• PHAB – Phonological assessment
• Scottish Criterion for writing assessment tool
• MALT (Maths assessments)
• TJ Maths CFE assessments
• Leckie maths assessments
• Heinemann Maths Check-ups
• Mathletics Assessments
• National Assessment Resources for other curricular areas
• Scottish national standardised assessments

Formative Assessments in the classroom

Formative assessment in the classroom means that the teacher is monitoring pupils’ learning by providing regular and timely feedback on what they’ve done well and what they need to improve.
The role of the formative assessment in the classroom is to monitor pupil’s learning to help provide children with clear and concise feedback to help them to continue to improve. They help teachers pinpoint strengths and weaknesses and help children understand where they need a little more help in detail.
Formative assessments give children the ability to actively manage and adjust their own learning, as well as tracking their own learning goals. Not only does it provide teachers with a good amount of time to give feedback to children regularly, but it allows children to have their own input in their learning.

Examples of formative assessments in St Bernadette’s

Quizzes and games
Class and group discussions
Lollipop sticks/no hands up
Thumbs up/thumbs down
Happy face, neutral
Self/peer assessment
What a good one looks like
Steps to success

Recognising Achievement, Reporting and Profiling

Individual achievement will be recognised and recorded through the use of individual progression folders.
Pupil work is displayed around the school.
Additional Support Plans are prepared and updated as appropriate (GIRFME),
Weekly assemblies are held to celebrate achievement where H Factor Awards and Rights Respecting School awards are presented.
The school X account and school app are used to celebrate success.

Reporting to parents
Reporting pupil progress to parents and involving them in their child’s learning is an integral part of the Curriculum for Excellence. In St Bernadette’s reporting to parents will be organised as follows.

September GIRFME plan targets agreed
October Individual parent meeting
December Interim Reports issued
January GIRFME reviewed with parents
March Individual parent appointments
May GIRFME plans reviewed with parents
June End of term report issued
P7 Pupil profiles completed and shared with parents.

This will be in addition to regular homework tasks, ongoing dialogue with parents, parent participation in class events and celebrations of success.

Reviewed and updated November 2023