Assessment at Denmead Infant School takes two forms:
Formative assessment takes place every day and in every learning activity. Teachers and teaching assistants check on a child’s understanding of a skill and adapt their teaching accordingly.
Summative assessment is used to evaluate how much a child has learned at the end of a teaching period. As an infant school we have children in two different key stages, the Foundation Stage (year R) and Key Stage 1 (years 1 and 2), with each of these key stages following a different curriculum. These are the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFSC) and the National Curriculum. Our summative assessment procedures are matched to the demands of these two curricula, which means that the systems in year R are different to those in years 1 and 2, although the principles remain the same.
Children’s progress is tracked through the age and stage bands within Development Matters, linked to the EYFSC. When a child starts school, on entry judgments are made in each of the 17 areas of learning using information from parents/carers, pre-school settings and teachers and teaching assistants. This information is used to plan the provision for those children in their first term in school.
Judgments are made again at the end of each term in order to measure progress and identify the next steps in learning. Parents/ carers are invited into school for parents evenings in the Autumn and Spring Term to discuss their child’s progress and ways in which they can support their learning at home.
In the second half of the summer term children are assessed against each of the 17 early learning goals (ELG). This information is reported to parents at the end of the summer term and the information is used to plan provision for children as they enter year 1.
In Key Stage 1 the school has chosen to use the Hampshire Assessment Model (HAM).
Each curriculum area of reading, writing and maths is divided into domains (areas of learning), and the school year is split into four phases of about 10 weeks. The end of each phase being known as a ‘milestone’.
| Phase 1 | September to end of November |
| Phase 2 | November to mid February |
| Phase 3 | Mid February to end of April |
| Phase 4 | End of April until the end of the school year |
The judgments made for each domain at each milestone are:
S – Securely on track to meet the end of year age related expectations
C – Close to being on track to meet the end of year age related expectations
N– Working below the level needed to be on track to meet the end of year age related expectations
B- Working beyond the level needed to be on track to meet the end of year age related expectations
| Reading: | Writing: | Maths: |
| Word reading | Transcription | Number and place value |
| Comprehension | Handwriting | Addition and subtraction |
| Inference | Composition | Multiplication and division |
| Language for effect | Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation | Fractions, Measure, Geometry |
Children who are working below the level needed to be on track and who have a cognitive special educational need (SEN) will be on the school SEN register. These children will have a SEN support plan, which details the end of year expected outcomes for that child, taking into account their additional learning needs.
There are parents evenings at the end of phases 1 and 2 in order for teachers to share the assessment information with parents/carers and discuss the next steps in learning. At the end of the year parents receive a written report detailing their child’s achievements.
At the end of each year there are government statutory assessments, the outcomes of which will be shared with parents.
In year R – this is the Foundation Stage Profile, which details which of the early learning goals a child has achieved.
Children are assessed as, emerging within the ELG- which is below the expected age related standard, met the ELG – working at the age related standard.
In year 1– children undertake the Phonics screening which checks their ability to blend together the sounds which they have learnt.
In year 2– Those children who did not reach the required standard in Phonics at the end of year 1 will complete the Phonics screening again to assess their progress.