Assessment at Hassocks Infant School

At Hassocks Infant School we believe good assessment practice is fundamental to effective teaching and learning.  Accurate and ongoing assessment of children’s understanding has a central role in ensuring children learn and progress effectively.  

Types of Assessment  

At Hassocks Infant School we value formative methods of assessment. Formative assessment is carried out by teachers every day, in every lesson. It allows teachers to understand pupil performance on a continuing basis. This type of assessment is used to assess knowledge, skills and understanding, and is used to identify gaps and misconceptions. It enables teachers to identify when pupils are struggling, when they have consolidated learning and when they are ready to progress. The methods of formative assessment we use include; the use of pertinent questioning, marking of pupils’ work using our marking guidelines and observational assessment. For pupils, formative assessment helps them to measure their knowledge and understanding against the lesson objective and success criteria. They can then identify how they can improve. 

There are times when in school summative assessment are used to further enable teachers to evaluate both pupils learning and the impact of their own teaching at the end of a period of time. It provides evidence of achievement against the objectives of the curriculum.  

Schools are asked, by The Department of Education, to complete certain statutory assessments. These are as follows: 

• Reception baseline 
• Year 1 Phonics Screening Check  
• Year 2 SATs  

Workshops are held throughout the academic year for parents/carers to inform them of these assessments and provide the relevant information.  

Assessment for Learning (AfL) 

Assessment for Learning (AfL) is ongoing, occurring as part of everyday classroom practice at Hassocks.   We strive to involve children in assessing their progress and assisting others by making suggestions on how to improve.  Through their involvement, each child is aware of their progress and understand the steps necessary to develop further. 

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 

At Hassocks Infant School we have created Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the core subject areas. These performance indictors outline the skills we believe our children need, to successfully meet The National Curriculum expectations and end of Key Stage frameworks. The full breadth of the Foundation Stage Profile and National Curriculum are taught.  Key Performance indicators are used to assess a child’s progress towards standardised age-related expectations. 

 Cycle of Assessment  

We have an agreed cycle for assessment, reporting and monitoring arrangements.  

Assessment is recorded and monitored in a variety of ways, all of which are intended to be useful and easy to manage.  These include observations, discussions and questioning with children, comments in children’s books, video evidence, termly tracking, test results and reports to parents.   

Assessment Tracking System  

At Hassocks Infant School we use the Insight tracking system to track pupils progress at the end of each term. Children are assessed on Insight against our school’s KPIs and are identified as one of the following:  

• Red – a child who is not on track and not meeting age-related expectations    
• Amber – a child who is meeting some age-related expectations  
• Green – a child who is on track and meeting age-related expectations  

For any child identified as “red” or not making sufficient progress, further assessments take place against our KPIs, Pre-Key Stage Standards or Key Milestone Documents. This supports us to identify their individual progress and next steps.  

As part of our pupil progress meetings, we discuss the universal, targeted and individual support which will be provided to meet the cohort, groups and individual needs.  

Target Setting  

At the beginning and end of the academic year teachers set aspirational targets for children in each core subject or area of learning. These are reviewed regularly throughout the year.  

Equal Opportunities  

Assessment plays an integral part in identifying the individual needs of all children. It enables children with special educational needs and disabilities, children who excel and children for whom English is an additional language to be given a differentiated curriculum which meets their needs. 

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)  

We follow guidance from the West Sussex Graduated Approach to identify and assess children with a Special Educational Need and/or Disability.  We do this termly using the process of Assess, Plan, Do and Review.   

Children requiring targeted or specialist support are added to the SEND support register, which is monitored by the SENCo.  At this level, support is planned and assessed using Individual Support Plans (ISP), which include SMART outcomes. 

The decision to apply for an Education Health and Care Needs assessment will be discussed with a child’s class teacher, parent’s, SENCo and external agencies.  An Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan) is a legal document which describes a child or young person’s special educational needs, the support they need, and the outcomes they are working towards. 

Pupil Premium (PP) 

Children identified as PP have Pupil Premium Individual Learning Plans (PILPs). Their PILPs will identify and review specific targets every term, in line with the needs of the individual child.  

The PP Lead over sees the implementation and monitoring of the PILPs and evaluates ongoing assessment and progress of PP children via Insight.   

English as an Additional Language (EAL) 

When a child with EAL starts as Hassocks Infant School, the Welcome Profile should be completed to help understand the families profile and child’s experience of English. 

Children with English as an Additional Language are assessed termly, following the school’s timeline of assessment.  If a child in KS1 is found to be working below age related expectations and making less than expected progress the child’s proficiency and progression in the areas of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Viewing and Writing should be assessed using the Bell Foundation EAL Primary Assessment Framework for Schools.  If a child is working within the A, B or C band of the framework, an EAL ILP should be written for the child.   

Please see our assessment policy for further information about assessment at Hassocks Infant School.