In the Early Years and Primary phase at Harleston Sancroft Academy our children have a wide range of attainment profiles, experiences, personalities and interests. Through a broad and balanced curriculum our pupils participate in a progression of learning experiences that are carefully structured to suit their needs. Assessment is an integral part of this learning and teaching process. Continuous monitoring of each child’s progress gives a clear picture of each child’s needs, achievements and attainment milestones – enabling planning and delivery to be more effective, thereby facilitating progress for every child. The outcomes of assessments will help children to become involved in raising their own expectations, celebrating their own achievements and increasing their self-motivation.

Aims of our assessment procedures:

• Measure the progress of children in reading, writing and maths from whatever their starting point
• Inform teachers and children of their next steps in learning ·
• Inform parents of the progress and attainment of their child/ children at our school
• Identify individuals and groups of pupils who are not making expected progress and provide support for these children through scaffolds and intervention

PITA Assessments

In the primary phase we use PITA (Point in Time Assessments) to assess all of our children. Unlike a linear model whereby pupils are expected to progress through a number of steps/points along a ‘flight path’, in a Point in Time Assessment, learning is assessed against what has been taught to date and learner’s achievements are compared against the expected levels of understanding and competencies relative to that ‘point in time’.

Where a learner is deemed to be meeting national expectations for their age, their attainment is graded as ‘Expected’/PITA 5. Learners who have achieved beyond this are graded as currently exceeding expectations/PITA 6 and those who are not yet attaining against the expected outcomes will be graded as below expected/PITA 1 to 4.

Progress is measured by comparing Point in Time Assessments over time. If a learner consistently meets expectations and continues to work at the expected standard (PITA 5), they are judged to be making expected progress for their age group. When a learner moves up a PITA level, this suggests that they have achieved more than expected between the two milestones; they have made better than expected progress. If they move below a relative assessment point then this suggests they have achieved less than was expected and so have made less than expected progress.

PIXL Resources

The school also uses termly PIXL tests to support our PITA judgements. These tests allow teachers to effectively identify gaps in learning. Teachers use the QLA (Question Level Analysis) documents to identify specific gaps for individual children, small groups and the whole class. Teachers then plan their lessons around closing these gaps.

In Year 6, we also use PIXL therapies to address misconceptions and gaps in learning. These are used in out of hours ‘Booster Sessions’.

If you have any questions or you would like to discuss assessment further, please contact Mr Stagg (Assessment Lead) or Mr Carlyle (Head of School).