Curriculum and Assessment meeting for Parents Thursday 10th March 2016

To share with you ways you can help at home. Aims of the meeting: To inform you of the changes to the curriculum from September 2014 with a focus on English and maths. (We will briefly look at other subjects including RE.) To inform you of the assessment system used here at Astbury from this term. To share with you ways you can help at home.

Curriculum changes from September 2014 The main aim is to raise standards, it’s designed to produce productive, creative and well educated students.  Although the new curriculum is intended to be more challenging, the content is actually slimmer than the previous curriculum, focusing on essential core subject knowledge and skills.

Miss Irwin and Mrs Wade – English Mr Robinson – maths Miss Hall and Mrs Hodder – other subjects and Religious Education E

How will your child’s progress be assessed? On the previous curriculum, progress was measured in terms of levels. From last September 2015, these levels are no longer to be used. The standards for the end of Y2 and Y6 are now much higher.

Children’s achievement will be reported as E, D and S. Progress will be measured against the new standards each term in reading, writing and maths. Teachers will assess whether your child is emerging (E), developing (D) or secure (S) in each of these areas across a two year assessment criteria linked to the new curriculum. Y1/2 Y3/4 Y5/6 Children’s achievement will be reported as E, D and S.

Emerging Developing Secure Y1/2 To use paragraphs When guides or prompts are provided, writing includes more than one idea or step. When reminders are provided, ideas are split into paragraphs. Writing is clearly organised into paragraphs that contain a definite theme. Y3/4 When examples are provided, paragraphs focus on a theme. When reminders are provided, paragraphs are well organised around a theme. A theme is clearly introduced and developed, and remains consistent throughout each paragraph. Y5/6 Paragraphs may, at times, refer to previously introduced ideas, which may not mean absolute clarity for the reader. Paragraphs generally make sense if read alone. Each paragraph introduces a theme and expands upon it in appropriate detail. Example from writing

Further breakdown As the assessment is over two years to meet the new national curriculum it can be difficult to see progress so we have broken down E, D and S into three further sub groups. E1 E2 E3 D1 D2 D3 S1 S2 S3

Progress could look like this Year 1/2 curriculum Start of Y1   End of Y1 End of Y2 E1 E2 E3 D1 D2 D3 S1 S2 S3 Year 3/4 curriculum Start of Y3   End of Y3 End of Y4 E1 E2 E3 D1 D2 D3 S1 S2 S3 Year 5/6 curriculum Start of Y5   End of Y5 End of Y6 E1 E2 E3 D1 D2 D3 S1 S2 S3

Example of Y4 tracking grid: reading at the end of the Autumn term 2015 A = autumn Sp = spring S = summer Y1/2 Y3/4 Y5/6 E1 E2 E3 D1 D2 D3 S1 S2 S3   A 14 SP 15 S A 15

How you can help at home: Reading – every day if possible, if not then at least three times a week and once at the weekend. A variety of genre. Read to your child. Spelling – learning spelling rules – rather than a list of spelling words. It is important that children learn the rules and how to apply rules to a variety of words. Handwriting – when completing homework – work on formation of letters – new handwriting policy across the school – each letter has a lead in and a lead out and starts on the line. Tall letters tall and long letters long. Join – from reception when learning phonics e.g. ch Maths – quick recall of all x tables up to 12 x 12. Work with money – value of coins – exchanging and calculating. Ask reasoning questions - example