Meeting for Parents 23 rd November 2015 Assessment in the New Curriculum

How the Mathematics and English Curriculum have changed How we will assess your children’s progress and learning The purpose of this meeting is to help you to understand:

In July 2014, the DfE launched the new Primary National Curriculum. The curriculum was revised for two main reasons: *to bring the curriculum up-to-date (especially with advances in ICT since the previous curriculum was published) *to raise standards across the nation by teaching “fewer things but in greater detail”. The New Primary Curriculum

The old curriculum detailed key stage expectations for each subject whereas the New Curriculum is divided into age-related expectations for each year group. Expectations have been raised and yet the content has actually been slimmed down. Key changes between the Old and New Curriculum

Age related expectations in Mathematics and English in the New Curriculum are more demanding than in the past.

Mathematics focusYear Greater emphasis on acquiring the basics of number and doing simple calculations Year 1 Pupils will be expected to count up to 100 rather than 20 Year 1 Pupils will be expected to know addition and subtraction facts of numbers to 20 (previously taught at Year 2) Year 1 There is increased challenge in the Year 2 curriculum, although the change is not as great as in Year 1 Year 2 Pupils will be expected to “recall and use addition and subtraction facts to 20 fluently” Year 2 Pupils will be expected to recognise and write fractions Year 2 There is an emphasis on using formal written methods for addition and subtraction Year 1 There is an emphasis on using formal written methods for multiplication and division Year 2 Changes to Mathematics: KS1

Mathematics focusYear Column addition and subtraction of three digit numbers Year 3 Simple addition and subtraction of fractions Year 3 Column addition and subtraction of four digit numbers Year 4 Recall multiplication tables up to 12 x 12 by end of Year 4 (previously 10 x 10) Year 4 Solving problems using decimals and fractions Years 4 Continued focus on problem-solving, with algebra added to the curriculum in Year 6 Years 5 and 6 By the end of Year 6, pupils should have mastered all four operations, including long division (previously taught at key stage 3). Year 6 Changes to Mathematics: KS2

Stronger emphasis on vocabulary development, grammar, punctuation and spelling (for example, the use of commas and apostrophes will now be taught in KS1) Handwriting – not previously assessed under the old national curriculum – is now expected to be fluent, legible and speedy Spoken English has a greater emphasis, with children to be taught debating and presenting skills Greater emphasis on reading for enjoyment. Main English Changes

For example in English: Guidance on the teaching of spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation is more specific and the content is more advanced. An age-related expectation for children in Years 3-4 is to be able to indicate grammatical and other features by: using fronted adverbials using the possessive apostrophe correctly in regular and irregular plurals using direct speech, with correct pronunciation.

All staff have received training on the new curriculum School curriculum topics have been fully updated in line with the changes Curriculum adapted for our children embedding the key drivers ‘we’ all identified together In line with Ofsted points for development: Purchased and implemented a scheme for the development of Spelling, Read Write Inc. Currently training and beginning to implement a new handwriting ‘scheme’. How have we prepared for the changes?

In previous years, children were assessed according to National Curriculum levels e.g. 1a, 1b, 1c. However, in the current curriculum, these levels have been removed by the government and are no longer relevant. No More Levels!

There is no longer any national guidance or policy on how schools should assess children except at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. There is currently ‘interim assessment guidance’ for these children for the end of this academic year. In other year groups, schools are free to choose how, and what system/method to use. Therefore each school will be developing their own system.

How do we assess without levels at South Milford Community Primary School? Children will be assessed against the expectations as set out by the New National Curriculum. We will be using the terms ‘ Basic’, ‘Advancing’ and ‘Deeper’ to track children’s progress against these objectives. Some children may not reach these stages and will be reported accordingly. A small number of children may exceed these expectations and these will be reported as ‘deeper’.

Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5Year 6 Key Stage OneKey Stage Two Milestone OneMilestone TwoMilestone Three Chris Quigley Essentials Curriculum Milestones

Purchased and begun to implement the use of a nationally recognised series of tests for Mathematics, Reading, Spelling and Grammar. These are published by Rising Stars.Rising Stars The School is taking part during the Spring and Summer Term in an innovative National Assessment Research Project focused on the Chris Quigley Education Essentials Curriculum. Parent’s meetings in Early Spring for Year 2 and Year 6 parents about the end of Key Stage tests. Next Steps:

As you will appreciate, your children have not been working to these new curriculum expectations in previous years so they, along with every other child in the nation, have a considerable amount of catching up to do in order to reach the new End of Year Expectations. As parents, the biggest indication that you will have of your child’s progress is the progress which they make in their learning, which will be evident in their work.

Teaching, regardless of whether an assessment system uses a, b, c, or bananas, apples and pears to measure progress, is about teachers continuously assessing children’s knowledge and understanding on a daily basis, in order to move them to their next step in learning.

The curriculum and assessment system are new to us too. There is a lot of learning for us to do, as well as the children. We, like the children, may not get it exactly right straight away, but as we teach the children, if we make mistakes, we learn from them and make it better next time. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to make our assessment and reporting the best it can be for you and your children. Please bear with us

When OFSTED inspect schools, they assess both attainment and progress. Although we can still accurately measure the attainment of children using the new system, showing progress within it is more challenging as some children may need a considerable amount of time to move from one judgement to the next. Furthermore, changes to the curriculum and to assessment procedures mean that we are currently trying to marry up two different versions of data. OFSTED’s View on Assessment

The standards in the new curriculum have been raised dramatically. This fact, in addition to the fact that the method of assessment has changed, means that on paper, it may appear that your child has made little or no progress since last year. Many schools are finding this to be the case, which is why OFSTED have stated that: “Inspectors will not expect to see a particular assessment system in place and will recognise that schools are still working towards full implementation of their preferred approach”. As data may be misleading at this point, OFSTED have stated that they will spend a great deal more time looking at children’s books and talking to children to ensure that they can see evidence of children working towards their age related expectations. Data Implications