Assessment

 Assessment and Reporting at Saint Ambrose Barlow

At Saint Ambrose, we believe that assessment is integral to high-quality teaching and learning. It helps us ensure that our teaching is precise and that every learner is making strong progress.

Our Assessment Categories

• We track pupil progress according to three main categories:
• Working Below Age-Related Expectations: Beginning to acquire the knowledge and skills related to the curriculum.
• Working At Age-Related Expectations: Secure in the expected standards for their year group.
• Working Above Age-Related Expectations: Working with increased depth and complexity beyond the year group expectation.

How We Assess

Throughout the year, teachers use Assessment for Learning (formative assessment) during lessons to adapt their teaching in real-time.

Our chosen digital platform for tracking this data is Insight. This system allows teachers to record objective-based progress and helps school leaders ensure that support and challenge are accurately pitched for every child.

At the end of each term, children complete Summative Assessments. These formal checks help identify specific strengths and areas for improvement, which then inform the teacher assessments reported to parents via the Insight platform.

Phonics and Early Reading

Daily assessment is built into every phonics lesson through choral response, partner work, and small-group interaction. This allows teachers to modify the pace of the lesson instantly.

Frequency: Pupils are assessed every 6–8 weeks using standardised materials.

Focus: We measure sound-to-grapheme correspondence, decoding skills for regular words, and recognition of common exception words.

Impact: This data is used to reorganise groups and ensure that every child’s reading book is perfectly matched to their current phonic knowledge.

Year 1 Screening: In June, all Year 1 pupils complete the statutory Phonics Screening Check to confirm they have met the expected national standard.

Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

By the end of Year 2, it is anticipated that a typical child will be Working At Age-Related Expectations.

While national Key Stage 1 SATs are now non-statutory (optional), we continue to use transition assessments at the end of Year 2. These results are used internally to support teacher judgments and ensure a smooth, well-informed transition into Key Stage 2.

Multiplication Tables Check (Year 4)

In the Summer Term, all Year 4 children participate in the statutory Multiplication Tables Check (MTC). The purpose of the MTC is to determine whether pupils can recall their times tables fluently up to 12 x 12, which is essential for success in the Upper Key Stage 2 mathematics curriculum. The check is completed digitally and consists of 25 questions with 6 seconds to answer each.

Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

At the end of Year 6, pupils sit the statutory National Curriculum Tests (SATs). These are external assessments in:

• English Reading
• English Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling (SPAG)
• Mathematics

Writing and Science are assessed through ongoing teacher judgment. These results help determine if a child has met the national standard before moving on to secondary school.