Pupils’ Progress
Pupils’ progress is monitored closely throughout the school year, and there are frequent formal communications between the school and parents. Brief informal conversations are often possible with teachers at the beginning or end of the day. We want our parents to be well informed about their child’s progress so that successes can be celebrated and so that we can work together to address any concerns promptly.
Progress Reports
We want parents to be well informed about their child’s progress. Parents of all pupils from Reception to Year 10, receive two Progress Reports each year, one at the end of the Autumn Term and the other at the end of the Summer Term. In addition, from Year 2 to Year 6 scripts from our December and May internal Progress Tests are sent home to parents. Pupils in Year 7 to Year 10 have a week of off-timetable internal Progress Tests in May only, after which a Progress Test Report is sent home.
Parents of Year 11 pupils receive two Progress Reports, at the end of the Autumn Term, which will include comments on their mock exams in late November and early December and their predicted grades, and at the end of the Spring Term, to support the most effective possible revision in the remaining weeks before their GCSE exams.
Parent-Teacher Consultations
There are also two formal opportunities during the year to meet with class teachers face-to-face at the Parent-Teacher Consultations that take place in October or November, and again in February or March. Parents are strongly encouraged to prioritise these meetings. In addition, we encourage parents to chat informally with teachers before or after school should any concerns arise or to arrange other meetings as necessary.
Progress Tests
Heritage pupils from Year 2 to Year 6 have internal Progress Tests twice per year in each subject. These take place during the normal time allocated for that subject during that week. In Years 7 to Year 10, Progress Tests happen only once per year in May, when they are off timetable and have an independent invigilator. Year 11 pupils have mock GCSE exams over two weeks in late November and early December.
We approach our internal Progress Tests in a low pressure, straightforward manner. Generally, we emphasise open-ended questions that allow pupils to display what they know rather than what they don’t. We actively discourage revision in the Junior School, except for rote learning of, for example, their poem for that half-term, French vocabulary and Geography facts. In the Senior School revision is increasingly expected and revision skills are taught, particularly as pupils approach Year 11.
A special feature of the Progress Tests in Year 2-4 is that most are conducted orally, with a scribe taking down each child’s answer. Pupils are excited to tell all they know about a topic and can often impress by their thorough recall of topics studied several weeks earlier. By Year 5 pupils generally have the writing skills to express what they know independently. The completed papers from the Year 2 to Year 6 Progress Tests are sent home to parents of pupils, which gives parents a very special window into what their child has learned.
We make use of standardised assessments as part of our test cycle so we can understand how our pupils are performing against national standards.
Pupils’ Progress
Pupils’ progress is monitored closely throughout the school year, and there are frequent formal communications between the school and parents. We want our parents to be well informed about their child’s progress so that successes can be celebrated and so that we can work together to address any concerns promptly.
Progress Reports
Parents of all pupils from Reception to Year 10, receive three Progress Reports each year. In addition, scripts from the May Progress Tests are sent home. Parents of Year 11 pupils will receive two Progress Reports, at the end of the Autumn Term and the Spring Term.
Parent/Teacher Consultations
There are also two formal opportunities during the year to meet with class teachers face-to-face at the Parent-Teacher Consultations that take place in November and March. Parents are strongly encouraged to prioritise these meetings. In addition, we encourage parents to chat informally with teachers before or after school should any concerns arise or to arrange other meetings as necessary.
Progress Tests
Heritage pupils from Years 2-10 have internal Progress Tests twice per year in each subject. From Years 2- 6 these take place during the normal time allocated for that subject during that week. Seniors take their Progress Tests within the context of normal lessons in the Autumn Term but in the Summer Term they are off timetable and have an independent invigilator.
We approach these tests in a low pressure, straightforward manner. Generally, we emphasise open-ended questions that allow pupils to display what they know rather than what they don’t. We actively discourage revision in the Junior School, except for rote learning of for example their poem for that half-term, French vocabulary and Geography facts.
In the Senior School revision is emphasized, particularly as pupils approach Year 11. A special feature of the Progress Tests in Year 2-4 is that most are conducted orally, with a scribe taking down each child’s answer. Parents often volunteer to support this. Pupils are excited to tell all they know about a topic and can often impress by their thorough recall of topics studied several weeks earlier. By Year 5 pupils generally have the writing skills to express what they know independently. The completed papers from the May Progress Tests are sent home to parents of pupils in Year 2-10. We make use of standardised assessments as part of our test cycle so we can understand how our pupils are performing against national standards. The unique culture surrounding our internal tests prepares pupils well for their I/GCSE exams at the end of Year 11.