The assessment of pupils takes two forms: formative and summative.

Formative assessment takes place daily. It enables teachers to monitor children’s learning in all subjects and ensures they receive the feedback they need to make good progress. Children’s understanding is constantly assessed by the teacher to inform planning and cater for each child’s needs in every lesson. This information also forms an integral part of longer term planning for future learning enabling every child to progress.

Summative assessments are like a snapshot of performance and are most likely to be carried out at the end of a unit of work, term or at the end of the year. At SLC, to ensure the data we collect is as reliable as possible, we use a combination of measures from standardised testing systems and teacher judgements from observations. The class teacher undertakes continuous assessment of academic achievement regularly in classes, and differentiation is applied at all stages of learning.

Foundation Stage and Reception children are given Aspects and PIPS baseline assessment produced by the Curriculum, Evaluation and Management (CEM) centre at the University of Durham. They provide the teacher with valuable information about each child’s starting point in the year. A similar assessment is undertaken at the end of the year to enable school to track and record their progress.

Pupils from Year 1 onwards sit for InCAS tests online, produced by the Curriculum, Evaluation and Management (CEM) centre at the University of Durham, while pupils in Key Stage 2 are additionally tested using in-house subject reviews, and in year 6, the Cambridge Primary Progression Tests. These are internationally recognised tests to determine the level of knowledge, understanding and skills in the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science.