Assessment and Reporting

KS3 Assessment and Reporting

At St Catherine’s School, we see assessment as an essential part of teaching and learning which is inextricably linked to our curriculum. Students in KS3 receive three reports from the school during the course of the academic year. We request that parents take time discussing each report with their daughter to praise the positive achievements and recognise any areas for development.

At the beginning of every report we identify the student’s attendance, punctuality and behaviour profile for the term.

Based on prior attainment we set the standard to which we would like the student to achieve at the end of the academic year. For each of the progress reports throughout the year we grade the following for each subject:

Working beyond Year standard
Achieving Year standard
Working towards Year standard

KS3 Learning Characteristics

For every subject we also record your daughter's learning characteristics. These are for the following areas:

Classwork
Homework
Behaviour
Overall Effort

The grades given for the above areas are as follows:

Grade 1

Classwork: Exceptional standard of classwork produced

Homework: All homework is done on time and to an outstanding standard

Behaviour: Behaviour for learning is excellent

Effort: Excellent effort and attitude to learning

Grade 2

Classwork: Very good standard of classwork achieved

Homework: Homework is done on time and to a good standard

Behaviour: Behaviour for learning is very good

Effort: Good effort and attitude to learning

Grade 3

Classwork: Good standard of classwork produced but there is room for improvement

Homework: Homework is not always done on time. The standard of homework produced is satisfactory.

Behaviour: There is room for improvement with behaviour for learning

Effort: Room for improvement in effort and attitude to learning

Grade 4

Classwork: The standard of classwork produced is poor

Homework: Homework is not done on time. The standard of homework produced is poor.

Behaviour: Behaviour is poor and must be improved to ensure better learning

Effort: Poor effort and attitude to learning

We also include suggested questions to ask your daughter about her report such as:

Which subjects do you think you have done well in? Why?

Which subjects do you think you need to focus on more? Why?

Do you know exactly what you need to do to improve your performance in ……..subject?

Where can you find resources or support to help you progress in ……. subject?

At the end of the report we include the descriptions of how the progress report data was generated for each individual subject.

Please see an example KS3 report below:

ks3 example report.pdf

KS4 Assessment and Reporting

At Key Stage 4, your daughter will undertake a GCSE course leading to public examinations in a range of subjects, including the core subjects of English, Maths, Science and Religious Studies. PSHE is also taught during lesson 1 on a Tuesday.

The progress of KS4 students at St Catherine’s is monitored through a wide variety of assessment methods including formal tests and examinations, informal tests, and teacher assessed tasks. There are six assessment points each academic year when your daughter’s progress is recorded and this is communicated to you via her half termly report. Regular assessment enables us to measure your daughter’s progress towards her expected outcomes and to put intervention in place where required.

We will provide you with the following assessment information in each academic year:

Target Grades

This is what your daughter could achieve in each subject based on prior data. Target grades are only a benchmark; we expect all of our students to meet or exceed their target grades.

Predicted Grades

This is the current final grade we predict your daughter to achieve based on all the information we have currently and if she continues to work in the same way she currently is. Of course, this can advance the more progress your daughter makes.

Attainment Grades

This is the grade your child has performed at over the last half term and is their current working at grade based on achievement in assessments. This is based on GCSE grades. It is useful to compare the attainment grade to the target grade and look for progress from one report to another.