Assessment

Our purpose at St James’ is to educate and develop global Catholic citizens. Assessment is a fundamental part of meeting this intent.

St James’ staff report on your child’s progress three times during the academic year.

Years 7 to 9

In Years 7 to 9, pupils are given a progress indicator by teachers of Working Beyond (WB), Working At (WA), Working Towards (WT) and Limited Progress Towards (LPT) to indicate the progress they are making.

WB means a student is exceeding the level required for their age and ability

WA means a student is working at the expected level for their age and ability

WT means a student is slightly below the expected level for their age and ability

LPT means a student is significantly below the expected level for their age and ability.

Three reports are sent to parents/carers each year.  One report will include more detailed written comments from your child’s subject teachers and form tutor.

Reports will include the following:

1. Progress indicator as above
2. Attitude to Learning Grade (ATL) for classwork and behaviour
3. Attitude to Learning Grade (ATL) for homework

ATL 1 means that a student is excellent in the following:

• Pupil has excellent focus within lessons and always tries their best
• Pupil regularly participates in class discussions
• Books are always excellently presented
• Work is detailed and there is clear evidence of responding to feedback which goes beyond the expectation of the class teacher
• Homework is always completed on time and is of an excellent standard

ATL 2 means that a student is good in the following:

• Pupil has good focus in lessons and often tries their best
• Pupil normally participates in class discussions
• Presentation of work is good
• Work is completed and there is evidence of responding to feedback
• Homework is completed on time and at a good standard

ATL 3 means a student is inconsistent in the following:

• Pupil has inconsistent focus in lessons and often needs a reminder of classroom expectations
• Pupil can be passive and not always participate in class discussions
• Presentation of work is inconsistent
• Work is sometimes completed and evidence of response to feedback is limited
• Homework is sometimes late and/or of an inconsistent quality
• Regular reminders are required to submit homework on time

ATL 4 means a student is poor in all or some of the following:

• Pupil is unfocused in lessons and needs continued reminders of classroom expectations
• Pupil can be passive and often disruptive in lessons
• Presentation of work is poor
• Work is not completed and evidence of response to feedback is poor
• Homework is often late and/or consistently of a poor standard

 

Years 10 and 11

In Years 10 and 11, pupils are given a Current Working Grade (CWG) and a Predicted Examination Grade (PEG) by the teacher at three points in the year. This PEG is the GCSE/BTEC grade that the teacher predicts the pupil will achieve as a final GCSE/BTEC result if the pupil continues to work as they are currently.

All students have a target grade to work towards. This is set using:

• KS2 data
• Progress made during Key Stage 3

Year 10 and 11 students are also given an ATL grade for classwork and behaviour and homework as detailed above.