Assessment & Reporting

Key Stage 3

There are 3 assessment points and reports during the year, in Autumn, Spring and Summer.  Assessments will be set each term as decided by the Heads of Subject in line with the schemes of learning that are being followed, so assessment times may vary depending on the subject.  All assessments will be completed before the deadline for reports each term.  In addition to this, ongoing formative assessments continue in class, through a variety of ways including class discussion, questioning and group work.

The first two Assessment Points in Autumn and Spring will be classroom-based.  Assessment Point 3 begins in May and runs throughout June.  In Year 7 students will sit a minimum of one paper from English and Maths in the exam hall, as they would do for their GCSEs in Year 11, in order to develop their understanding of the process and build their resilience.  All other papers, including any additional for the core subjects, will be classroom-based.

Progress is measured against a baseline that your child will complete in each subject in Year 7 during the first two weeks at school.  The reports are colour-coded using red, amber and green to show progress against a student’s individual baseline in each subject area, based on two sub-grades of progress per year on average.  This allows teachers to identify strengths and areas for development and makes progress conversations more personalised, enabling us to drive up aspiration and to support our young people to excel.  Attendance is vital in ensuring your child is making good progress so please do ensure your child is in school on time every day.

Attainment grades are based on the 9-1 GCSE numerical grading system and are sub-graded to show progress within grades.  There is also a W grade (working towards) in Years 7 and 8 which has six sub-grades, while the 9-1 grades have three, eg:

The grade ranges are capped within each year group for Years 7-9, and the grade range for Year 7 is from W6 to grade 3; progress will vary across subjects. 

Key Stage 4

Year 10:

There are 3 assessment points and reports for Year 10, in Autumn, Spring and Summer.  The first two in Autumn and Spring will be classroom-based.  Assessment Point 3 begins in May and runs throughout June and in Year 10 students will sit all their exams in the exam hall according to a timetable which will be published in advance, as they would do for their GCSEs in Year 11, in order to develop their understanding of the process and build their resilience. 

Year 11:

There are 2 assessment points and reports for Year 11, in Autumn and Spring and Summer, both of which are sets of mock exams.  The exams are sat in the exam hall according to a timetable which will be published in advance, as they will do for their public exams in the summer term, in order to develop their understanding of the process and build their resilience.  In addition to this, ongoing formative assessments continue in class, through a variety of ways including class discussion, questioning and group work.

Assessment Point 1 is the first set of Mock Exams and these take place in November.  Assessment Point 2 Mock Exams start at the end of February; following these, we hold a mock exam Results Day in March, aimed at replicating the August results, which helps students to both understand the process and impact of the summer results day and to identify areas for progress in their last crucial weeks at school.  Students will not receive their results prior to that date.

Following review of the AP1 exam results at the end of the Autumn term, we plan the first part of our Revision programme, where students are selected to attend sessions after school for those subjects where they need additional support.  Wave 1 will run for six to eight weeks from January and then, following AP2 and review, Wave 2 will begin at the end of March.

KS4 Reports:

On the reports you will see your child’s target grade alongside their current working-at grade for each subject.  Their current grades are colour-coded showing progress against target and it is to be expected that, in the first year of their GCSE and BTEC qualifications, they may be showing under target in some of their subjects.  The current grades for GCSE are also now sub-graded, allowing teachers to see whether students are secure in that grade and working towards the next grade, at the mid-point, or at the bottom of that grade, eg:

For BTEC courses, students complete units of work throughout Year 10 and Year 11. These units are internally assessed and externally verified; in addition there is an external exam component.  BTEC grades are as follows:

If you have a query regarding a particular subject, please do contact your child’s subject teacher or the Head of Subject.  If you have a query about overall progress please contact Mrs Thorpe, Deputy Headteacher: rthorpe@beaconsfield.school .

• Assessment and Reporting Calendar 2024-2025 download_for_offline
  download_for_offlineAssessment and Reporting Calendar 2024-2025