At Tollgate Primary School we deliver a high quality mastery curriculum. This means that our curriculum design is a progressive model where pupils build on previous learning through their knowledge and application of clear and concise composite goals. Pupils know more and remember more through rehearsal, which leads to a deep and secure knowledge of the key components.
The curriculum intent is designed to meet the needs of this disadvantaged community. The intent and implementation of the curriculum are clearly embedded through a clear pedagogical approach, structure and sequence. All staff understand the school’s curriculum intent and what it means for their practice. All work given to pupils matches the curriculums aims and composite goals and shows sequence in how knowledge and skills build for future learning.
Pupil outcomes are consistently of a high quality, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Pupils build on previous learning, practise and rehearse to build automaticity. This is supported through the use of our Lowest 20% Toolkit. The curriculum is ambitious and ensures there is strong challenge for all groups of pupils. The curriculum goes well beyond the academic to build cultural capital through music, the arts, sports, languages and international links. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and leaders have provided bespoke professional development.
Assessment
Assessment is a way of assisting teachers to modify their teaching in order to improve pupils’ performance. We see the benefits of teachers involving all children in order to stimulate and help them take their next steps in learning.
Within our school, there are two main purposes of assessment:
- Assessment of learning (summative assessment) provides a summary of what has been learned in regard to both attainment and achievement at a specific point in time.
- Assessment for learning (formative assessment), which we regard as the most important kind of assessment, is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learn, where they need to go and how best to get there. (Assessment Reform Group, 2002)
Assessment should be a positive and ongoing process in which all staff, the children themselves and parents too should play an active part. It plays an integral part in each teacher’s planning and enables evaluation of current practice as well as pupil achievement.
On-going assessment enables staff to monitor where each child is in terms of their educational development, where their strengths lie and which areas could be improved upon.
The range of approaches to assessment include:
- Formative assessment: specified on planning and taking place on a daily and weekly basis;
- Observing, marking, self-assessment, peer assessment, group discussion, child discussion, questioning.
- Children’s progress is measured every 6 weeks. Class teachers can then identify where gaps lie with precision and use this to inform future planning;
- Summative assessments: These include group or individual tests or tasks, dependent on the pupil’s age. Summative assessment periods take place at the end of each 6 weekly cycle of learning. Summative Assessments are formed though Formative Assessments and tests;
- Pupil progress meetings: For individuals, groups and classes with the Senior Leadership Team after each summative assessment period. These meetings highlight children causing concern for attainment or progress and also those attaining higher than expected or making accelerated progress;
- SEN progress meetings: As above but specifically for children on the register at SEN School Support, Statements or Educational Healthcare Plans.
