Assessment

At Educate U we recognise that effective assessment is essential to support the quality of learning, teaching, achievement and progress of our pupils.

All pupils at Educate U have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). We appreciate that all of our learners are unique and are at very different starting points within their academic journey. They all need different learning targets to develop their skills at different points. That is why no one single assessment tool fits our pupils. The assessment frameworks must be flexible to meet the need in recording a pupil’s individual strengths and the next steps needed to progress. We use a pupil centred approach to assessment; pupils’ EHCP shapes the individual parameters for which we assess, plan, teach and monitor progress.

It is very difficult for us to compare outcomes for the whole school cohort. Learning and target setting is personalised to each pupil - every child is unique in their learning experiences. Target setting is based on the individual pupils EHCP long term outcomes and builds towards on the personal development of each child in preparation for adulthood.

Assess, Plan, Do, Review Cycle (The Graduated Approach)

Educate U uses the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle assessment framework to provide a curriculum which removes barriers to learning and puts effective therapeutic and educational provision in place. The support takes the form of a four-part cycle through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised with a growing understanding of the student’s progress, their needs and what further support is required for the student to make good progress and secure positive outcomes. See Figure 1. The ‘assess, plan, do, review’ cycle can be repeated as many times as needed to help the child or young person progress. Some children or young people will show good progress after the first round of support is put in place, but those with more complex needs might benefit from the cycle being repeated several times.

Assess:

The first step is to collect the right information and find the right people to be able to plan support. If a child or young person isn’t making the expected progress, staff draw on:

• information from the main class teacher
• the views of the child, young person and their family
• any external services or organisations involved.

Plan:

Teachers, SENCO the child or young person and their family should agree on new interventions, support and the expected outcomes. The agreement should be recorded on the school’s systems and explained to the involved teaching or intervention staff. This should form part of their Individual Education Plan.

Do:

The plan is put into practice. The child or young person’s class or subject teachers are responsible for checking whether the plan is working on a daily basis.

Review:

The impact of the plan is reviewed by teachers, the SENCO, the child and their family. This should form the review of their Individual Education Plan

Figure 1: Assess Plan Do Review Cycle from West Sussex Graduated Approach.

Individual Education Plan (IEP) Days

Achievement is continuously logged by class staff and other professionals against individual learning targets within a child or young person’s IEP. Pupil Progress dialogue conversations happen formally three times a year on Individual Education Plan (IEP) days, teacher conduct these meetings with families. During discussions they quality assure evidence against objectives, discuss future targets, achievements of pupils and identify if any barriers to learning are present and what, if any, intervention is required and see that this information is raised to SLT to help to action if necessary. All interventions such as Youth work, therapies and ELSAs is reviewed at each IEP meeting by the class teacher

Quality Assurance of pupil work and achievement takes place by subject leaders. They do this through whole school data and regularly timetabled book scrutiny to review progress.

Earwig

At Educate U, we use Earwig as our platform for monitoring pupil’s achievement in relation to their EHCP targets and IEP targets. This cloud-based software which has been personalised by Educate U School allows all professionals who work with pupils to capture the learning achievements through observation and assign these to the individual pupil’s targets. These targets are either important soft skills targets, academic targets, subject related targets and targets linked directly to the EHCP outcomes set each year.

The quantity of evidence that a class has will vary, but the majority of classes make several daily records for each child linked to the sessions of learning that the child or young person engages in. The range of evidence that can be used to record a pupils’ individual targets can come in many forms, including but not limited to:

• Videos- showing evidence of learning and achievement
• A short annotation from the adult working with the pupil on how the pupil achieved the target
• Photos- showing a skill, knowledge or understanding being used (which was achieved in the session) or work completed by the pupil
• Observations from visiting professionals e.g. Speech and Language Specialist
• Observations or progress report from intervention assistants or youth workers e.g. Emotional Literacy Support Assistant or OT Assistant
• Senior Leaders can add evidence that may be captured during learning walks or interactions with children.

Any achievements made by the pupil/s are celebrated daily and often at the time. Teaching staff use a range of instant feedback techniques to celebrate progress seen. Where pupils learning is on paper, marking and feedback is used to raise achievement, set targets and help pupils to improve.

Assessment Data

Termly snapshots are taken of levelled progress our pupils made at regular, timetabled intervals throughout the academic year. These snapshots comprise of NC levels in English, Maths, phonics, reading age and Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire scores (SDQ). All students are assessed, on entry with baseline “I can” assessments in English and Mathematics. Each area is assessed on whether the student is working towards or expected. The assessment will also be able to identify where the student is in relation to age expected achievement.

The termly snapshots allows the class teachers and SLT to have an overview of the child or young person. This also allows greater analysis by SLT to intervene quicky if progress is not being made in different groups of children.

Pupils in Key Stage 4 pupils are assessed against the Educate U academic skills and against, formally recognised accreditation and/or certificates of achievement in core subjects of English and Maths, and ASDAN. This extra layer of achievement ensures the pupils are working towards a personalised outcome and this is uniquely mapped to their level of ability.

Assessments For New Pupils

• CAT4 tests if able
• Phonics screen if able
• KS1 Maths Assessment (age dependent)
• KS2 Maths Assessment (age dependent)
• Hertfordshire reading scale to track reading age and progress.
• Skills and knowledge measured with ‘I Can’ statements in English and Maths over the course of the first half term.
• Dyslexia screening if needed and in agreement with parent and carer
• Dyscalculia screening if needed and in agreement with parent and carer

In addition, to assess for therapeutic needs the following assessments are completed by families when their child first enrols:

• Therapeutic assessments
• ACE questionnaire
• Protective factors questionnaires

Assessments for Children and Young People by Key Stage

Key Stage	EYFS	KS1	KS2	KS3	KS4
	EHCP annual reviews and IEP reviews – Graduated approach and assessment	EHCP annual reviews and IEP reviews – Graduated approach and assessment	EHCP annual reviews and IEP reviews – Graduated approach and assessment	EHCP annual reviews and IEP reviews – Graduated approach and assessment	EHCP annual reviews and IEP reviews – Graduated approach and assessment
	Specific In class assessments EYFS	Formal curriculum – EfL if child is on formal pathway	Formal curriculum – EfL if child is on formal pathway	Formal curriculum – EfL if child is on formal pathway	Functional Skills past papers and Mocks
	EYFS early learning goals	White Rose Maths	White Rose Maths	White Rose Maths	Functional Skills past papers and Mocks
	Teacher assessed SDQ	Year 1-3 I can statements for English if needed	Year 4-6 I can statements for English if needed	Year 7-9 I can statements for English if needed	GCSE past paper questions and Mocks
		Year 1-3 I can statements for maths if needed	Year 1-4 I can statements for maths if needed	Year 7-9 I can statements for maths if needed	GCSEs in Maths and English and other agreed subjects
			Keysteps – Review of progress	Keysteps /ASDAN – Review of progress	ASDAN – Review of progress
			Teacher assessed SDQ	Teacher assessed SDQ	Teacher assessed SDQ

We use a pupil centred approach to assessment, pupils Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP) shapes the individual assessment measures used to monitor progress.

Every pupil’s progress at EducateU is measured and recorded on their own learning journey and personal learning goals.

The learning journeys vary slightly according to which curriculum they access but do work on the same principal of increasing points with increasing progress.

The learning journeys are updated regularly and pupils are assessed against each academic learning journey outcome as to whether they are Working Towards expected level (WT), Working At expected level (WA) or Working Beyond expected level (WB)

Personal learning goals incorporate the pupils end of key stage ECHP outcomes and their individual educational plan (IEP) which are set, updated and agreed by staff and parents in termly meetings.

Every pupil has a file on Evidence for Learning where evidence of progress is logged on their learning journey. Evidence of progress is moderated by teaching staff at least once per half term then cross moderated by the leadership team. Evidence on Evidence for Learning may be a video, a photo or a photo of a piece of work. Tracking folders and Earwig digital systems (where EfL can be uploaded) can showcase chronological assessment of progress over time, linked to EHCP outcomes and both can be viewed by parents and carers at any point.

From the age of 14, relevant pupils embark on accreditations and qualifications in a wide range of areas but mainly with Functional Skills English and Maths and/or GCSE English and Maths and other GCSEs as discussed with an agreed by parents and carers and the pupil.

Some of our students join us being or wishing to be on GCSE pathways. If this is the case, we would facilitate the teaching of GCSE English language and GCSE Maths with subject specialist staff.

Educate U is a registered examination centre. Mocks are undertaken by students in the examination room under similar conditions to that of the real Functional Skills or GCSE assessment and access arrangements are applied for by the SENCO in line with JCQ regulations. 

Reporting Assessment to Parents and Carers

Earwig allows us to give parents access to their own child’s learning journey with daily access.

Parents and carers can see records, observations and reports of their child. We encourage parents to make comments and to upload their own evidence taken at home to celebrate achievements so that an open dialogue can be had about their child’s personal achievements.

Reports to parents are given verbally at IEP meetings three time a year in the Autumn, Spring and Summer term. This is a chance for the parents to discuss their child’s achievements so far and discuss their next steps. A comprehensive written report is provided each year for the EHCP annual review meeting, and this is where new / existing targets are agreed and evaluated.

A written written report along with progress is provided for each child at the end of the end of May. A written update is provided to parents after each formal data collection period, (January, June). All reports are written in a clear, straightforward manner and are personal to the child.

Any mock results or examination results are shared with parents and carers when the results are finalised.

Parents are invited to discuss their child’s progress informally at any time throughout the school year and are welcome to see their child’s work and discuss matters arising with the class teacher at a mutually convenient time either by phone or in person.