WROTHAM SCHOOL CURRICULLUM AND ASSESSMENT POLICY

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1 WROTHAM SCHOOL CURRICULLUM AND ASSESSMENT POLICY This policy was adopted by the Governors Curriculum Committee Date: September 201 (PENDING) To be reviewed on an annual basis September of

2 Wrotham School Curriculum Policy Vision & Principles Curriculum At Wrotham School our curriculum is designed to promote our ethos of High Expectations, Challenge and Opportunity. We aim to create a curriculum that meets the needs of every student whilst offering opporuntity to experience, enjoy and succeed in a wide range of subjects. We believe strongly in the importance of bacis key skills such as literacy and numeracy and that these form the foundation for achieving progress in all subject areas and improve skills that fascilitate social mobility and success in adult life. We offer an increasingly academic curriculum that is designed to support a range of abilities and balances this with an appropriate menu of vocational qulaifications. Our focus is on providing IAG that engages students in making informed choices at KS and 5 and challenges students to achieve and exceed prior expectations. Differentiation is a key aspect of our curriculum and course delivery. At Wrotham School we agree that differentiation is the key to ensuring all students make and exceed expected progress- in each subject area. Alongside differentiated planned activity and learning, we set at KS3 to ensure appropriate content levels for all ability ranges. Lower than expected Literacy and Numeracy skills on entry are recognised as a barrier to general curriculum access for some students. Where students are identified as behind in their progress in Maths and English we offer catch up sessions to quickly improve reading, writing and numeracy skills. These take place as soon as possible in KS3 to ensure that students have the skills needed to access the curriculum as soon as possible. We emphasise the transformational power and impact of creative subjects and the arts at KS3, and 5 as a vehicle for developing emotional intelligence, confidence, resilience and communication skills. It is for this reason we place a clear emphasis on these subjects at all stages but particularly at KS3. Extra-curricular learning, PSHE and SMSC underpin all of our curriculm learning with additional opportunities for students to engage in broader skills relating to morality, health and team work. Religious education is a successful part of our curriculum in which students achieve excellent progress. RE lessons offer learning opportunities that relate to spirituality, ethics, religion and philosophy and cover a balanced range of world religions and belief systems. 2 of

3 At KS3 we follow the national curriculum guidance as produced by the DFE, department leaders and subject teachers ensure that the prescribed and recommended content is planned and delivered accordinly. At KS and 5 we follow a range of courses that are recognised as suitable for level 2 and level 3 study by the government and the DFE. KS3 YEAR 7 YEAR 8 Learning Hours Learning Hours Subject SET E/D SET C/B SET A Subject SET E/D SET C/B SET A English 5 English 5 Maths 5 Maths 5 Science Science Geography Geography History History Art Art Drama Drama Music Music PE PE RE RE French French Spanish Spanish ICT ICT KS- Core and Option Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Subject Learning Hours Subject Learning Hours Subject Learning Hours English 5 English English 5 Maths Maths Maths Science 3 Science 5 Science PE 2 PE 2 PE 1 RE 2 RE 1 Option Option Option A 3 A 3 A 3 3 of

4 B 3 B 3 B 2 C 3 C 3 C 3 D 3 OPTIONS YEAR 9 YEAR 10 YEAR 11 A B C A B C A B C D MUSIC SPANISH DRAMA DRAMA GEOGRAPHY MUSIC DRAMA RE (AS) FRENCH MUSIC GEOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHY ART GEOGRAPHY BUSINESS ART ART BUSINESS GEOGRAPHY ART HISTORY BUSINESS FRENCH HISTORY ICT FRENCH FRENCH ICT (OCR) HISTORY TRIPLE SCIENCE TRIPLE SCIENCE ICT TRIPLE SCIENCE TRIPLE SCIENCE HISTORY TRIPLE SCIENCE GEOGRAPHY SPORT (BTEC) TRIPLE SCIENCE FOOD TECHNOLOG Y FOOD HISTORY COMPUTER SCIENCE PRODUCT DESIGN FOOD TECHNOLOGY SPORT IGCSE FOOD TECHNOLOGY PRODUCT DESIGN SPORT (BTEC) COMPUTER SCIENCE PRODUCT DESIGN HISTORY ICT (OCR) PRODUCT DESIGN BUSINESS STUDIES FOOD TECHNOLOGY KS5 Year 12 Year 13 Subject Option Learning Level Subject Option Learning Level block Hours Block Hours MATHS A 5 A ENGLISH A 5 A2 SPORT A BTEC BUSINESS A BTEC STUDIES PSYCHOLOGY A 5 A PHYSICS A 5 A2 PHOTOGRAPHY A 5 A PHYSICS B 5 A ART B 5 A2 ICT B 5 BTEC GEOGRAPHY B 5 A2 RE B 5 A2 SPORT B BTEC ART C 5 A PHOTOGRAPHY C 5 A2 GEOG C 5 A MATHS C 5 A2 HISTORY C 5 A MEDIA C 5 A2 PERF ARTS D 5 A TRAVEL D BTEC TRAVEL D BTEC SOCIOLOGY D 5 A2 SOCIOLOGY D 5 A CHEMISTRY D 5 A2 CHEMISTRY D 5 A PRODUCT DESIGN D 5 A2 of

5 PRODUCT DESIGN D 5 A ENGLISH E 5 A PSYCHOLOGY E 5 A2 MEDIA E 5 A ICT E 5 BTEC BUSINESS STUDIES E BTEC BIOLOGY E 5 A2 BIOLOGY E 5 A HISTORY E 5 A2 KEY STAGES From September 201 we are running a 2 year KS3 in years 7 and 8. KS will now last for 3 years to ensure that students are given the best chance to prepare for their GCSE examinations. The 3 year KS will apply to year 8 and all years following. Year 9, 10 and 11 will follow the legacy 2 year KS3 structure. Legacy Structure (pre September 201) KS3 Years 7, 8 and 9 KS Years 10 and 11 KS5 Years 12 and 13 New Structure (from September 201) KS3 Years 7 and 8 KS Years 9, 10 and 11 KS5 Years 12 and 13 Ability and Setting We currently set students in KS3. These sets are determined by KS2 progress data in English and Maths, ongoing teacher assessment and, from September 201, CATS test data collected in year 7. In English and Maths these ability sets are continued at KS. Non core, options subjects are mixed ability. SET E SET D SET C SET B SET A Higher Prior Attainment Higher Prior Attainment Middle Prior Attainment Middle Prior Attainment Lower Prior Attainment Assessment Why is assessment important? 5 of

6 At Wrotham School we believe it is important to measure and report on all of our students progress at key points in the year. This allows us to monitor progress, support students to move forward and to share this information with parents. It is of the highest importance that assessment is: Useful to students, parents and teachers. Aimed at supporting progress. Easily and clearly understood by everyone. Presented in a way that makes sense when moving up to KS and KS5. Assessment in Year 7 and 8 Key Changes Summary Please find below an overview of changes to assessment at KS3: From September 201, National Curriculum Levels 1 to 8 and sub-levels a, b, and c will no longer be used in schools. At Wrotham School we are replacing these with bands. These bands, from 1-9 (1 being lowest and 9 being highest) will reflect students progress in each subject. Levels will be awarded once a clear set of learning objectives, skills and knowledge have been demonstrated. All students will be given a target level to complete by the end of year 8. Targets will be based on all students making more than expected progress. Target levels will be based on prior attainment at KS2 (Primary School) and our own internal baseline skills tests. Bands will be linked to skills required at GCSE. All subjects will report student progress for every subject, in detail, 6 times a year as part of our assessment cycle. Progress will be shown as one of the following for each objective Not Met (Red), Partially Met (Amber), Fully Met (Good). Once all objectives in a Band have been met (Green) the student will be awarded this band. 6 of

7 The Assessment Process Wrotham School fully endorses the belief that assessment is one of the most powerful tools in encouraging and managing progress. We collect data at regular termly intervals throughout the year and use this data to inform planning, intervention, feedback and improvement strategy. As a school we believe that assessment should be transparent, clear and always focussed on encouraging improvement and focus. Teachers at Wrotham use the following approach to assessment: DIAGNOSIS ASSESSMENT THERAPY Marking and assessment is used to give diagnostic comments on how to improve work. Support is then provided to help students improve before starting the process again. We refer to this as levelling up as students are given a second chance to reposnd to marking and assessment to improve their work and their attainment level. From September 201, Personalised Learning Checklists (PLC s) will be used in every subject to track progress. All key skills, knowledge and understanding are marked as individual sections of a larger assessment matrix. As soon as a student has achieved an assessment objective this can be marked as completed; using the same matrix they can see what they need to do to reach the next stage of progress. 7 of

8 These marking and assessment grids are kept at the front of students books and work files to ensure contstant dialogue on progress. Improvements are encouraged through diagnostic comments from the teacherin their marking. Monitoring: Marking and quality of work is montiored regularly and throughly at Wrotham. Work Scrutiny sessions take place at the start of each term and include the scrutiny of every book at KS3, and 5 to observe and monitor the quality of marking, assessment, presentation and level of challenge. Measuring Progress From September 201 we are changing the way we measure students progress at KS3, in line with the DFE s recommendations and the end of NC levels. Working with Pixl Schools we have devised our own assessment system that uses PLC s and Bands to target set, assess and measure progress. 8 of

9 Bands We measure KS3 progress in bands these bands each reflect a range of skills that students can achieve to demonstrate progress. Each skill is measured as Met, Partially met or not met when assessing the completion or deomnstration of eack skill. Students are set a Target Band based on their prior attainment. This is given in line with their target for the end of KS Equivalence One of the most important elements of these changes is to understand how these grades relate to GCSE grades and having a clear picture of how much progress should be made at any given time. The table below illustrates how they compare and how much progress a student will be expected to make from year 7 to 11. Band Descriptions and Equivalence: Band 1- Limited knowledge skills or understanding Band 2- Preliminary or Early Stage- Intervention required. Band 3- If continued through, the student is heading for an F grade at GCSE Band - if continued through, the student is heading for an E grade at GCSE Band 5- if continued through, the student is heading for a D grade at GCSE Band 6- if continued through, the student is heading for a C grade at GCSE Band 7- if continued through, the student is heading for a B grade at GCSE Band 8- if continued through, the student is heading for an A grade at GCSE Band 9- if continued through, the student is heading for an A* grade at GCSE For example: If a student achieves a Band 6 by the time they finish Year 8 then they should be aiming to achieve at least a GCSE Grade C by the end of Year 11. If a student is given a target of a Band 7 at the end of Year 8, this will mean they are aiming to achieve at least a GCSE grade B at the end of year 11. They will work to achieve a Band 7 throughout Year 7 and 8 by completing the skills and knowledge checklists. Progress Path Below is an example of a student s projected progress path. This student is targeted to reach Band 7 by the end of Year 8: 9 of

10 As you can see this chart shows expected progress throughout each of the 12 terms (horizontal axis) of years 7 and 8. It is broadly expected that students will make 2 complete bands of progress in each year to reach their target. How do we set targets? At Wrotham School we work hard to ensure that all student targets are accurate and challenging. From September 201 targets will be set using a variety of data. This will be based on Primary School KS2 results and our own baseline testing in year 7. These targets will exceed the government expectations of progress. Reporting We report home on progress during each of our 6 terms. From September 201 parents will receive a termly data report that includes a breakdown of progress in each individual subject. This is in addition to a progress overview and of course the annual form tutor written report released just before parent evenings. These reports are available, online, using our Parent Portal system. The subject specific breakdowns can be printed off and used as reference at parent evenings and for developing 10 of

11 clear targets at home. An example of this is given below: English Maths Science Drama Music PE Technology Art Geography History RE AVERAGE SCORE SCORE BAND AVERAGE GRADE AVERAGE Band SUB BAND 3 E Band Band 3 E+ Band Band 3- D- Band BAND D Band Band -5 D+ Band Band 5 C- Band Band 5-6 C SCORE Band 6 C+ BAND Band 5-6 Band -5 Band 6-7 Band 6-7 Band 6-7 Band -5 Band 3- Band 5-6 Band 6-7 Band 5-6 Band Band 6-7 B- GCSE C C+ B- B- B- D+ D- C B- C A 10 Band 7 B 11 Band 7-8 B+ SCORE BANDS GRADES 12 Band 8 A- Grade Comparison 1 SUB BAND 3 E 13 Band 8-9 A 2 Band 3 E+ 1 Band 9 A+ 1 3 Band 3- D- 12 BAND D 5 Band -5 D Band 5 C- 8 7 Band 5-6 C 6 8 Band 6 C+ 9 Band 6-7 B- 10 Band 7 B 2 11 Band 7-8 B Band 8 A- 13 Band 8-9 A 1 Band 9 A+ Series1 7 term 1 7 term 2 7 term 3 7 term 7 term 5 7 term 6 8 term 1 8 term 2 8 term 3 8 term 8 term 5 8 term 6 GCSE Predicted C/D C B B/A A/A* Links to other policies Attendance, Assessment, Teaching & Learning, Homework, Behaviour for Learning, Sex Education & PSHE. Implementation and Roles & Responsibilities Leaders of Learning have responsibility for advising the Deputy Headteacher on the deployment of teaching staff and student grouping. The Deputy Headteacher holds discussions with Leaders of Learning about resource and time requirements for subjects and the deployment of staff. Following consultation with staff and students, the Leadership Team constructs an annual curriculum model. The Deputy Headteacher anticipates curriculum needs and staffing requirements and presents these to the Headteacher to inform about teacher recruitment and retention. The Headteacher presents the curriculum model to governors for consideration. The Headteacher recruits appropriate staff to meet the needs of the curriculum. 11 of

12 Governors discuss, amend and approve the annual curriculum model. Monitoring, evaluation & review The Leadership Team continuously monitors the implementation of the curriculum to ensure that: Curriculum is appropriate, challenging and relevent whilst following guidance from the DFE and examination bodies. The curriculum is delivered successfully through the monitoring and devleopment of good and outstanding teaching and learning. The appraisal and capability policy is used to ensure that standards in all areas of this policy are implemented to a high level. This policy is reviewed annually, utilising parent consultation and feedback to ensure all views are considered on how we report progress. All national guidance on changes to curriculum and assessment are reflected in our curriculum and assessment models. Targets are challenging and linked to GCSE and higher qualification. END 12 of