Assessment and Reporting

Ormiston Park Academy aims to ensure a consistent approach to the way we review and assess learning so that students know their efforts in learning are valued. All students should know how well they are doing and how to make continued progress to guarantee the best possible outcome.  

All feedback at Ormiston Park Academy provides detailed and personalised evaluation to aid future development. It is expected that in each subject studied, students will undertake six assessments throughout the academic year. This ensures that written feedback is provided to each class at least twice a half term, with further opportunities provided for peer and self-assessment throughout the year dependent on activities and work undertaken.  

All feedback relates to lesson objectives and outcomes. Feedback is encouraging with specific praise focusing on knowledge or skills. It allows students to reflect and respond to specific targets to enable them to be stretched and challenged. As well as formal written feedback, other assessment strategies include: teacher assessment, self-assessment, and peer-assessment as well as individual and class verbal feedback.

Practical, project based subjects also provide regular assessment of students’ work, providing guidance as students work on longer projects.  

Assessment & Reporting

Reporting:

Last year, our parent/carer feedback requested more regular communications and reports on your child’s progress. To address this, we have added an additional report which will be shared with parents and carers each school term, using the SIMS Parent App.

There are three types of report, which you will receive:

  1. Settling-in Reports

For Y7 students, to inform how your child is settling into their new school. For Y10 students, to inform how your child is settling into their new GCSE courses.

There are three areas of feedback for these reports which relate to your child’s lessons;

  • Progress & Effort                              
  • Behavior for Learning                               
  • Homework Quality

All three areas are graded as either:

  • Excellent                  
  • Good              
  • Satisfactory         
  • Needs Improvement        
  • Cause for Concern

2. Checking-in Reports

For students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10, these reports act as an interim update between the full data capture reports. They feature the same three areas listed above, graded in the same way.

3. Full Reports

All students will receive two full reports during the academic year, with Y11 receiving three.      

For Years 7, 8 and 9 (Key Stage 3), these reports will be based on the assessments your child has completed each half term. This will be reported as a percentage (0 – 100).

For students in Years 10 and 11 (Key Stage 4), these reports will be based on a mock-style exam/assessment in order for teachers to provide current and predicted grades.

Current Grade – reflects your child’s attainment in their mock assessment.                                     

Predicted Grade – indicates what your child could achieve at the end of Year 11.

Full reports also feedback on Effort/Progress, Behaviour for Learning and Homework Quality.                

This is graded in the same way as the Checking-in reports listed above.

4. Reports Timeline:

For all year groups, parents/carers will receive one report for their child each term. The dates when each report will be available to you via the SIMS Parent App can be found below:

Progress Evenings:

Assessment Success Criteria:

At the start of each half term, your child will receive a knowledge schema for each of their subjects, which lists the core knowledge points that your child will learn during the half term.

Each half term, your child will sit as assessment in each of their subjects, to assess their level of understanding and application towards the core knowledge points on the schema.

Your child will be prompted in lessons to log their understanding and confidence for each core knowledge point on a lesson-by-lesson basis.  There are three categories: Emerging, Developing and Secure.

Your child’s teachers will also log this feedback on our Live Assessment Trackers to monitor each student’s individual progress towards the core knowledge points.

The schemas should also be used as a content list for revision and preparation for their half term assessment. These assessments are then stuck into your child’s book for each subject.

Example of an OPA Knowledge Schema:

Should you have any questions regarding your child’s reports, please contact your child’s Head of Year. Should you have a question relating to assessment and reporting at the academy, please contact Mrs Thacker at [email protected]