Vision
Assessment at Ackworth Howard is integral to high-quality teaching and learning. It enables teachers to understand what pupils know, remember, and can do so that teaching builds effectively on prior learning. Our approach is designed to be simple, purposeful, and focused on improving outcomes for every child.
We aim to:
- Develop rigorous yet accessible methods of assessment that support pupils to reach the highest standards.
- Equip teachers with assessment information that genuinely informs teaching and learning.
- Maintain a sustainable, positive data culture rooted in professional dialogue and curriculum expertise.
Core Principles
Assessment at Ackworth Howard is guided by the following principles:
- Curriculum alignment: Assessment reflects the taught Howard Curriculum and the Howard Knowledge Essentials — our roadmap to rigour.
- Professional trust: Teachers’ professional knowledge, dialogue, and evidence from pupils’ work remain central to judgement.
- Proportionality: Assessment should add value, not workload. We collect only what we use.
- Equity: Assessment identifies pupils at risk of falling behind and informs targeted support so that every child can flourish.
- Validity and reliability: Assessments are designed and interpreted carefully to ensure they measure what matters and provide trustworthy evidence of learning.
Types of Assessment
Formative Assessment (Every Day)
- Continuous, in-class assessment guides teaching and supports responsive adaptation.
- Teachers assess against learning outcomes and key knowledge within the Howard Curriculum.
- Strategies include questioning, discussion, retrieval practice, and feedback.
- Evidence builds over time to give a rounded picture of progress and inform next steps.
- Assessment outcomes directly inform feedback and planning, ensuring that misconceptions are addressed and knowledge is secured.
Summative Assessment (Three Points per Year)
At three key points (autumn, spring, summer), teachers make summative judgements to indicate whether pupils are:
Below, Working Towards, Emerging, Expected, or Exceeding curriculum expectations for their year group in reading, writing, and mathematics.
- Judgements draw upon ongoing formative evidence, books, dialogue, and relevant assessment information.
- Data is recorded in Insight, our online assessment system, providing accessible overviews for teachers and leaders.
- This point-in-time assessment approach reflects pupils’ current security in the curriculum rather than linear movement through levels.
- For science, RE, and wider curriculum subjects, summative judgements are recorded twice per year (spring and summer) to ensure coverage, reflection, and proportional workload.
Assessment Tools
Reading
- PIRA standardised assessments are used termly to support teacher judgement and provide a national comparison measure.
- Question-level analysis informs next steps in guided reading and intervention.
Mathematics
- White Rose Maths assessments are used termly to align directly with our taught curriculum and provide accurate diagnostic insight.
- These replace the PUMA tests previously used in school to ensure stronger curriculum fidelity and purposeful feedback for planning.
Writing
- Writing is assessed through the Howard Curriculum and exemplified standards.
- Internal moderation and collaborative review ensure consistency across year groups.
Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling (GAPS)
- Progress in grammar, punctuation, and spelling is assessed primarily through pupils’ writing, focusing on accurate and purposeful application within context.
- Diagnostic GAPS assessments may be used selectively to inform teaching, particularly in upper Key Stage 2, but are not part of the school’s routine data collection cycle.
Wider Curriculum
- Subject leaders oversee the use of low-stakes quizzes, retrieval tasks, and pupil voice to check understanding of key knowledge and vocabulary.
- Assessment information is captured twice a year (spring and summer) to identify pupils on track and ensure curriculum breadth.
Early Years
- Baseline assessments are completed within the first half-term to establish starting points.
- Ongoing observations and formative assessment inform planning and early intervention.
- Judgements are recorded termly, showing whether children are below, at, or above typical development and whether they are on track for a Good Level of Development.
SEND
- For pupils working significantly below age-related expectations, progress is assessed using the Wakefield Progression Steps, supported by individualised targets linked to pupils’ support plans.
- The curriculum is adapted to ensure access, engagement, and meaningful progress for all pupils.
- SEND portfolios are maintained for each pupil and include assessments, observations, professional advice, and feedback linked to targets and provision.
- Support plans are reviewed three times per year with parents and carers to evaluate progress and agree next steps.
Effort and Attitude to Learning
In addition to academic attainment, we recognise and celebrate pupils’ approach to learning. At each data point, teachers record an Attitude to Learning score using a 5-point scale:
- Exceptional – demonstrates exemplary effort, independence, and curiosity.
- Consistent – shows sustained effort and engagement in all areas.
- Variable – sometimes applies themselves but requires encouragement.
- Low – limited effort or resilience; requires close monitoring.
- Cause for concern – disengaged or persistently reluctant to participate.
This supports early identification of pupils who may need pastoral, motivational, or SEND support and provides meaningful information to share with parents.
Data Collection and Use
- Assessment data is entered into Insight three times per year.
- Regular internal moderation ensures consistency of teacher judgement and strengthens shared understanding of standards across year groups.
- The Headteacher and subject leaders analyse outcomes, focusing on trends, pupil groups, and progress towards expectations.
- Governors receive a clear strategic overview of data.
- Questions focus on improvement, support, and equity — not on arbitrary targets.
Reporting
- To Pupils and Parents: Pupils receive regular feedback on their progress. Parents receive a concise written report with attainment and attitude grades, attendance, and comments. More detail is discussed at consultation meetings.
- ·To Staff and Leaders: Assessment outcomes inform planning, intervention, and professional dialogue.
- To Governors: Summarised data supports strategic oversight and challenge
Long-Term Assessment Strategy
Ackworth Howard’s assessment approach is designed for continual refinement and sustainability. Over the next five years, our priority is to:
- Strengthen the alignment between curriculum design and assessment practice.
- Deepen teacher confidence in assessment for learning.
- Ensure that assessment continues to serve pupils’ progress rather than process.
- Develop staff expertise and confidence in assessment literacy through ongoing professional development and collaborative moderation.
- Use assessment evidence to evaluate curriculum impact — identifying how well pupils remember and connect key knowledge over time across subjects, supporting reflection on intent, implementation, and impact.
Summary
Our assessment approach is clear, coherent, and rooted in professional trust. It ensures that every child’s learning journey is visible, every teacher’s knowledge is valued, and every decision is guided by evidence that matters.