Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Topics

Curriculum Principles

Assessment

 At Abbey Court School the starting point for effective teaching is assessment, identifying each pupil's strengths and weaknesses. What is important here is not the named disability that the pupil has, but how the individual functions on a daily basis. For example, by what means can they communicate?

 The focus needs to encompass physical, emotional, social and intellectual development and will emphasise "can" rather than "can't". This can then provide a basis for what and how the pupil can learn.

 The Assessment process begins before the pupil starts at school with a home visit by the Class Teacher. Then a formal entry profile is compiled following the detailed procedures set out in the PARR policy and with specific reference to the child’s EHCP. This baseline assessment is then used to formulate the first Individual Education Plan.

 It is our policy to use a range of formative and summative assessment

Formative Assessment

 Formative assessment is used to monitor pupil progress in order to provide ongoing feedback that teachers can use to improve the effectiveness of their teaching and support pupils to improve further. Formative assessments:

• Help pupils identify their strengths and weakness and focus on what needs improving

• Help teachers identify where pupils are struggling and enable them to address those difficulties

 Summative Assessment

 Summative assessments are the methods used to review student learning at the end of a period of time (end of term or academic year for example). These evaluations are compared to standards and benchmarks – for example the P levels.

 The Planning, Assessment, Reporting and Recording (PARR) policy outlines a comprehensive system of assessment that ensures that the formative and summative approaches are effective and used consistently across the school. This policy is used as a key document in the face to face induction of new teaching staff by SMT in the school to make sure that approaches remain consistent.