Reporting and Assessment

Targets

At New Mills School, each pupil’s target grades are calculated using their Key Stage 2 results. As they enter the school students are given two targets which are GCSE grades. One is the grade they are expected to get, given their starting point, and the other is an aspirational grade which we encourage them to strive for. As we learn more about each individual student, targets can be revised, and this is done in consultation with the subject teacher, the student, the faculty leader and the senior leadership of the school. 

 

Reporting

Students will receive two or three reports each year which will include a forecasted grade for each subject, information on their performance in our 5Rs, and information on key pastoral data (for example attendance and punctuality statistics). Crucially, in every subject they will receive next step actions. These are specific activities to do which will help move them forwards. These activities should be carried out in the weeks following a report.

The forecasted grades which appear for a student are likely to remain static on snapshots throughout Year 7 to Year 11; unless their performance in assessments gives staff clear indication that the GCSE grade they are likely to achieve is higher or lower. The grades given in reports are directly comparable to the targets they are set, and students not on track can be identified easily. A student receiving the same grade throughout their time at New Mills School is making progress as the complexity of each subject is increasing.

These forecasted grades are arrived at through teacher judgement of each student’s performance in class, in homework tasks, and in the summative assessment. For Year 11 and Year 10 one of the summative assessments is calendared and formal exam conditions are provided. For Year 7-9 the scope and conditions of these assessments are at the teacher’s discretion, in line with their agreed subject approach. 

Any question or queries about an individual student’s reports should be directed to the form tutor or subject teacher in the first instance.