Students in Year 1 to Year 9 follow a curriculum designed around the UK National Curriculum. The National Curriculum provides a structure that ensures learning is measurable and progressive. Within each subject, the knowledge, skills and understanding consist of eight level descriptions of increasing difficulty. Each level describes the types and ranges of performance that students working at that level should characteristically demonstrate. There are expectations laid out for the majority of students, with these being adjusted for students of different abilities and as they progress through the school. Such a system ensures consistent grading and assessment that is internationally recognised and understood.
Expected levels for years 7,8 & 9
Why use Level assessment?
Level assessment used in the Key Stages 1 - 3 has been structured to ensure greater consistency amongst teachers within subjects and allow parents and students to compare their attainment against rigorously set levels/stages of achievement. Importantly, it gives structure to students and teachers as to what needs to be done to improve achievement. The use of level descriptors might be foreign to those who have used a percentage or symbol but what you will hopefully appreciate is that achievement can now be qualified against a set of specific attainment targets as opposed to “homespun” criteria.
• It is the assessment tool for the UK National Curriculum and we use it from Y1 to Y9.
• Provides uniformity across departments and schools and does away with “homespun” criteria.
• The level descriptors are specific and provide clear guidelines as to the requirements for attaining a level.
• Progression can be monitored against criteria and not against opinion.
• It highlights the skills needed to do well in a subject.
• It allows for more exact comments based on published criteria – students and parents should know precisely what they need to do next!
• Identify areas that teachers need improving in Schemes of Work.
• It provides termly / yearly targets for the students.
• Enable us to identify students who are struggling (below expected levels) and those who are Gifted &Talented and need pushing.
• It benchmarks attainment against students in the UK, at a specific stage/age
A few pointers
• Levels take into account that stage at which certain subjects are introduced into the curriculum. Therefore the range of French & Spanish levels will be below that of English which students would have been exposed to for a longer time.
• Warwick Academy uses a “.5”” to help show progression.
• Not every piece of student work is “levelled”.
• Students should expect to progress by approximately one half to one level from September to June.
• The emphasis is on what skills have been achieved and what are needed to move forward to the next level.