Impact - How do we know what pupils have learnt and how well they have learnt it?

Our curriculum needs to meet the needs of our children, including our disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, so we spend time looking at and evaluating how children are learning. This is achieved through talking to children, looking at their work, observing their learning experiences and analysing data and progress by class, groups and individuals. Staff use ongoing observational assessment to identify children’s starting points and plan experiences which ensure progress. This information is tracked on OTrack which enables us to measure our starting points against a national data set. We use this information on a weekly basis to plan learning experiences and next steps so that knowledge and skills are built cumulatively. During each assessment window, four times a year, teachers update the progress children have made onto OTrack which allows us to assess the impact of teaching and evaluate whether it has been enough. Evidence of children’s learning including observations, work samples and photographs are collated in a class floor book which children use to reflect on their progress through pupil voice. Key pieces of children’s work and contributions from parents are kept in paper ‘learning journal’ folders. Staff also keep observation records on individual activity feedback sheets and children’s WOW moment records. 

Our curriculum and its delivery ensure that children make good progress. Children in our Reception class, on average, arrive broadly in line with the national average. During their time in Reception, children make good progress so that we meet or exceed the national expectation for GLD at the end of the year. Pupils also make good progress toward their age-related expectations before transitioning into Year One. We believe our high standards are due to the enriched play-based exploration alongside the rigour of assessment and teaching the children have whilst in Reception – a rich diet of balanced learning experiences is undoubtedly the best way to develop happy, curious children.