Tracking Student Progress
To meet our aim to enable every young person at the College to learn, flourish and succeed, we look to work closely with our students and their parents to track their progress. In doing so, our students know how well they are doing and, more importantly, what they need to do to make further progress in each of their subjects.
On this page, we'll outline the different mechanisms we use to track student progress working in partnership with our students and their parents.
Subject Assessments
Students regularly complete assessments in their different subjects to allow them to demonstrate to their teachers their understanding of what they have been learning.
Some of these will be less formal - for instance pieces of classwork, knowledge quizzes, independent learning activities or end of topic tests. Some of these will be more formal - such as practice exam questions and tests including Pre-Public Examinations (PPEs) for students studying their GCSE and A Level subjects.
Baseline Assessments
When students join us in Year 7 they will complete a number of in-class assessments. This allows their teachers to gain an understanding of where they are at in their learning. These are known as baseline tests and assessments. We may use these to group students by ability in some subjects and to set end-of-Key Stage target grades.
Results from these subject assessments are visible to parents and students on the GO 4 Schools website.
Pre-Public Examinations
Students in Years 11, and 13 have the opportunity to sit Pre-Public Examinations in their GCSE and A Level subjects. These are taken in formal exam conditions in our main exam venues to allow students to experience as closely as possible what their external examinations will be like as part of their preparation for these. Dates for these are published here.
Progress Reviews
Progress Reviews are completed once a year at an appropriate time during the school year for that year group. They form a snapshot in time of how a student is doing in each of their subjects. The information by subject for each student includes:
For students in Years 7 to 9, the information for each subject includes:
- a Curriculum Security judgement indicating how securely the student is learning and demonstrating the knowledge, skills and understanding expected within the subject curriculum. Students are assessed as Extending, Secure, Approaching or Developing, with additional + and – levels used to provide greater precision;
- a Progress Judgement indicating how well the student is progressing from their individual starting point. Students are identified as making Strong Progress, Expected Progress or Progress Requires Attention;
- a written comment providing further information about what the student is doing well, the progress they are making and specific areas for further development.
Curriculum Security and Progress are considered separately, meaning that students with the same Curriculum Security judgement may have different Progress Judgements depending on their individual starting points.
For students in Years 10 to 13, the information for each subject includes:
- a School Target Grade, based on the student's prior attainment, which represents the minimum grade we would expect them to achieve by the end of the Key Stage. Students can, and should, aspire to achieve above their School Target Grade;
- a Currently Working At (CWA) Grade, which reflects the standard at which the student is currently working, based on the assessment evidence available at that point in the course;
- a written comment providing further information about what the student is doing well, the progress they are making and specific areas for further development.
Further information about these grades can be found on the student's Progress Review report.
The dates for this year's Progress Reviews can be found on our Key Dates page.
Students' Progress Review reports are published in GO 4 Schools. Students and parents will be notified when a new report is available.
Progress Evenings
Our Progress Evenings happen roughly every 4-5 weeks during term time, with 7 opportunities for students and their parents to attend throughout the school year. These evenings aim to:
- create a partnership between students, parents and teaching staff;
- provide wide ranging information for parents about their child and the progress they are making;
- develop strategies to support the child’s education.
Teachers may specifically request to see you about your child's progress. Where teachers have requested to see you, please try to attend if you can; often, teachers want to see parents as early as possible so that we can work together to address any concerns.
Appointments for Progress Evenings can be booked here. Please use this guide to help you to use the booking system.
Communication
GO 4 Schools provides students and parents with quick and easy access to student information on their latest attainment and progress.
The app offers a quick snapshot of a student's latest attainment and progress information. For more detailed information the website has greater functionality - for instance, viewing a student's latest Progress Review report or seeing a student's result for a particular piece of assessed work. We recommend parents and students access the website daily where possible.
Contacting Us
If you wish to discuss your child's attainment in a recent assessment, or their latest Progress Review report, please contact their teacher for the subject concerned in the first instance. This will be visible on the GO 4 Schools website or on your child's report. Alternatively, you can make an appointment with your child's teachers at one of our Progress Evenings.
If you have broader concerns about your child, please contact their mentor. They may then refer your concerns to the relevant Pastoral Manager or Head of Faculty.