Assessment and Recording

All staff have a responsibility to capture learning, which is done using ‘Evidence for learning’, following our Supporting Learning document. This includes evidence towards pupils’ IEPs and progress within curriculum areas. In most cases pupils IEPs are worked on across all or several curriculum areas.

Teachers are expected to assess the knowledge and starting point of each pupil, using an ipsative assessment model. This captures individual pupils’ starting points, against which progress can then be measured. Evidence of their learning journey and an end assessment can then be made to capture what knowledge and learning has taken place. Assessing in this way supports teachers to adapt teaching as and when needed and therefore maximise pupils’ learning. For many of our pupils, their progress may not be able to be charted in a linear way but, they will show the developments in a more lateral sense, showing breadth and depth of learning and the ability to generalise learning.

1. BASELINE ASSESSMENT                      Carry out a baseline assessment

2. ASSESSMENT for LEARNING (AfL)     Build AfL into the lesson(s) to gauge understanding, adopt teaching, promote and maximise learning.

3. ASSESSMENT of LEARNING (AoL) Measure progress from the starting point. Use this to evidence progress and inform future teaching.

When recording evidence, staff must be clear about what a pupil has done and how much support they have needed, teachers can then plan effectively for pupils progressing.

Within Evidence for Learning teachers are expected to tag relevant IEPs and curriculum areas, to ensure evidence can easily be monitored by both teachers, curriculum area leads and senior leaders.

Assessment frameworks are used to support teachers in knowing where a pupil is developmentally and what their next steps may be. Frameworks used may include:

  • The Engagement Model (2020), based on the Engagement Profile Scale (Carpenter at al. 2011)
  • Routes for learning (Welsh government, 2020)
  • Ash Lea Steps. This assessment framework is largely based on EYFS Development Matters
  • Development Matters (2023)
  • Birth to Five (2021)
  • Little Wandle phonics and reading assessments
  • Autism Education Trust Framework (AET)
  • Switch progression road map