In school, we use assessment to 

a) enhance the learning of pupils

b) aid teachers in evaluating their teaching

c) provide information which helps to ensure a smooth transition for pupils and to evaluate school performance

Teachers assess in many different ways and the aim is to find out how well pupils have learned what they have been taught and, as a result, we know how well they are progressing through the curriculum.

At the end of Year 2, most pupils will have been taught all of the Key Stage 1 curriculum and the teachers make summative judgments about how well the curriculum has been learned. Statutory assessment tests used to be conducted to inform the teacher's judgments, but the end of KS1 national curriculum tests and teacher assessments have been non-statutory since the academic year 2023 to 2024.

At Marlow Infants, we have chosen to administer optional assessment papers provided by the Standards and Testing Agency during the first half of the summer term.

How will the tests be administered?

These tests will be administered in the classrooms, in a non-pressurised environment. We will call the tests 'booklets' and the pupils will have already seen and used similar papers in class, so that they will be familiar with the format.

Which test papers will be administered?

The test papers that we will be administering will be for reading and maths. 

• Reading Paper 1 and  Paper 2
• Maths Paper 1 (Arithmetic) and Paper 2 (Reasoning)

The teachers will also use the end of key stage assessment frameworks to finalise their judgements in reading, writing, maths and science.

What will the test results be used for?

The results of the tests will be used to inform the teachers' end of key stage judgements but they will use other evidence that they have collected throughout the year as well. Given the age of the children in Year 2, not all children are able to show everything they have learned through a test, so it is important that the teachers' knowledge of the children is used and takes precedence over the test results. We will not share the results of the tests outside of the school as they only form part of the 'picture'. 

How will we find out about the teachers' assessments?

These will be shared with you in your child's end of year report. 

The following abbreviations will be used:

• WA - Working at the expected standard for the end of Key Stage 1
• WT - Working towards the expected standard for the end of Key Stage 1
• GD - Working at depth in the expected standard for the end of Key Stage 1
• PKS - Working below the end of Key Stage 1 standards

Will the Teacher Assessments be shared with anyone else?

The judgements made by our teachers will be shared with your child's next school to ensure that their next teachers have all the information they need to ensure a smooth transition.

We will also share the teacher assessments with the Local Authority so that we can compare our outcomes with those of schools in Buckinghamshire and nationally. This allows us to make improvements and plans for the future.

You can find examples of past test papers here

The Department of Education has produced a leaflet about the optional key stage 1 assessments which is attached at the bottom of this page.