Assessment at Buxton Junior School 

At Buxton Junior School, our intention is that children make progress as they work through our ambitious and well sequenced curriculum.

We check the learning of our pupils using a range of assessment tools to gather information about how well our pupils are learning, so that we can share this information with parents/carers and ultimately help our children to thrive.  

While assessments are often thought of as formal tests or quizzes, both of which we include as part of our range of assessment tools, we also gather a broader range of information, so we can build a holistic understanding of each pupil through our day-to-day teaching and learning activities. 

While summative assessment opportunities, which evaluate learning at the end of a period of study, are incorporated at three termly points throughout the school year, teachers also gather information about learning through formative assessment (assessment that helps guide further learning), as well as classroom-based discussions, diagnostic questioning, analysis of completed tasks and the subsequent feedback discussion generated. Furthermore, we often ask pupils to self and peer assess their own and others work, in order to provide a structured learning process for students to critique and provide feedback to each other on work produced. 

The aim of the assessment tools we use at Buxton Junior School are to gather clear, accurate and regular information about each of our pupils, within a system that does not put strain on teacher workload. This is because we appreciate that teachers wish to focus their time on what to do with the information gained from the assessment tools used, as opposed to the gathering of this information.  

The assessment information we gather at Buxton Junior School is used in the following ways:  

• To give parents reliable and accurate information about their child’s happiness, engagement, progress and attainment in comparison to peers and, where possible through the use of standardised assessments, to a national standard.  
• To give teachers information about what pupils know and can do, as well as what they will need to learn next or spend more learning time on, 
• To help school and subject leaders identify any pupils who may require additional support to help them stay on track to achieve their potential, 
• To give school leaders and governors information about how effective teaching and learning is within the school, compared to national standards where possible.  
• To inform the school improvement cycle.  

Assessment information is shared termly at Parents’ Evenings and in the end of school report. If you have any concerns about the progress your child is making, please do not hesitate to speak with their class teacher.