Dear Year 8 Parents and Guardians,
We are pleased to share with you the end-of-year assessment schedule for your child, along with details of the assessment content and tips/tools to support your child’s preparations. The assessments will take place week commencing 6th May and will cover English, Maths, and Science.
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Year 8 End of Year Assessment Schedule
We also wanted to take this opportunity to stress some important information in relation to these assessments.
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Rationale:
The assessments serve several key purposes. Firstly, this is an opportunity to capture students’ progress, in controlled conditions. The outcomes of the assessments inform the overall progress that your child is making and support the attainment judgements of their teachers in accurately determining progress. Secondly, the assessments help teachers to identify any gaps or misconceptions in learning so that these can be addressed moving forward. Finally, they offer students further experience of formal assessment conditions and the associated demands, supporting them in developing and refining the self-management skills that they will require with increasing assurance as they move through school.
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Assessment conditions:
Assessments will take place in class, under the supervision of the subject teachers. There is no deviation from your child’s existing timetable. Students will undertake independent, timed assessments and will only be assessed on topics covered this academic year. Students with approved accommodations, such as an extra time allowance, will be permitted this. Teachers will inform students of the potential topics that will be covered so that they can prepare accordingly.
Expectations of the students:
We would encourage the students to prepare for the assessments. Most importantly, we want the students to give their best efforts during the assessments. Students are expected to adhere to formal exam conditions, which means they are not permitted to communicate with peers during assessments or have access to any devices, such as their phone. Typical stationery, such as pens and pencils will be required.
Reporting and assessment outcomes:
The grades from these three May assessments will be shared with you in the students’ end-of-year reports, which will also show the students’ overall tracking grades for the year in all subjects. The tracking grade is the most important piece of data on the report in terms of attainment as this reflects holistic progress from the start of the year. The May assessments are one contributing factor towards the tracking grades.
Please note there may be instances where your child’s May assessment score is higher or lower than their overall attainment – this is not unusual given the nature of any one individual assessment.
Most important of all…
This is just one assessment. It is OK for things to go wrong. The experience and subsequent learnings are very much the important factors here. Whilst we would hope that every student presents their best efforts and that their outcomes reflect this, we know that this may not be the case. Managing emotions and fostering improved learning habits to better equip the students moving forward is most crucial. We would very much appreciate your support in echoing this message to your child.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or your child’s subject teachers.
Kind regards,
 James Lugg
Head of Year 8