Assessment Approach
Assessment at Aldridge School is designed to support learning, personal growth and high achievement. We use assessment to understand what students know, how well they can apply it, and what they need to do next to improve. You can read the full Assessment Policy by selecting the cover image (to be added below) or using the link provided.
Our assessment vision
Our assessment vision is rooted in the belief that every student can make strong progress. Success is not defined only by a final grade, but by the distance travelled from a student’s starting point. We foster a culture where students embrace challenge, take pride in progress, and see improvement as continuous.
Targets and ‘flightpaths’ (FFT baselines)
Every student receives an FFT baseline grade for each subject. This reflects the average outcome achieved nationally by students with similar prior attainment in the previous year. These baselines form an individual ‘flightpath’ across subjects: a statistically valid benchmark that helps staff and students understand typical trajectory. FFT baselines are a guide rather than a ceiling, and we expect many students to achieve above them through strong teaching, high expectations, effort and timely support.
How we monitor progress
- Key Stage 3: Teachers record a progress judgement twice per year using Above / On / Below (A/O/B) in relation to a student’s FFT baseline grade. This approach is designed to be fair and consistent, because it compares current performance to a national benchmark rather than to a generic threshold.
- Key Stages 4 and 5: Teachers record an expected grade at defined points in the assessment cycle. This is a professional judgement of the grade a student is most likely to achieve at the end of the course if they continue to work in the same way. Expected grades are reviewed regularly and considered alongside FFT baselines to identify where students are on track, exceeding, or at risk of falling behind.
Our approach: a layered ‘assessment onion’
Assessment is most effective when it is layered and used over time. Our ‘assessment onion’ model starts with frequent, low-stakes evidence that sits closest to day-to-day teaching (e.g., classwork/homework, questioning, live monitoring, book checks, and self/peer assessment). This helps teachers identify misconceptions early and respond immediately. Moving inwards are planned formative checkpoints (QMFs) and then formal summative assessments (SAs) completed under examination conditions for reliability. At KS4/5, mock examinations and final examinations sit at the centre as the highest-stakes outcomes. A key principle is that no single score is interpreted in isolation; staff triangulate evidence across layers to build the most accurate picture of current performance over time.
What assessment looks like day to day
- Live Monitoring (every lesson): Teachers circulate, check completion/quality/presentation, address misconceptions and insist on improvement. Effort and completion are recorded via Class Charts (‘Work Completed’ / ‘Work Not Completed’).
- Routine exercise-book checks: Teachers check books once or twice per half-term to ensure presentation standards, spot gaps, and identify concerns early. These checks are not intended to replace planned written feedback.
- Self and peer assessment: Regularly used in lessons so students learn to evaluate work against clear success criteria. Students use green pen to record responses.
- Quality Marked Formative Assessments (QMFs): Teacher-designed assessments (e.g., end-of-unit tests, extended writing, performances) with success criteria shared in advance. QMFs are marked within two weeks, include purposeful written feedback, and are moderated within departments at least once per assessment cycle.
- Summative Assessments (SAs): Scheduled through the assessment calendar and completed under exam conditions to maximise reliability. Marked within two weeks using mark schemes/rubrics; at KS4/KS5 these are based on exam-board materials and mark schemes. Outcomes support question-by-question analysis, moderation and curriculum refinement.
Reporting to parents and carers
We share clear, timely information with parents/carers about progress and next steps. The most accurate picture of learning is the work in students’ books over time, including classwork/homework, QMFs and SAs, and the feedback and improvement that follows.
- Key Stage 3: Parents/carers receive a report twice per year using A/O/B against FFT baselines.
- Key Stages 4 and 5: Parents/carers receive progress updates at key points in the assessment cycle using expected grades informed by evidence over time.
- Effort grades: Alongside progress/expected grades, teachers report an Effort Grade linked to students’ learning habits (including engagement, completion, quality of work, and response to feedback).
Inclusion
Our assessment approach is inclusive and applies to all pupils, including those with SEND. Students are evaluated against their individual flightpath (FFT baselines), helping to make progress visible from different starting points. Assessment information is used diagnostically to identify barriers early, inform support and intervention, and ensure that all students can achieve ambitious outcomes.
Monitoring and review
The Assessment Policy is reviewed annually by the Assessment Lead in consultation with senior leaders and shared with governors. Implementation is monitored proportionately through moderation activities, review of exercise books (including QMFs and SAs), learning walks focused on live monitoring and checking for understanding, pupil progress reviews that triangulate evidence across the assessment onion, and subject/faculty review (including question-level analysis) to inform curriculum refinement and professional development.
