Term 2

Dates for your Diary

Test Week Information

During the week of Monday 23rd November - Friday 20th November, all children will be tested on the following areas of learning:

- Phonics

- Grammar / Punctuation

- Spelling

- Reading

- Arithmetic

- Maths Reasoning

Phonics

Due to the first National lockdown and school closures, Year 1 children were unable to undertake the Phonics Screening Test, therefore the Government have instructed all schools to ensure Year 2 pupils take the test next week and publish results. The expected pass mark is 32/40, however this is yet to be confirmed. Any child who does not pass the test will be expected to take a second screening test in May, in line with current Year 1 children. 

All other tests

The other tests are for our own internal assessment and tracking of children's progress. These tests will be taken 3 times a year (Terms 2, 4 and 6) and results are shared and discussed with SLT to ensure the very best education is being provided for your child.

These tests will take place in the classroom under test conditions (in silence, independently, timed) however teachers are allowed to read the questions to the children (with the exception of the Reading paper). Teachers cannot offer solution support during the test though; the answers must be completely independent. 

Although to an adult this sounds quite intense, the children will have these spread throughout the week so as not to overwhelm them. Our Arithmetic and Reading lessons are taught in a similar environment several times a week (with periods of silence, under time constraint and independent work) so this is not a new experience to the children. 

We will celebrate their efforts at the end of the week with a relaxed Friday afternoon with activities of their choosing, so that they feel it's been a worthwhile exercise! 

Children will be told their results, but it is important to note this is not a 'pass or fail' exercise - it is simply to assess the security of their understanding, and to highlight areas of learning which need to be taught again.