At The Philip Morant School & College, we use two different styles of grading; one for Key Stage 3 and one for Key Stage 4 & 5.
Students in Key Stage 3 are assessed against age-related expectations in each subject as they develop knowledge, skills and understanding. We use the terms ‘Working Beyond’, ‘Working At’ and ‘Working Towards’ age-related expectations. Students should aim to be ‘Working At’ or ‘Working Beyond’ by the end of the academic year.
Students in Key Stage 4 & 5 are assessed against the GCSE/A-Level/BTEC criteria and so are awarded grades based on assessments, classwork and homework. Each student is provided with a Minimum Expected Grade (MEG), which students should at least achieve by the end of the key stage.
Our assessment process is based on the science of the “testing effect” and aims to give students opportunities to succeed in many forms. Throughout the year, students will be assessed in a variety of ways including low stakes quizzes in lessons, medium stakes assessments which are also completed in lessons and end of term/end of year examinations.
The process of completing assessment regularly and in a lower stress environment will support students to identify and address gaps in their knowledge, skills and understanding. This in turn will lead to much greater independence as students will be more aware of how to improve their grades and how to study for final examinations.