Impact: how do we know what pupils have learnt and how well they have learnt it?

Our curriculum needs to meet the needs of our children, including our disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, so we spend time looking at and evaluating how children are learning.  This is achieved through talking to children, looking at their work, observing their learning experiences and analysing data and progress by year group, class, groups and individuals. Every practitioner uses ongoing observational assessment to identify children’s starting points and plan experiences which ensure progress. This information is tracked on OTrack which enables us to measure children’s progress throughout the year and then compare with national data.  

We use continuous assessment to plan learning experiences and next steps so that knowledge and skills are built cumulatively.  During each assessment window, three times a year in Nursery and four times a year in Reception, teachers update the progress children have made onto OTrack which allows us to assess the impact of teaching and evaluate whether it has been effective. Evidence of children’s learning including observations, work samples, photographs and contributions from parents are kept in a combination of online and paper ‘learning journals’ on Tapestry and through the use of Magic Moments Books which our children use to reflect on their progress through pupil voice. 

Our curriculum and its delivery ensure that our children make good progress. Children in our early years, on average, arrive with lower starting points than national. During their time in our EYFS, children make rapid progress so that majority of our children meet the national expectation for GLD at the end of the year.  Our children also make good progress toward their age-related expectations before transitioning into Year One. We believe our high standards are due to the enriched play-based exploration alongside the rigour of assessment and teaching the children as they move through the early years – a rich diet of balanced learning experiences is undoubtedly the best way to develop happy, curious children.