Benefits of a School Entry Assessment

An assessment for entry into school is not about passing or failing but about teachers being able to prepare appropriate levels of work for every child in their class.

As children enter a new school the range of their past experiences is vast, from Year 1 pupils that have never attended an Early Years Centre to a year 5 pupil who has perhaps been taught in a school where the medium of education was in a different language. It is therefore essential, for a school that emphasises that every pupil will be catered for, that knowledge of a pupil’s abilities at the point of entry is known so the appropriate teaching plan can be developed.

For entry into the Early Years Centre it is important for staff and pupils to know each other so that a pupil can easily settle and parents have peace of mind that their child is well looked after. A simple practical assessment within a relaxed environment enables a teacher to start to build a relationship with the child while ascertaining their development stage in language, social skills, physical ability and simple mathematical understanding.

In all other entry years an assessment checking the ability of a student in mathematics, reading and comprehension, and writing is carried out to check at what stage they are at. The assessment is based on what would be expected for a child of a certain age but children develop at all different ages so it is imperative that a school knows if a child is exceeding in one area or needs support. If a child is obviously working above the expected age level it is more appropriate to ‘dig deep’ that is to say they will be challenged to deepen their understanding and mastery of their skills by applying these more widely to gain a firmer foundation. However it will occasionally be necessary to access some work from the year above in order to provide adequately challenging work for higher attaining children. All these entry assessments give the teachers the resources to plan lessons for children with differing stages of development.

When applying to enter POWIIS Primary an assessment will be carried out on every child in order for the school to provide the best education for that child. Every parent can be reassured by assessments on their child because it informs them about how well their child is doing for their age.