Impact – how we assess the progress our pupils make in history

Our history curriculum ensures children are ready for the next stage of education in order to succeed at secondary school through the progression of skills.

Each enquiry which forms our programme of learning and teaching in history sets clear objectives and outcomes for the pupil in terms of knowledge and understanding and skills acquisition.  The schemes of work also suggest a range of ways in which the teacher can assess whether a pupil has achieved these outcomes.

 We ensure that when assessing pupils evidence is drawn from a wide range of sources to inform the process, including interaction with pupils during discussions and related questioning, day to day observations, practical activities such as model making and role play drama, the gathering, presentation and communication of fieldwork data and writing in different genres.  The outcomes of each enquiry serve to inform the teacher’s developing picture of the knowledge and understanding of each pupil and to plan future learning accordingly.  We do not make summative judgements about individual pieces of pupil work but rather use such outcomes to build an emerging picture of what the pupil knows, understands and can do. 

At the end of each year we make a summative judgement about the achievement of each pupil against the subject learning goals for history in that year.  At this point, teachers decide upon a ‘best fit’ judgement as to whether the pupil has achieved and embedded the expected learning goals, exceeded expectations or is still working towards the goals.  These decisions are based on the professional knowledge and judgement that teachers possess about the progress of each pupil, developed over the previous three terms, which allows an informed and holistic judgement of attainment to be made.   Achievement against the learning goals for history at the end of the year is used as the basis of reporting progress to parents.