At Graven Hill Primary and Preschool, assessment is at the heart of great teaching and learning. It is not a separate activity or a standalone event — it is the daily, thoughtful process of understanding what each child knows, what they can do, and what they need next in order to belong, achieve and thrive.

Our approach to assessment reflects the best research. This means assessment that is purposeful, precise, and focused on securing strong progress for every learner. Our internal monitoring and evaluation show clearly that our assessment systems are already having exceptional impact — rapidly moving children on in their learning and enabling them to grow into confident, articulate and capable young people.

Assessment That Drives Learning Forward

Our assessment principles are grounded in the belief that learning is the main activity, and assessment exists to support that learning.
Effective assessment helps us build a detailed, accurate picture of every child’s progress and achievement, enabling teachers to identify the next steps needed for children to move forward with security and confidence.

To achieve this, we use a wide range of assessment approaches, including:

• Teacher professional judgement, underpinned by deep knowledge of each child
• Self‑ and peer‑assessment, helping children reflect on their learning and understand how to improve
• Formative assessment, used daily to check understanding, address misconceptions and extend learning
• Summative assessment, such as reading age checks and end‑of‑year assessments, giving a snapshot of progress at key points

This combination ensures assessment is valid, reliable and meaningful, enabling children to make secure and sustained progress.

Assessment as an Inclusive Tool

Our curriculum is deliberately knowledge‑led and carefully sequenced to ensure all children — including the most vulnerable — have access to the powerful knowledge they need to succeed.
Assessment plays a crucial role in this: it allows us to identify gaps, close them quickly, and ensure every child keeps up rather than catches up.

Moderation, both within school and across the Trust, strengthens shared understanding of standards and contributes to the high levels of precision that characterise strong assessment practice.

Feedback That Moves Learning On

High‑quality feedback is one of the most influential factors in improving learning outcomes, and it is central to our practice at Graven Hill.
Our approach to feedback is:

• Timely — giving children immediate, actionable guidance
• Focused — highlighting the precise knowledge or skill to improve
• Empowering — helping children understand that through practice and perseverance, they can achieve more

We ensure children have dedicated time to respond to feedback, reflect on their learning and apply improvements. This builds independence and establishes a culture where effort and progress are valued.

Assessment With Purpose and Impact

Exceptional schools use assessment with clarity and purpose:

• to identify gaps,
• to inform instruction,
• to shape the curriculum, and
• to secure ambitious outcomes for all pupils.

Our internal evidence shows these characteristics are already deeply embedded in our practice. Assessment at Graven Hill is:

• Proportionate — drawing on a range of evidence without creating unnecessary workload
• Clear — helping learners understand what success looks like and what is expected of them
• A catalyst for progress — ensuring every child keeps moving forward with purpose

Through this approach, we are seeing exceptional levels of engagement, confidence and achievement across the school. Children are articulate about their learning, motivated to improve, and increasingly able to evaluate their own progress — characteristics highlighted in exceptional practice indicators.

A Shared Responsibility

Assessment at Graven Hill is not something done to children, but something done with them. Our learners are active participants:

• They review their own work
• They celebrate what they’ve done well
• They identify what they need to do next
• They set goals alongside their teachers

This shared responsibility builds independence, agency and pride — hallmarks of exceptional learning communities.

Assessment That Strengthens Home–School Partnerships

Our assessment system provides clear, accessible information for parents about their child’s progress and next steps.
This ensures parents feel informed, empowered and able to support learning at home, reinforcing the strong school‑family partnership that underpins our ethos.

The Result: Children Who Flourish

Because assessment is used thoughtfully and consistently, we see its impact every day:

• Children know what they are learning and why
• They understand what successful learning looks like
• They take pride in their achievements
• They respond positively to challenge
• They make rapid progress across the curriculum

This is why we can confidently say:
our assessment practice is exceptional in its impact, helping shape exceptional young people who contribute positively to our school and community.