Assessment at Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College

Assessment at Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College is purposeful and carefully designed to check what students know and can do, while placing strong emphasis on supporting progress and improving outcomes for all learners. Assessment for learning is embedded within everyday classroom practice, including during the first and last five minutes of lessons. This allows teachers to identify understanding, address misconceptions promptly and adapt teaching in real time.

Feedback is consistent and meaningful, enabling students to clearly understand their strengths, areas for improvement and the specific steps they need to take to progress further. Centre assessments are aligned closely with taught content and provide accurate data to inform projections and identify priorities. Structured opportunities such as whole-class feedback, exam wrappers and clearly defined next steps ensure students have time to reflect on and act upon feedback.

 

How Assessment Works at Blessed Thomas Holford

Throughout their academic journey, students complete a range of assessments designed to support learning and measure progress over time.

Formative assessment takes place regularly in lessons and focuses on small or specific areas of the curriculum. These frequent checks allow teachers to gauge understanding, adapt teaching and provide timely feedback.

Summative assessment takes place at key points during the year. Most year groups complete bi-annual summative assessments, while Year 13 students complete three summative assessments across the academic year. These assessments measure long-term retention of knowledge and assess a broad range of curriculum content, skills and understanding.

Following summative assessments, students receive personalised Question Level Analysis (QLA), identifying strengths, areas for development and clear, actionable next steps.

 Supporting Students and Families

At the start of the academic year, parents and carers are invited to a Success in Year Evening, designed to support student achievement and success in the year ahead. Students in Year 9 are also invited to an Options Evening to support them through the GCSE options process.

Centre Assessment Information

 Year 7 Assessment Information

Year 8 Assessment Information

Year 9 Assessment Information

 Year 10 Assessment Information

Year 11 Assessment Information

Year 12 Assessment Information

Year 13 Assessment Information

 

Academic Progress at BTHCC

At Key Stage 3:

• Prior attainment data and marks for summative assessments should be recorded in teachers' marksheets i.e. KS2 data and Reading Scaled scores (which are updated post NGRT assessment) are both indicators of prior attainment.
• Pupil work will be assessed at two planned points in the year. Assessments will gauge long term acquisition of knowledge. Pupils will be awarded attainment levels: emerging, developing, securing or mastering against their prior attainment to gauge progress. 

 

KS3 ATTAINMENT LEVELS

Emerging - The student is beginning to learn some of the curriculum content, demonstrating some understanding and application of the knowledge and skills expected 

Developing - The student is successfully learning the majority of the curriculum, demonstrating an adequate understanding and application of the knowledge and skills expected 

Securing - The student is successfully learning the curriculum, demonstrating a secure understanding and application of the knowledge and skills expected

Mastering - The student is mastering the curriculum, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding and application of the knowledge and skills expected

Subjects apply attainment levels differently depending on the nature of what students are learning

Application of attainment levels by Key Stage

• English
• Drama
• Geography
• French
• Spanish
• Art
• Music

In these subjects, students develop skills and processes that build progressively over time. Attainment is judged and the levels applied across the whole of Key Stage 3 because:

• Skills develop gradually and need sustained practice
• Mastery requires time to embed techniques and apply them confidently in different contexts
• Progress is cumulative – each year builds on the previous one
• Students need the full three years to demonstrate secure mastery of complex procedures 

Application of attainment levels by Year 

• Computer Science
• Maths
• Food and Nutrition
• Core PE
• DT
• Science
• RE
• History

In these subjects, students learn distinct bodies of knowledge and concepts. Attainment levels are applied based on knowledge that has been learned annually in Year 7, Year 8, and Year 9 because:

• Each year covers different content and topics (that are sequenced in line with curriculum plans)
• Students can demonstrate mastery of specific knowledge within a single year
• The curriculum is organised into discrete units that can be assessed independently
• Knowledge acquisition at each stage is required before moving on to new content/skills 

 

Dips in data when new topics are introduced do not necessarily indicate underachievement, but rather reflect the increased challenge as students develop more sophisticated knowledge and skills.

 

How Minimum Attainment Grades (MAGs) are set at KS3:

Each student’s minimum attainment grade (MAG) for Key Stage 3 is determined using

• Prior attainment at Key Stage 2 (SATs results)
• FFT (Fischer Family Trust) targets, which are used to project likely performance at GCSE

How We Report Progress

On your child's report, you will see whether they are:

• Exceeding expectations
  (making significantly more progress than expected for their starting point)
• Working above expectations
  (making more progress than expected)
• Working equal to expectations
  (making progress in line with their minimum attainment grade)
• Working towards expectations
  (not yet meeting expected progress in line with their minimum attainment grade)

Fairness and Consistency

We know how important it is that every child is assessed fairly and consistently.

• Our teachers use common criteria and regular moderation to ensure that judgements are robust across all classes and subjects.
• We regularly review our processes to maintain high standards and reliability.

 

At Key Stage 4:

 

 

• Prior attainment data and marks for summative assessments should be recorded in teachers' marksheets as per KS3
• Teachers will use grading to indicate current performance based on summative assessments and in class assessments 
• End of Year Targets should be used to ensure all learners are working towards their target 

 

At Key Stage 5:

 

• Prior attainment data and marks for summative assessments should be recorded in teachers' marksheets as per KS3 and KS4
• Teachers will use grading to indicate current performance based on summative assessments and in class assessments 
• End of Year Targets should be used to ensure all learners are working towards their target 

 

Assessment Calendar

The Blessed Thomas Holford Assessment Calendar provides key dates for assessments and reporting throughout the academic year and supports students and families in planning effectively.