Pupil Progress Data

BROADMEADOW SPECIAL SCHOOL

Broadmeadow caters for primary school aged children with severe learning disabilities. National assessments aren’t relevant for our pupils due to their differing levels of development, therefore we have a bespoke assessment system that allows us to track pupil progress on a meaningful and individual basis.

As a result of the Rochford Review 2016, a national reform of SEN assessment, it was recommended that schools stopped using P levels (a nationally agreed set of assessment descriptions starting at the earlies levels) and that children at the earliest levels are measured in terms of their engagement with activities. Children engaged in subject learning, ie starting to count, or recognise words, should be assessed using Pre-Key stage 1 descriptions.

At Broadmeadow we have embraced these changes and work on ensuring that all of our children are engaged in meaningful activities. Staff use guidance around engagement scales to support their delivery and assessment of learning and when pupils are beginning to show subject learning skills they then move onto our assessment known as BM Levels. We formed these using our own expertise and knowledge of how children with learning disabilities learn with each area of learning having a 100 step assessment. The subject areas are as follows:

Literacy based: Reading; Phonics; Writing (including Fine Motor skills)

Communication: Communication & interaction; Speaking; Listening and Understanding

Numeracy based: Number; Practical Maths

PE

PSED: Independence Skills; Relationships and Well-being

Exploring and Experimenting- Computing and Science

In each subject we have 10 bands (labelled A-J) of 10 steps and they are broadly developmental in most areas of learning. Children are given a score for attainment and with 100 steps for each area, creating percentages and making comparative data year on year will be a simple task. All data is inputted via our online software called EazMag, which makes it easy to obtain relevant progress data and comparisons as needed.

Each child is assessed in each area on entry and then at the end of each academic year. Some children will be working on engagement scales for some subjects but then working within the BM levels for others. This reflects pupils individual interests and varying developmental profiles.