Key Stage 3 Assessments – January 2023
Dear Parent/ Carer
Year 7, 8 and 9 students will soon be undertaking their first assessments and I wanted to inform you of this ahead of time. All assessments will take place in classrooms, not in exam halls. Most subjects will be assessing students from 4th to 20th January 2023, and a few are assessing students when their topics naturally end. All data entries are due week commencing 23rd January 2023.
The main reason for these assessments is to allow teachers to assess student understanding and to identify gaps and strengths in their knowledge which can be addressed by re-teaching, providing additional support, or stretching students further. In Year 9, some of these assessments will be used to support GCSE option choices for Triple Science and Computer Science.
To support students:
- They received a revision skills assembly from Mrs Gardner on w/c 21st November, including well-being tips and reassurance.
- In the w/c 28th November they took part in revision activities during tutor time to develop their skills further.
- The Block 1 and 2 Knowledge Organisers, this letter and a copy of the revision assembly will be put on Show My Homework as a purple ‘class test’ assignment from myself for students to access at any time.
- Teachers and Curriculum Leaders will inform your child of the specific date of their assessments and provide additional subject specific support and tasks on Show My Homework. Some in-class revision will also take place.
The table below provides more information about the type of assessments your child will take.
| Subject | When occurring | Content Assessed | Additional information |
| English | 4th to 20th January | Block 1 and 2
| ‘Core task’ extended writing on books/ texts currently studying; Year 7 ‘Trash’, Year 8 ‘Animal Farm’, Year 9 ‘The Merchant of Venice’ |
| Maths | 4th to 20th January | Block 1 and 2
| Year 7- algebraic thinking, year 8- formalising algebra, year 9- working with data |
| Science | 4th to 20th January | Year 7 & 8 Block 2 with some block 1. Year 9 Chemistry test on topics learnt | Similar to SATs papers with mixture of multiple choice and match-up, questions worth a couple of marks and one 4-mark question. Year 9 may also have an additional 6-mark question |
| History, Geography and RE | On-going | Current topics | Assessments occurring at the end of the topic taught so timing variable |
| French & Spanish | 4th to 20th January | Block 1 and 2
| Year 7 and 8 have a listening and reading assessment. Year 9 have a writing assessment. |
| ICT | 4th to 20th January | Block 1 and 2 | Written paper to take one lesson |
| DT | 4th to 20th January | Block 1 and 2 | Written paper to take one lesson; product analysis, redesign & evaluation |
| PE | 4th to 20th January | Skills in a sport activity | Students are assessed during a sports activity (e.g. Ringo) which informs the grade they are awarded. |
| Drama | Before Dec holiday | Block 1 and 2 | Practical assessment and a multiple-choice quiz |
| Music | 4th to 20th January | Block 1 and 2 | Listening assessment, solo performance on the keyboard or year 9 composition assessment |
| Art | 4th to 20th January | Block 1 and 2 skills | Designing a different item using skills learnt (Year 7 t-shirt, year 8 bag and year 9 shoe). Students will have guidance and practice on the lead up to this date. |
The results of these assessments will be reported home as a progress report letter where students will be awarded a CLF DOYA current grade (see guide below for more information) and an attitude to learning score.
| Age Related Expectation- ARE (DOOYA) | |
| D (Deepening): | Fulfilling all the AREs and producing work which is beyond them |
| O1 (On Track – Secure): | Has currently fulfilled all the AREs that are possible at this point in the year and is likely to continue to do so. |
| O2 (On Track – Insecure): | Has currently fulfilled all the AREs that are possible at this point in the year, but not secure at this point. |
| Y (Yet to be on track): | Is fulfilling some of the AREs but at risk of not fulfilling all of them at the end of the academic year. |
| A (At an earlier stage): | Is working at a level below the AREs. |
To prepare your child before the assessment days please ensure that;
- You support them to pack their bag with all their equipment
- They get plenty of sleep
- They have a good breakfast or attend Breakfast Club before 8:30am
If you have any further questions or concerns about the subject assessments, please email your child’s teacher or the Curriculum leader directly (email addresses are found on the Curriculum pages of HWA’s website by clicking here.
Any further advice and support please contact your child’s Pastoral Leader or the KS3 Raising Standards leader Rebecca Gardner: [email protected]
Yours sincerely
Rebecca Gardner | Associate Assistant Principal | Curriculum Leader for Science
