A Glossary of Terms.
Key Stage 1- Infants

Key stage 2 - Juniors

Key stage 3 and 4 - Secondary School

National Curriculum- This is what the government says children have to learn.

Levels - A way of comparing a child's ability against local and national standards of achievement. The spread of marks required to achieve each level is wide. It takes, on average, two years to complete each level. At the end of Key stage 1, an average ability child is expected to have gained level 2 and at the end of Key Stage 2 level 4. A child who achieves level five is doing very well. A child who passes GCSE at grade C has achieved level seven.

Level descriptors - Teachers use these to make a judgement about the level a child is working at.

Teacher assessment - The level given to a child by a teacher based on work throughout the year.

SATs - tests given at the end of years 2 and 6 to show progress.

National Tests - The name given by the Government to the statutory tests in the Core and Foundation subjects of the National Curriculum, taken by all children in Local Authority schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at the end of Key Stage 1 to 3 (ages 7, 11 and 14 in England and Wales). They are sometimes referred to as 'SATs' (Standard Assessment Tasks) for Years 2 and 6; and QCA tests for years 3, 4 and 5.

Baseline Assessment - A test designed to establish the attainment level of children when they first enter schools at 5 years and transfer to secondary schools at 11 years. Their performance is regarded as a 'baseline' from which their subsequent performance may be predicted, monitored and any relative improvement or deterioration judged.

Reading Age - This tells you the current developmental level of a child's performance in a particular area of reading. For example, a nine-year-old child with a reading age of nine is performing at the national average level for his or her age. Another child aged nine years, with a reading age of 10, is developmentally 12 months ahead of the average in reading.

What do Sats and QCA tests show?

The idea of the SATs and QCA tests is to show what pupils have learnt and retained during the year. The tests help our teachers learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of what your child understands about a subject.

Can my child fail a SATs test?

It is important that Children understand they are not going to 'pass' or 'fail' the test - it will just show what they have learned and what they can do.

What are the children tested on?
The children are tested on all of the work they have covered in all year groups so far.Year 2 children are tested on Maths and English. Year 6 children are tested on Maths, English and Science. Years 3, 4 and 5 are only tested in Maths and English, and have Science assessments through out the year.

How will the results be reported?
Years 3, 4 and 5 receive the levels achieved by their child in QCA tests, on their child's annual school report.
Year 2 SATs tests are given with the child's annual report. Year 6 SATs tests are sent away for marking. The results are presented to parents together with additional information that states the teacher assessment. Both carry equal weighting. The sheet also details how the child fairs in comparison to the national and the school averages.
Teacher assessment is based on descriptions of what a child should achieve at each level. Children are assigned a level that best fits their level of achievement.