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Assessment

Assessment for KS3 & KS4

The Aim of Assessment

At Shakhsiyah Schools, the aim of assessment in the secondary school is to nurture every student holistically so they can fulfil their potential. We achieve this by:

  • Providing meaningful and constructive feedback, both verbally and in written form, to deepen learning.
  • Highlighting and celebrating success across subjects and skills.
  • Motivating students to make progress by recognising their strengths and areas for growth.
  • Offering clear guidance on how to achieve the next steps in their learning journey.
  • Applying a systematic and consistent approach to assessment across all year groups and subjects.
  • Giving students opportunities to reflect on and respond to feedback, building independence and ownership of their learning.
  • Developing self-assessment and peer-assessment skills so that students can evaluate and improve their own work effectively.

Years 7–9

Throughout Years 7, 8, and 9, students are assessed every half term through:

  • Teacher observation
  • Class participation
  • Completion of independent work
  • End of half-term projects

Teachers use subject-specific assessment criteria to make these judgements. These criteria are supported by “I can” statements, which track the knowledge, skills, and understanding students are expected to demonstrate at each stage.

Progress is reported using the following grading system:

This ensures that students and parents have a clear picture of progress, while teachers can target support and challenge appropriately.

Years 10–11

In Years 10 and 11, assessment becomes more formalised in preparation for GCSEs. Students are assessed through:

Teachers continue to use subject-specific criteria and “I can” statements to assess learning, ensuring alignment with GCSE requirements. Alongside formal assessments, classwork, independent work, and participation remain important indicators of progress.

As students move through KS4, their performance is tracked carefully using our assessment trackers, which outline expected learning outcomes by year group. This enables us to provide accurate and personalised feedback to students and parents.

  • Fortnightly quizzes to monitor retention and understanding
  • Half-term assessments to measure progress against subject criteria
  • End-of-term mock exams, designed to replicate GCSE conditions and expectations

Teachers continue to use subject-specific criteria and “I can” statements to assess learning, ensuring alignment with GCSE requirements. Alongside formal assessments, classwork, independent work, and participation remain important indicators of progress.

As students move through KS4, their performance is tracked carefully using our assessment trackers, which outline expected learning outcomes by year group. This enables us to provide accurate and personalised feedback to students and parents.

By Year 11, with most of the curriculum completed, teachers are able to provide predicted GCSE grades. These predictions are based on a range of evidence, including:

  • Classwork and home learning
  • Coursework (where applicable)
  • Fortnightly quizzes and half-term assessments
  • Mock examinations
  • Attitude to learning

Important Note!

It is important to note that these predictions represent our professional judgement at a given point in time. Like a weather forecast, they are not guarantees of final results, but they provide a clear indication of likely outcomes if current effort and progress are maintained.

- Shakhsiyah Schools