One of the most important times of the academic year for Kip students is the period April-May-June. This is usually when their diligent efforts throughout the year are examined in school.
Students in Years 2 and 6 sit UK statutory SATs tests, whilst students in Years 11 and 13 sit external GCSE and A-Level Examinations.
Year 2 SATs look at Maths, Reading, Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar. These tests mark the end of KS1 and progression into KS2 for 7-year-old children. The outcomes of the test, which are all marked by the school, allow teachers to benchmark where each student is. This is then used to identify where additional input may be necessary and where specific students need to catch up.
A new, Year 4 test, called Multiplication Tables Check has been introduced by the Government in 2021/22. The Year 4 Times Tables Test is an online test with 25 questions; children must answer each question within a 6 seconds time limit, so the whole test will take less than 5 minutes. The scope of this new test is to check whether students know and can recall their times tables (up to 12x) quickly.
Year 6 SATs mark the end of Primary School for 11 year old’s and the transition from KS2 to KS3. Each child will sit SATs in Maths, English Reading, English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling. These exams are marked in a different manner to the Year 2 SATs; they are marked externally. The school will use the results to position themselves when compared to other schools in the UK. It is possible that the Secondary school the child moves up to will use the results to “band” the students who arrive in Year 7. More likely, they will carry out their own assessment at the start of Year 7 in order to decide which set to put each student into.
Within Secondary schooling in the UK, the end goal for students is their GCSE Exams, taken in Year 11, at the end of KS4. Each student undergoes wide-ranging learning throughout KS3 (Years 7 to 9), prior to selecting their “options” for GCSE during Year 9. In KS4, students undertake “mock exam” scenarios to prepare them for the final GCSE Exams at the end of KS4. At this stage of a young person’s life, their GCSE results are used to determine what steps they then take on the progression to Post 16 learning. For some students this will be A-Levels, studied in Years 12 and 13; for some, it will be an apprenticeship (which maintains academic learning) or a vocational study in specific subject areas which they are considering careers in Post 18. The outcomes of A-Level Exams can be all of the above, plus University if the student is keen to pursue their academic education.
At Kip, students of all ages work specifically on their own needs, be it generally catching up and keeping up, or working towards one of these milestones. We always celebrate success with students when the results of the tests are made available to them / their parents. We absolutely know that each child will have done their best and should therefore be proud of the outcomes. Over the last 10 years, we have seen the whole range of scores achieved by Kip students, from meeting expectations, to significantly exceeding expectations. Speaking to each student individually, we know that for them, Kip has made a significant positive difference. Students who have spent time at Kip are in the best possible place to meet each challenge as it arises, being both academically prepared and possessing the maximum possible confidence in their own ability to succeed.
Dave & Sue Priestley
