Academic Review December 2020
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4 December 2020 |
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Dear Parent/Carer
On the 17th and 18th December, Blaise High School (BHS) is holding the first Academic Review (AR) event of this academic year. The aim of this is to give parents, pupils and teachers the opportunity to discuss academic performance. The term will end for students at 15.00 (16.00 for Y11) on Thursday 17th December to facilitate this event.
Unlike last year when you were able to attend in person, due to Covid-19 restrictions, this will be a remote event. Before the event you will receive the following information:
- Your child’s academic report for the Autumn term.
- A summary of what has been studied this term in each subject
- Some of the frequently asked questions with answers
Once you have read your child’s report, if you have questions for teachers, please contact the school using the following form. To access this click here.
This form will open on Thursday 10 December and will close at 18.00 on Tuesday 15th December to ensure that questions can be disseminated to staff in time for the AR. Staff will reply to your questions by email by 16.00 on Friday 18th December.
We really hope that this adjusted form of AR will both maintain the safety of our community and ensure effective academic discussions.
Yours sincerely
Mr J Harvey – Deputy Headteacher
Frequently asked questions
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FAQ |
Answer |
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Why don’t BHS give grades to Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students? |
We have made the decision to give parents the score that the pupils achieved in the last assessment, and where that assessment fell in the year group. This is more accurate than a grade, and gives you a clear idea of how your child is performing in assessments relative to their peers. It is also very difficult to accurately give a grade to Years 7, 8 and 9 as there are no national standardised assessments. This means that we would be reporting inconsistent data. |
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Why does my child have a “ranking” for each subject? |
BHS do not believe in ranking students. We don’t believe that assessment outcomes represent the whole of a pupils abilities, but we do think that parents should know where that assessment ranks compared to other assessments in the year. Students are not being ranked; their assessments are. This information will only be given to you, and no-one else will see it. Teachers at BHS believe that hard work beats talent. Anyone can improve their assessment ranking if they work hard and take the advice that their teachers are giving them. |
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What does the ‘rank’ mean and how was it calculated? |
Years 8 to 10 Key Stage 2 scores have been ranked by average. This can be seen at the top of the report. Year 7 did not sit KS2 exams so their reading scores and spelling scores have been averaged and ranked based on what we assessed on entry in Y7. This information gives you a guide as to where your child’s assessment scores ranked within their year group at the start of Y7. Alongside subject results you also see a rank. This is where your child’s assessment is ranked compared to the other students in their year group who study that subject. In the example following:
The number a rank is out of can change due to alterations to the school roll (new students join and some leave), option classes that do not include the whole year group, and tiered papers at KS4 where some students follow a ‘Higher’ tier and some a ‘Foundation’ tier. |
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My child was absent for the assessment. How have they been given a result and rank |
Absence has been higher than usual this year due to Covid-19. Where a student has missed an assessment and has not been able to complete this prior to the data being processed, teachers have used all available evidence to estimate a grade; the student’s exercise book, verbal contributions in lessons, homework quality and quantity for example. If absence has been too high to make a sound evidence-based estimate, a letter ‘A’ represents the absence. |