Assessments

At Harris Academy Ockendon, assessment is driven by our curriculum.

Our aim is simple: to understand how much of our broad, ambitious and knowledge-rich curriculum is being learned and remembered by our students.

We believe that learning has only occurred when it has altered long-term memory. Assessment helps us check this, ensuring that every student is making meaningful progress.

Subject-Specific Assessment Approaches

Assessment is tailored to each subject. Teachers select the most appropriate methods to evaluate learning, whether through practical work, written tasks, performances, or end-of-unit tests. This ensures that we assess what truly matters in each discipline.

Key Stage 3

• Two formal assessment windows take place each academic year.
• During these windows, departments assess what students have learned and remembered since Year 7.
• Mini assessments are also conducted throughout the year at times that best suit each subject. These may include short performances or end-of-unit tests.

All assessments contribute to an overall percentage score for each student, indicating the proportion of the curriculum they have successfully learned. This score is reported to parents alongside the year group average, providing a clear and honest picture of progress.

We use low-stakes, high-frequency assessments to give students multiple opportunities to succeed, avoiding unnecessary level descriptors or misleading judgements.

Key Stages 4 and 5

• Students complete three formal assessment windows each year.
• These include assessments that mirror national exams, alongside regular mini assessments.
• Students are only assessed on content they have been taught, and mock exams, known as PPEs (Pre-Public Examinations), are sat only when students are ready.

PPEs are a higher-stakes opportunity for students to revise, prepare, and demonstrate their knowledge. Following PPEs, we report a Most Likely Grade (MLG) to parents. This grade reflects the most probable outcome at the end of Year 11 or Year 13, based on:

• Performance in assessments
• Attitude to learning
• Engagement in lessons
• Potential for improvement