PARENT CONTRACTS

Assessment Policy

Rationale

At Jebel Ali School we believe that effective assessment provides information to improve teaching and learning. Assessment is used as a tool for teachers to plan each step of learning. To do this in our school we undertake two different but complementary types of assessment: assessment for learning and assessment of learning.

Assessment for learning (formative assessment) involves the use of assessment in the classroom to raise pupil achievement. It is based on the idea that pupils will improve most if they understand the aim of their learning, where they are in relation to this aim, and how they can achieve this aim (i.e. to close the gap in their knowledge).

Assessment of learning (summative assessment) involves judging pupils’ performance against national standards. Teachers may make these judgements at the end of a unit of work, of a year, or of a key stage. Test results also describe pupil performance, in terms of levels.

We give our children regular feedback on their learning so that they understand what it is that they need to do to improve. Research has shown that their involvement in the review process raises standards, and that it empowers pupils to take action towards improving their performance.

In our Foundation Stage, baseline assessment takes place in the first term. This is assessed using the Foundation Stage steps in all 7 areas of learning. Children are tracked and monitored throughout the Foundation Stage in each area of learning and regular observations and assessments are carried out. Where children are not meeting the expectation, strategies and support are put into place within the classroom setting.

We assess children formally each term in all core subjects in Year 1 to 6. We also use external standardised tests for English, maths and science to ensure our standards of attainment are benchmarked against independent, international standards. We administer the national assessments for England as per the national assessment schedule. These are normally taken at the end of KS1 and KS2.

Objectives

The objectives of assessment in our school are

• To enable our children to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do in their work
• To help our children recognise the standards to aim for, and to understand what they need to do next to improve their work
• To allow teachers to plan work that accurately reflects the needs of each child
• To provide regular information for parents that enables them to support their child’s learning
• To provide the headteacher and governors with information that allows them to make judgements about the effectiveness of the school
• To make international comparison

Planning for assessment

To guide our planning, we use the learning objectives from the National Curriculum for England. In our planning, we set out the aims, objectives and give details of what is to be taught to each year group. In our school curriculum plan we also identify opportunities for assessment within each broad unit of work.

We plan our lessons with clear learning objectives. We base these upon the teacher’s detailed knowledge of each child. We strive to ensure that all tasks set are appropriate to each child’s ability and differentiate accordingly. Our lesson plans make clear the expected outcomes for each lesson.

Teachers always share the lesson’s learning intention with the children as the lesson begins. They also indicate the way in which the activity is linked to the learning objective, the Steps-2-Success and the criteria against which the work will be judged.

Teachers ask well-phrased ‘open’ questions and analyse pupils’ responses to find out what they know, understand and can do, and to reveal their misconceptions.

We make a note of those individual children who do not achieve at the expected level for the lesson, and we use this information when planning for the next lesson.

Target-setting

We identify specific targets for writing and maths based on the last piece of assessed work. This target is discussed and agreed with each individual child.

Children are involved in setting individual targets for improvement set against specific criteria.

We set a class PSHE target.

Recording

We recognise various methods of assessing a child’s learning. The type of assessment that we make varies from subject to subject. We find it unnecessary to keep a formal record of all these assessments; we record only the information that affects future learning.

Teacher Assessment

We use our observations of the children’s learning during our teaching sessions, the on-going recorded work in the classroom, the children’s success at achieving their targets, our marking ladders, our maths passports, our progress sheets and our formal assessments to derive a teacher assessment for English, maths, science, Arabic and Islamic Education at the end of the academic year. Summative assessment is only a small part of deriving the teacher assessment; formative assessment carries a far heavier weighting.

Reporting to parents

We have a range of strategies that keep parents fully informed of their child’s progress in school. We encourage parents to contact the school if they have concerns about any aspect of their child’s work.

In Terms 1 and 2, we offer parents the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher. We discuss the child’s progress with the parents and explain the next steps in order to move the child’s learning forward.

In Term 3 we give all parents a written report on their child’s progress and achievements for the year and identify target areas for the next school year. We write individual comments on all core subjects of the English National Curriculum and on Arabic and Islamic Education.

Feedback to pupils

We believe that feedback to pupils is very important, as it tells them how well they have done, and what they need to do next in order to improve their work. We have an agreed code for marking, as this ensures that we all mark in the same way, and the children learn to understand it.

We give children verbal feedback on their work whenever possible. We usually do this when the children are working during the lesson, although we sometimes give feedback on a particular lesson at the beginning of the next one. When lesson time does not allow for verbal feedback, we write comments on the children’s work during marking. We give written comments to children of all ages. We do not always aim these comments at the children; quite often we write something that is useful to both parents and teachers.

When we give written feedback to a child, we relate this to the learning intention for the lesson. We make clear whether the objective has been met, and we produce evidence to support our judgement. If we consider that the objective has not been met, we make clear why we think so. In either case, we identify what the child needs to do in order to produce (even) better work in the future.

We analyse data and use this information to feedback to the children after each maths and writing assessment and discuss strengths and weaknesses and how this information can be used to move learning forward.

Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment

All teaching staff involve children in peer and self assessment to evaluate their own and each others’ work and to identify the next steps; this is approached in a variety of ways and shared with staff through the assessment folder on the server.

Marking Ladders are used after each English unit has been taught and both teacher and child mark the piece of writing against the criteria set in the marking ladder. In maths we use a traffic light system after each lesson for children to record how they found the lesson.

Consistency

All Year Group Leaders study examples of children’s work through monitoring children’s books and moderation is carried out within their year group team. By doing this we ensure that we make consistent judgements about standards in the school. The SLT monitors planning and books on a regular basis to ensure continuity and consistency across the school.

Learning Reviews

Each Year Group uses termly assessment data to analyse and monitor results across the cohort to ensure continuous and appropriate progress for all children. These learning reviews are shared with senior leaders and learning support staff to ensure comprehensive analysis of progress and accurate effective planning of next steps.

Cyberbullying Policy

Jebel Ali School believes that everyone in the school community has the right to learn and to teach in a supportive and caring environment without fear of being bullied. We are committed to helping all members of the school community to benefit from information and communication technology, whilst understanding its risks, and to equip children with the knowledge and skills to be able to use it safely and responsibly.

Aims

This policy aims to ensure that:

1. Pupils, staff and parents know about cyberbullying and its consequences
2. We have the knowledge, policies and procedures to prevent and, if necessary, to deal with cyberbullying in school or within the school community

What is Cyberbullying?

• Cyberbullying includes sending or posting harmful or upsetting text, images or other messages, using the internet, mobile phones or other communication technology. It can take many forms, but can go even further than face to face bullying by invading home and personal space and can target one or more people
• It can take place across age groups and target pupils, staff and others
• It can include threats and intimidation, harassment, defamation, exclusion or peer rejection, impersonation and unauthorised publication of private information or images. It can include messages intended as jokes, but which have a harmful or upsetting effect

Cyberbullying may be carried out in many ways

• Threatening, intimidating or upsetting text messages
• Threatening or embarrassing pictures and video clips via mobile phone cameras
• Silent or abusive phone calls or using the victim’s phone to harass others, to make them think the victim is responsible
• Threatening or bullying emails, possibly sent using a pseudonym or someone else’s name
• Menacing or upsetting responses to someone in a chat-room
• Unpleasant messages sent during instant messaging
• Unpleasant or defamatory information posted to blogs, personal websites and social networking sites (e.g. Facebook)

Prevention of Cyberbullying

• The nominated e-Safety Officer, (IT Leader), will oversee the practices and procedures outlined in this policy and monitor their effectiveness
• Staff will be trained to identify signs of cyberbullying and will be helped to keep informed about the technologies that children commonly use
• A Code of Advice (see Appendix 1) will be developed, periodically reviewed and communicated to help pupils protect themselves from being caught up in cyber bullying and to advise them on reporting any incidents
• Pupils will be informed about cyber bullying through curricular and pastoral activities.
• Pupils and staff are expected to use IT resources responsibly and to adhere to all relevant school policies
• Parents will be provided with information and advice on cyberbullying

Practices and Procedures

• The responsibilities of the school and of pupils as set out in the Anti-Bullying Policy apply also to this policy
• Positive use of ICT will be promoted and the related school policies on computer use and bullying will be kept under review as technologies develop
• CPD and INSET may be used to help staff develop their own practices and support pupils in safe and responsible use of ICT
• The school will encourage safe use of ICT, emphasising for example, the importance of password security and the need to log out of accounts
• The school will promote the message that asking for help is the right thing to do and all members of the school community will be informed how cyberbullying can be reported

Responding to cyberbullying

Cyber bullying will generally be dealt with through the school’s Anti-bullying policy. A cyberbullying incident might include features different to other forms of bullying, prompting a particular response. Key differences might be:

• Impact: possibly extensive scale and scope
• Location: the anytime and anywhere nature of cyber bullying
• Anonymity: the person being bullied might not know who the perpetrator is
• Motivation: the perpetrator might not realise that his/her actions are bullying
• Evidence: the subject of the bullying will have evidence of what happened

Support for the person being bullied

As with any form of bullying, support for the individual will depend on the circumstances. Examples include:

• Emotional support and reassurance that it was right to report the incident
• Advice not to retaliate or reply, but to keep the evidence and show or give it to their parent or a member of staff.
• Advice on other aspects of the code to prevent re-occurrence
• Advice on how the perpetrator might be blocked from the individual’s sites or services
• Actions, where possible and appropriate, to have offending material removed
• Advice to consider changing email addresses and/or mobile phone numbers
• Informing parents of both the victim and the perpetrator to ensure support, sanctions and counselling as appropriate are in place
• Discuss contacting the police in cases of suspected illegal content

Investigation

Again, the nature of any investigation will depend on the circumstances. It may include, for example:

• Review of evidence and advice to preserve it, for example by saving or printing, (e.g. phone messages, texts, emails, website pages)
• Efforts to identify the perpetrator, which may include looking at the media, systems and sites used. Witnesses may have useful information
• Requesting a pupil to reveal a message or other phone content or confiscating a phone
• Informing parents to discuss impacts and actions

Working with the perpetrator

Work with the perpetrator and any sanctions will be determined on an individual basis, in accordance with the Anti-Bullying Policy, with the intention of:

• Helping the person harmed to feel safe again and be assured that the bullying will stop
• Holding the perpetrator to account, so they recognise the harm caused and do not repeat the behaviour
• Helping bullies to recognise the consequences of their actions and facilitating change in their attitude and behaviour
• Demonstrating that cyber bullying, as any other form of bullying, is unacceptable and that the school has effective ways of dealing with it

Evaluating the effectiveness of counter bullying procedures

• Members of staff will report any incidents of cyberbullying to the e-Safety Officer who will ensure that a thorough investigation is implemented and appropriate actions taken in line with this and the Anti-bullying Policy
• The e-Safety Officer will review this policy as per the review cycle to ensure its relevance and effectiveness

Appendix 1

Cyber Safety Code

Three Steps to Safety

1. Respect other people – online and off. Don’t spread rumours about people or share their secrets, including phone numbers or passwords
2. If someone insults you online or by phone, stay calm. Ignore them, but tell someone you trust
3. ‘Do as you would be done by!’ Think how you would feel if you were bullied. You are responsible for your behaviour – so don’t distress other people or encourage others to do so

If you are being bullied
It is never your fault. It can be stopped and it can usually be traced.

• Don’t ignore the bullying. Don’t reply, but do tell someone you can trust, such as a teacher or parent, or call an advice line
• Try to keep calm. If you seem frightened or angry it will only make the person bullying you more likely to continue

Text/video messaging

• You can turn off incoming messages for a couple of days
• If bullying persists you can change your number (ask your mobile phone provider)
• Do not reply to abusive or worrying messages. You can report them to you mobile phone provider

Email

• Never reply to unpleasant or unwanted messages
• Don’t accept emails or open files from people you don’t know
• Don’t delete bullying emails – print them or save them as evidence in a separate folder

Social networking sites, chat rooms and instant messaging

• Change privacy settings so you can choose who to be friends with and who can see your profile.
• Don’t add anyone you don’t know to your friend list.
• Don’t use your real name in chat rooms.
• Never give out your photo or personal details, like your address, phone number or which school you go to
• Don’t post any pictures or videos you wouldn’t be happy for your parents or teachers to see. Once they are online they can be copied and posted in other places where you can’t get rid of them.
• Keep your passwords private and don’t tell anyone, not even your best friend

Always report bullying incidents. Not doing that allows the bully to continue. That’s not good for the victims, for those who witness the incidents or for the bully, who may need help to change their antisocial behaviour.

Attendance Policy

In partnership with you as parents, we aim at having a successful school. Your children play their part in making it so. For our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and your child should be at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. Hence, it is very important that you make sure that your child attends regularly and this policy sets out how together we will achieve this.

The Importance of Regular Attendance

Learning: Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. Any pupil’s absence disrupts teaching routines so may affect the learning of others in the same class.

Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is your responsibility and permitting absence from school without a good reason creates negative consequences regarding your child’s achievement and a negative school image.

Safeguarding: Your child may be at risk of harm if they do not attend school regularly. Safeguarding the interests of each child is everyone’s responsibility and within the context of this school, promoting the welfare and life opportunities for your child encompasses:

• Attendance
• Behaviour management
• Health and Safety
• Access to the curriculum
• Anti- bullying

Failing to attend school on a regular basis will be considered as a safeguarding matter.

Promoting Regular Attendance

Helping to create a pattern of regular attendance is everybody’s responsibility – parents, students and all members of school staff.

To help us all to focus on this we will:

• Report to you as part of your child’s school report, their attendance rate and how this relates to their attainments
• Celebrate good attendance by presenting certificates of attendance to students
• Discuss your child’s attendance and punctuality with you at parent consultations
• Contact you throughout the school year should we have a concern regarding your child’s attendance

Types of Absence

Every day absence from school has to be classified by the school (not by the parents), as either AUTHORISED or UNAUTHORISED. This is why information about the cause of any absence is always required, preferably in writing.

Whilst any child may be off school because they are ill, sometimes they can be reluctant to attend school. Any problems with regular attendance are best sorted out between the school, the parents and the child. If your child is reluctant to attend, it is never better to cover up their absence or to give in to pressure to excuse them from attending. This gives the impression that attendance does not matter and usually make things worse.

Persistent Absenteeism

A pupil becomes a ‘persistent absentee’ when they miss 20 school days or more for whatever reason. Absence at this level is doing considerable damage to any child’s educational prospects and we need parents’ fullest support and cooperation to tackle this. We monitor all absence thoroughly. Any case that is seen to have reached the PA mark or is at risk of moving towards that mark is given priority and you will be informed of this immediately. PA students are tracked and we also combine this with academic mentoring where absence affects attainment.

Absence Procedures

If your child is absent you must:

• Contact us before 8.00am on the first day of absence and every subsequent day of absence
• Send a note in on the first day they return with an explanation of the absence – you must do this even if you have already telephoned us

If your child is absent we will:

• Telephone you after 8.30am on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you
• Contact you to discuss the situation if absences persist
• May refer the matter to KHDA if attendance moves above or near 20 days

The minimum level of attendance for this school is 96%. Our target is to achieve better than this. Through the school year we monitor absences and punctuality to show us where improvements need to be made.

Summary

The school has a legal duty to publish its absence figures to parents and to promote attendance. Equally, parents have a duty to make sure that their children attend. All school staff are committed to working with parents and pupils as the best way to ensure as high a level of attendance as possible and that every child’s welfare and life opportunities are promoted.