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Ridgewood School

Ridgewood School

Creating Futures

What is Creating Futures?

Creating Futures is the system we use at Ridgewood to monitor students’ progress and attitude throughout the year. The data we will report to you is the results of cumulative assessments undertaken in curriculum subject areas.

At KS4, we also let parents know how their child is performing in relation to their target in each subject. Students in KS4 receive information which tells them if they are ‘on track’ to achieve their target grade.

At KS3, students receive a percentage score which details their attainment in each subject with a comparison to both the whole year cohort and their ability cohort. At both KS3 and 4 students will be awarded an attitude grade for each subject: Outstanding, Motivated, Coasting or Unacceptable. This is a reflection of the student’s attitude towards completion of work in lesson, for homework, bringing equipment, working to a high standard, and their overall behaviour.

The Creating Futures system also allows teachers to record any concerns they may have with a student’s coursework or attendance, and any detentions they may have received.

When can I expect to receive Creating Futures data?

The Creating Futures data is inputted by teachers and reported to students and their parents twice in the school year.

You can expect to receive the data, depending on the year group of your child, in:

  • CF1 – Late December (Years 11 and 13)
  • CF1 – Late January (Years 7 to 10 and 12)
  • CF2 - Late March (Years 11 to 13)
  • CF2 - Early July (Year 12)
  • CF2 - Late July (Years 7 to 10)

Standardised Assessment

In Year 7, students compete baseline assessments in English, maths and science.  This data is set against national averages so that staff can support and challenge our students.  In Year 8 and Year 9 these tests are repeated to measure progress in our curriculum, allowing us to intervene with students swiftly when progress dips.

At the same time, students complete the CAT4 assessment which assesses reasoning skills to support the transition of our students from KS2 to KS3.

Targets at KS4

So that students are provided with a target grade we use FFT20.  FFT are a charitable organisation that provides the DfE and Ofsted with data regarding school performance.  We have provided one target that is designed to be achievable, but also provide challenge.  The targets can vary between subjects.

KS3 Assessment System

Many schools across the country have changed the way they record students’ attainment in Years 7, 8 and 9. This has resulted in the removal of levels which have long been used to tell students and parents how well they are doing. Like many schools, we feel that the most important aspect of assessment is ensuring students understand where they have done well and what they need to do to improve. We use a percentage based system where each student will be given a percentage attainment score for each subject, along with a comparison percentage against the whole cohort and their ability cohort. It was brought to Ridgewood after consulting with many outstanding schools across the country. We feel it supports students’ learning and simplifies our reporting to you.

The feedback we have had from other schools using a percentage-based system is that students and parents like its simplicity and the fact that teachers are able to give students very specific feedback to support their progress. We do feel that the approach we are taking to assessment clarifies reporting for students and parents, and secures strong learning for our students to support them as they progress through Ridgewood School.

Please get in touch via the enquiry form on our Contact Us page, should you have any further questions or to speak directly to our Assistant Headteacher, responsible for Creating Futures, Mr Ed Ball.