Assessment at Salford City Academy is deliberately designed to enable the impact of the curriculum implementation to be measured. Our curriculum is the progression model. Therefore assessment is planned to assess the extent to which students have learned the curriculum and enable responsive action to be taken to address misconceptions and close any gaps in knowledge.
The majority of assessment that students experience is formative assessment in every lesson as is a crucial mechanism by which teachers check for understanding and ensure that their teaching is responsive. Teachers engineer classroom discussions, plan activities and ask diagnostic questions that elicit evidence of learning, adapting their teaching to address misconceptions. Checkpoint assessments are also undertaken by students in all subjects at regular intervals, which comprise assessment of the most important core knowledge in each subject area and the disciplinary application of this knowledge.
Students in Key Stage 3 (Y7-Y9) complete summative assessments in English, Maths, Science, Geography, History, Spanish and RS. In the vast majority of cases, these assessments are completed twice per academic year: once in the middle and once at the end by students across United Learning schools. These common summative assessments allow students to demonstrate their understanding in each subject and enable teachers to assess the impact of their teaching.
The culmination of our curriculum is that students leave our school with both a broad and deep understanding that enables them thrive. We know our students as individuals which enables us to provide bespoke academic and careers guidance throughout their time with us. We expect and demand of ourselves that all students leave Salford City Academy with the grades required to progress to their desired ambitious destinations and the character development which ensures that they are able to thrive.
Through the planning of an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum, and the expert implementation of it across all of our subjects, we bring out the best in everyone, in every lesson, every day.