Life After Levels: One School’s Story of Transforming Primary Assessment

Sam Hunter

Aug. 2016 · Learning Matters

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This is the story of one school's successful journey to a 'life after levels'.

Together, the Headteacher and staff at one successful school took on the challenge: Where do we begin? What is the best assessment system for our school and our children? How do we make the most of assessment opportunities in the classroom? How do we create an assessment policy from scratch and implement it in the school? How do we evaluate it, re-shape it and talk about it to parents, the wider school community and our colleagues in primary education?

Through exploring one school’s story, this text supports teachers and schools in a time of uncertainty, confusion and choice to make the most of the new opportunity to assess children without the restrictions of levels.

"The removal of Levels has given all professionals involved in education a unique opportunity to rediscover what we value in this key aspect of teaching and learning...and it is an opportunity that we must grab with both hands. I want this book to provide a time for reflection for teachers and school leaders to re-adjust their thinking on assessment and to get excited about it."
- Sam Hunter -

Autoren-Profil

As a headteacher Sam Hunter is committed to providing the best possible education to the children in her care. After nearly 20 years working in education, she is currently the head at Hiltingbury Junior School, a thriving learning community in Hampshire, which fosters forward-thinking and outward-looking practice. In 2014 the school was recognised by the Department for Education through the assessment innovation fund. Since then Sam has been sharing her approach to assessment, while regularly speaking at national conferences and hosting visits to her school. This allows colleagues from across the UK and abroad to experience how Learning Ladders works in the classroom. Sam believes in the power that quality assessment creates for transforming teaching and learning. Life After Levels is her first book and her aim is to ensure that schools feel confident in creating their own ethos of assessment, which has pupils’ learning at its centre rather than a fear of accountability. She believes that pupils’ understanding of their role in learning underpins successful assessment. Sam is passionate about school-to-school support and is also a guest contributor to TES.