As a special school for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, all our pupils are working below the expected levels of the national tests at the relevant key stages. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for our children to be entered for these tests. In Key Stage 4, pupils work towards qualifications and appropriate accreditations.
Curriculum
Unlike the standard national curriculum, at special schools there is no expectation that a child will achieve a particular level by a given age or make progress at a predetermined rate. However, attainment of a level by a particular age helps identify likely rate of progress using the Connecting Steps assessment tool.
Assessments
Our assessments are based on professional judgment of staff. Teachers use their knowledge of the child, consider the contexts in which learning takes place and gather evidence from a variety of sources, to support their decisions and to make their judgements based on everyday activity and continual monitoring and assessment. These judgements are moderated both internally and externally with professionals from other schools.