Introduction to Parent Friendly Assessments
We have produced these parent friendly assessments to allow parents greater insight into the levels that we assign to your child in Maths, Reading and Writing.
Explanation of Levels
Each child is assessed using the terms ‘Working Towards’, ‘Expected Standard’, and ‘Greater Depth’. Children working at a level before their current Key Stage are assessed as Pre Key Stage (PRE).
This is how we define each level:
WTS (Working Towards Standard): Children are working within the age-related expectations (ARE) but are not yet achieving all requirements, or they are working on the previous year’s curriculum. They may require more adult support.
EXS (Expected Standard): Children are secure in the majority of expectations, rarely needing adult support for routine tasks. This indicates they are ready for the next phase of learning.
GDS / GD (Greater Depth Standard): Often used to denote high attainment this means that children show exceptional understanding, can apply skills independently, and often demonstrate knowledge and skills beyond the standard curriculum.
You can find a detailed breakdown of what each level means for Reading, Writing and Maths for each year group on our website. This will give you a clear idea of what your child has achieved and what their next steps are.
Please note that these criteria are a ‘best fit’ and teachers use their professional judgement to assign an appropriate level for each child. It is common for children to take time to reach the expected level, especially when they change year group. At checkpoints before the end of the year, (ie in the winter and spring terms) children are assessed according to what has already been taught, and not according to the entire curriculum for that year group.