Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1
National Curriculum Assessment 2015
Contents
Page
A
Introduction
1
B
Assessment requirements for 2015
5
C
Which pupils should be assessed?
6
D
Moderation for 2015
13
E
Reporting and publication of results by schools
20
Enquiries to: Andrew Cooper 0121 366 9954 or
Denise Harris 0121 366 9921
Or
Information Management Team 0121 303 8834
Publication date:
January 2015
Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
A
Introduction
Relevant guidance:




Standards and Testing Agency Key Stage 1 Assessment and
Reporting Arrangements (ARA) 2015, including the phonics
screening check (September 2015)
Phonics - Check administrators’ guide (February 2015)
Phonics - Guidance on monitoring visits (April 2015)
Standards and Testing Agency KS1 Guidance for teacher
assessment moderation 2015 (October 2014)
NB: Statutory guidance is now only available online.
Download from: www.gov.uk
Key Points for Key Stage 1 Assessment processes:
Head teachers have a duty to make sure the National Curriculum assessment
arrangements are implemented in their school. Head teachers must ensure their
schools comply with all aspects of the 2015 Key Stage 1 Assessment and Reporting
Arrangements and should take note of the responsibilities indicated in section 4 of
the introduction to the ARA.
Head teachers also have a responsibility to comply with the moderation processes
conducted by the Learning and Assessment Service on behalf of the Local
Authority, and the data collection processes conducted by the Information
Management Team.
Please note: Assessment and Reporting Arrangements includes information on
end of Key Stage 1 assessment and the phonics screening check
Academies and Free schools
Academies and Free schools are required to comply with the guidance issued by
the Secretary of State in relation to the end of key stage assessments including
moderation processes.
The standards and Testing Agency will be writing to academies and free schools to
ask them to confirm which LA you wish to:
 Conduct moderation visits for writing at KS2
 Conduct moderation visits for KS1
Should Academies and Free schools wish to purchase these services from the
Learning and Assessment Service (who work on behalf of Birmingham LA) please
contact las@servicesforeducation.co.uk or 0121 366 9954
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
Phonics Screening Check Overview
All children in Year 1 must be considered for the phonics screening check, as well
as those children in Y2 who did not meet the required standard in 2014 or have not
taken it before.
It is possible for Head teachers to withdraw children from the check, if the child has
not shown any understanding of grapheme-phoneme correspondences. However,
most children are expected to be able to access the check, especially section 1.
Parents must be told why their child is not being assessed. The Head teacher does
not need to inform STA nor follow a formal process to withdraw a child from the
check. Where a child has been withdrawn, schools should record code D for that
child.
Any child currently in Y2 who was not assessed in 2014 should be considered for
the phonics screening check.
Children who are recently arrived and not able to understand letters and sounds in
English should not take the phonics screening check. They should however, be
considered the following year. Pupils who use British sign language or other sightsupported communication boards should not take the check. (Refer to Section 4
ARA, Phonics screening check)
The screening check can be taken at any time during the week commencing 15th
June. If a child is absent that week they may take the screening check any time until
Friday 26th June. Any child who is absent for the entire period should be recorded
as absent when submitting data.
Phonics Screening check materials
Materials will be sent automatically to each school between Monday 1st June and
Friday 12th June – there is no need to register children. Each school will be sent
extra packs to cover children in Y2 who will be taking the check. Additional materials
may be downloaded from NCA tools from Monday 15th June 2015.
Security
All packs must remain secure and unopened before the check week.
Headteachers are responsible for the security of the checks in their school. They, or
a delegated senior member of staff should:
 Check the delivery against the delivery note by opening the box to count the
unopened packs
 Re seal the box
 Retain the delivery note
 Store the unopened packs in a secure cupboard
 Ensure that the packs are not opened the until Monday 15th June
 Ensure the materials are stored securely in between sessions / throughout
the week the checks are being administered. For example, if the checks are
administered to pupils in the mornings, at the end of the session, the
materials must be stored securely until the following morning.
 Ensure security and confidentiality of the materials is maintained until the end
of the administration window on Friday 26th June.
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
The STA Assessment and Reporting Arrangements 2015, Phonics screening check
section 7.2 states that:
‘Teachers mustn’t discuss the content of the check with anyone….in
particular you mustn’t discuss specific content which could compromise the
check on social media or publish it in blogs’.
The checks should be administered in a room that is free from excessive noise and
provides a comfortable space for the child. Any displays or materials that could help
the children in the check, must be covered or removed.
The local authority is required to make unannounced monitoring visits to 10% of
schools. These will be conducted on behalf of the LA by Denise Harris, Serena
Caine, Sue Collin and Louise Waller.
Preparing for the phonics screening check
The Check Administrators’ Guide will be revised for the 2015 check period and only
published online on the gov.uk website in February 2015.
Sample materials and the training video (which shows how to score the check) are
available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screeningcheck-sample-materials-and-training-video/phonics-screening-check-structure-andcontent-of-the-check The majority of teachers reported finding this material very
useful last year.
Reporting phonics results
As in 2014, phonics information will be submitted to the Information Management
Team via a CTF file generated from your school Management Information System
or other suitable software. You are required to submit outcomes for both Year 1 and
any relevant Year 2 pupils to the LA.
The assessment codes used to report on each child will be available in the Check
Administrators’ Guide due to be published in February 2015.
The deadline for submission to the LA will be posted shortly on eBriefing by the
Information Management Team (IMT). Further detailed guidance about recording
and submitting the outcomes will be published in due course by Link2ICT and IMT.
Schools that no longer get support from Link2ICT - or that choose to use software
that isn’t supported by Link2ICT - should check with their IT support function that
they will be in a position to record the outcomes and create the necessary file for
submission of phonics to the LA.
Reporting the phonic screening check results to parents
Schools must report each child’s screening check score and whether or not a child
has ‘met the standard’. Most schools include additional information for parents
including what the screening check covered, and how parents might support their
child. Threshold marks will be published on Monday 29th June on gov.uk.
School level results will not be published in performance tables, but results will be
accessible via RAISEonline for use in Ofsted inspections.
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
National and local results will be available with the key stage 1 statistics in autumn
2015 – allowing schools to benchmark their children’s performance.
For information, in 2014 nationally 74% of children ‘met the standard’ by the end of
year 1 and 88% met the standard by the end of year 2. The figures for Birmingham
are 73% and 87% respectively.
Overview of end of key stage 1 assessments
Tasks and Tests
Teacher Assessment (TA) is the main focus for end of key stage 1 assessment and
reporting. It is carried out as part of teaching and learning.
The statutory national curriculum tasks and tests must be administered to all eligible
children who are working at Level 1 or above in reading, writing and mathematics.
These inform the final TA judgements reported for each pupil at end of KS1
(Section1). As in previous years, you will need to submit the final TA levels to the
LA.
Please note:
This is the final year that schools will use the 2007 and 2009 versions of the tests.
If teacher assessment and task and test results differ, the teacher assessment
results should be reported, provided the judgement is based on an appropriate
range of evidence from work completed in class
Schools must use the 2007 and 2009 tests but may select which tests to
administer to children. Teachers may choose to administer the 2007 tests to
some children in the class and the 2009 to others. Please note: The writing tasks
(longer, shorter and spelling) must be from the same year.
As a minimum, teachers must administer a task or test in reading, writing and
mathematics for each child, except those judged to be working below level 1.
(section 1)
The teacher should decide which tasks or tests should be used for each child,
taking into account their knowledge of the level at which the child is working.
(section 3)
Pupils must not to be tested more than once during the year in each subject or
attainment target.(section 5)
Teachers should make judgements for end of key stage assessments based on
children’s progress over time and across a range of learning contexts. The use
of tasks and tests, in the ways indicated above, should inform the final
judgements.
Teachers should be able to justify the levels obtained from their own judgements.
However, they do not have to provide evidence to support their judgements
over and above evidence that would normally be available from on-going
learning and teaching.
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
The statutory requirements are detailed in the KS1 Assessment and Reporting
Arrangements 2015. These arrangements and additional guidance are published on
the DfE website www.education.gov.uk/ks1 The STA has decided not to provide
the ARA as a downloadable document.
Submission of KS1 data to the LA
The deadline for submission of end of KS1 assessments to the local authority is
Friday 19th June 2015.
The final section of this guidance (Section F), containing further guidance on the
recording and submission of KS1 assessments, will be published by the IMT in April.
Comparative information sheets will be published for each school, containing 2015
results and national results for 2014, when your results are processed by the
Information Management Team in the summer term. A pupil list will also be
provided allowing each school to view and check their submission.
B
Assessment requirements for 2015
Relevant documents:
STA Key Stage 1 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements 2015 -
End of key stage 1 National Curriculum Assessments

By the end of Key Stage 1 teachers must summarise their final teacher
assessments in the form of the levels that each child has achieved in:
English ATs: Speaking and listening, reading and writing
Mathematics: Each attainment target and an overall subject level
Science: Each attainment target. An overall science level will be
calculated automatically upon entering AT data into MIS software.
For level 2 assessments in reading, writing and mathematics, c/b/a grades within
that level must be reported. Separate teacher assessment and task/test levels
are not required.

Judgements should be based upon assessment evidence from on-going
learning and teaching and take account of the outcomes from the tasks
and tests. Levels from teachers’ own assessments do not have to agree with
the levels indicated by tasks or tests. If there is sound evidence from on-going
assessment of the level that a child has achieved that differs from the level
indicated by a task or test, then the level from on-going assessment should be
the teacher assessment level reported.

Schools are required to comply with the local authority’s arrangements for
moderation, data collection and processing.
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015

Final teacher assessments must be submitted to the local authority via the
Information Management Team by Friday 19th June 2015.

Schools must fulfil the requirements for reporting to parents in accordance
with the Key Stage 1 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements 2015, Tasks and
Tests, section 9. Separate task/test and teacher assessment results do not
have to be reported to parents (although parents have a right to the separate
information if they request it).
C
Which pupils should be assessed?
Relevant document:
STA Key Stage 1 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements 2015
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-1-assessment-and-reportingarrangements-ara/end-of-key-stage-1-assessment-arrangements
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-assessment-end-of-key-stage1/calculating-and-reporting-teacher-assessment-results
Children working below level 1 (W) including statemented children

The end of key stage assessment requirements apply to all children including
those who have not yet achieved level 1. However the use of tasks is
optional for children working towards level 1 and for these pupils end of
key stage assessments can be based entirely on teachers’ judgements.

For children working below level 1 who have special educational needs,
the use of P Scales is statutory. Please note that where a pupil is assessed
as W because he/she has English as an additional language but does not have
special educational needs, then only a W assessment should be recorded and
the P Scales should not be used. In your school management system, these
pupils should be recorded as ‘NOTSEN’ in the P Scales section.
Further information about P scales is published on the DfE’s website
https://www.gov.uk/teacher-assessment-using-p-scales
If a pupil is at P1i–P3ii level in English, then reading, writing, speaking or
listening levels would not normally be appropriate. If a pupil is at a level higher
than P3ii in English, then separate levels (P4–P8) can be given in reading,
writing, speaking and listening and an overall English level is not expected.
This also applies to mathematics, number, using and applying mathematics,
and shape, space and measures. For science, a single level from P1–P8
should be given. There may be exceptional circumstances where a pupil is
judged to be at P1i–P3ii in English and/or mathematics but at P4–P8 in a
particular element of the subject.
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015

Please note that there is no requirement for a pupil with a statement of
special educational needs to be disapplied by an amendment to his/her
statement.
Children taught outside of their age group
All children who are in their final year of Key Stage 1 in the school year 2014-2015
must be assessed. In most instances, these children will reach the age of 7 in this
school year and be in year 2. The guidance given below covers the most common
situations that may occur when children are taught outside of their age groups:

A year 1 child taught in a class of year 2 children and who will be moving
into Key Stage 2 this year should be treated as a Y2 child and included in the
end of key stage assessments. If the child is continuing in Key Stage 1 next
year and you decide to treat such a child according to his/her actual age then
(s)he should be assessed in 2016.

A year 3 child taught in a class of year 2 children should be included in the
assessments unless already assessed in 2014. If such a child was in a Y1
class last year and was not assessed, you should continue treating the child
according to the age of the class and include him/her in the assessments for
2015.

A year 2 child taught in a class of year 1 children could either be treated as
a Y2 child and assessed, or treated as a Y1 child and not assessed. However,
where the decision is made to treat the child according to the age of the rest of
the class, this decision should be applied consistently, and the child should be
included in the assessments in 2016 when the other children in the class will be
Y2.

A year 2 child in a year 3 class should have been assessed in 2014. If for
any reason the child has not previously been involved in the Key Stage 1
assessments, then in line with the headteacher’s statutory responsibilities for
ensuring that all pupils should be assessed at the end of the key stage, such a
child should be assessed in 2015.

A year 2 child taught in a mixed class where no one age predominates
should normally be treated according to his/her actual age and assessed. If it is
decided not to assess such a child, then (s)he should be assessed in 2016.

Where a child’s statutory assessment is postponed until next year, the
headteacher should discuss the decision with the child’s parents and make a
note of the decision in the child’s records.

Any child taught outside of his/her age group, who will be moving to a separate
junior school in September 2015, must be included in the assessments in 2015
unless he/she has already been assessed in a previous year.
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
New Arrivals

For a child newly arrived in the education system, particularly if (s)he has
limited skills in English, it may be difficult to make end of key stage
assessments. It is not possible to define 'newly arrived’ in terms of a specific
time period, given the differing rates with which such children develop some
competence in English and the differing rates with which they adapt to the
demands of the classroom. For some children, including those who have been
with you for only a short time, it may be possible to make the assessments, for
others it may not.

As a general principle, children should be involved in the assessments where at
all possible, including the use of tasks and tests as appropriate in line with the
requirements for end of KS1 assessments. Guidance concerning support for
pupils with first languages other than English is included within the teacher pack
for the task/test materials.

Where it is not possible to arrive at a teacher assessment, you should
record A (standing for ‘a secure level cannot be recorded because of long
periods of absence or arrives too late in the summer term for teachers
assessment to be carried out’) for each of the assessments. Where the child
does not speak English, W should be recorded for the assessments in
speaking and listening, reading and writing and ‘A’ in mathematics and
the individual attainment targets in science.
Children Who Arrive Without Records

Where a child arrives in year 2 at a time that makes it difficult to arrive at
teacher assessments and where it is not possible to obtain records for the child,
the child should be recorded as absent for the assessments using the A
code.

When a pupil arrives without records, the Head teacher should make
reasonable efforts to obtain these from the pupil’s previous school. The
previous school should be asked to send a common transfer file (CTF)
electronically.

Where it is possible, assessments should be made, informed by the use of the
tasks and tests as appropriate, in line with the arrangements for assessment at
the end of KS1.
If a pupil transfers schools
Scenario
Action
A pupil starts at a new school
before the summer half-term
The new school must report the pupil’s results to the
holiday
LA
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
Scenario
Action
A pupil starts at a new school
The previous school must report the pupil’s results
after the summer half-term
to the LA, including pupils who transfer to a new
holiday
school during the holiday
A pupil moves school within
year 2
The new school must report the end of key stage
results to the pupil’s parents
Long Term Absence (including illness/hospitalisation)

The statutory requirement for a child to follow the National Curriculum and to be
assessed rests with the school. If a pupil is on roll at your school but is in
hospital or is receiving home teaching, you should liase with the teacher who is
currently supporting the child to decide whether it is feasible for teacher
assessments to be made. If it is possible to make these assessments,
informed by the appropriate use of tasks and tests in line with the assessment
arrangements for KS1, the assessments should be made and the outcomes
included in your school’s results.

Where it is not possible to make teacher assessments, then the A code
(standing for ‘a secure level cannot be recorded because of long periods of
absence or insufficient information’) should be used to record the outcomes
of the statutory assessments for that pupil.

If a child is absent for any other reason (for instance, outside of the country
for an extended period), then the A code should be used to record the
child’s assessments.
Short Term Absence (whether authorised or unauthorised, including short
term illness)

For shorter-term absence, whether authorised or unauthorised, it will be
possible to make end of Key Stage 1 assessments.

Where it is not possible to make assessments (for example, due to
prolonged intermittent absence), then the A code (standing for ‘a secure level
cannot be recorded because of long periods of absence or insufficient
information’) should be used to record the child’s assessments.
Children unable to access the tasks or tests

For children working at level 1 or above who are unable to access the tasks
or tests, you should make your assessments based upon on-going teacher
assessments and report these levels. Such children should not be
disapplied. However, under these circumstances you should complete the
form on pages 11 and 12 of this guidance, with a copy sent to:
Information Management Team - Performance, PO Box 16406, Birmingham ,
B2 2BW, Fax 0121 303 8844
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015

Where a child has been disapplied from all or part of the National
Curriculum, code D should be recorded for the relevant parts of the end of
key stage assessments. Where code D has been used, you should complete
the form on pages 10 and 11 of this guidance, with a copy sent to:
Information Management Team - Performance, PO Box 16406, Birmingham ,
B2 2BW, Fax 0121 303 8844
Travelling Children

Travelling children are often absent from school for extended periods and this
can be problematic when making the Key Stage 1 assessments. You should
make every effort to make teacher assessments. Where it is not possible
to make any of the assessments, then the child should be recorded as
absent using the A code.
Parental Requests

Parents may sometimes request that their child should not be included in the
assessments. Headteachers would need to consider such a request but would
only be able to meet it if satisfied that appropriate circumstances applied, such
as those covered in these notes. Such a request cannot be met purely on the
basis of parental objections to the assessments. Head teachers have a
statutory duty to ensure that National Curriculum assessments are carried out
as appropriate for each eligible pupil.
The Standards and Testing Agency Key Stage 1 Assessment and Reporting
Arrangements, Tasks and Test, section 4.1 states: ‘The head teacher’s
decision regarding participation [in the assessments] is final.’
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
2015 Key Stage 1 assessments
Child not accessing the Key Stage 1 Assessments
Report Form - guidance
Notification of where teacher assessment cannot be made because a child is
disapplied from relevant part(s) of the National Curriculum or where a child is
working at the level of the tasks/tests but is unable to access them.
Before completing this form please refer to the guidance above.
NB: If the child is working towards level 1 (W), you do not need to complete
this report form. If a W assessment is being made because the child has
English as an additional language then ‘NOTSEN’ should be recorded in your
MIS. For other children, assessment should be made and recorded using the
P Scales.
School name
__________________________________________________________
DfE number ________________________________________________
Child’s name
__________________________________________________________
Please provide, in the box on the following page, a short explanation setting out the
reasons why this child will not be able to access some or all of the Key Stage 1
tasks or tests for 2015. The explanation should, as appropriate:
 include a brief description of the child’s present circumstances;
 refer to any action already taken, or special support already offered, and to
any procedures the school has used to analyse and monitor the child’s needs,
or if this information is documented elsewhere, indicate where it can be found;
 refer to discussions with the child’s teachers and parents or carers;
 refer to any consultations with educational psychologists, medical officers or
other specialist staff.
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
2015 Key Stage 1 assessments
Child not accessing the Key Stage 1 Assessments
Report Form
Notification of where teacher assessment cannot be made because a child is
disapplied from relevant part(s) of the National Curriculum or where a child is
working at the level of the tasks/tests but is unable to access them
Signed (Headteacher)
___________________________________________________
Date
____________________________________________________________
Please send a copy to:
Information Management Team - Performance, PO Box 16406, Birmingham, B2
2BW, Fax 0121 303 8844
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
D Moderating the end of key stage 1 assessment in 2015
Relevant documents:
STA Assessment and Reporting Arrangements 2015
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-1-assessment-andreporting-arrangements-ara/end-of-key-stage-1-assessment-arrangements
Guidance for key stage 1 teacher assessment moderation 2015
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-1-guidance-for-teacherassessment-moderation--2
Introduction
Please note: Local authorities must externally moderate 50% of their infant
schools during the 2014-15 academic year.
The following notes provide details of the Key Stage 1 moderation procedures that
will be followed in Birmingham in 2015.

Moderation will involve approximately 25% of schools in the city. Schools have
been identified for moderation on the basis of a rolling programme that ensures
all schools are included over a four year period. In addition, schools are
selected to be moderated using criteria identified by the Standards and Testing
agency including:
 50% of infant schools
 Ofsted category / STA concerns
 Schools where attainment and progress at KS1 and KS2 are inconsistent
 Teachers are new to Y2 / NQT, new headteachers or senior management teams
 Assessments are felt to be at risk of inaccuracy
 Specific issues have been identified from previous years
(Guidance for key stage 1teacher assessment moderation 2015
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/36564
4/KS1_modn_rqmts_effective_practice_for_LAs.pdf )
Therefore, any school may be selected in any year regardless of when it was
previously moderated. Schools may also request a moderation visit.
 Standards and Testing Agency have again instructed local authorities not to give
formal notice to schools before the final week of the spring term and to conduct
moderation visits only in the summer term.
 Schools selected for moderation will be informed by letter at the beginning
of the last week of the spring term. A follow up telephone call from the
moderator should be expected by the end of the final week of the spring
term.

Moderation of reading, writing and mathematics will take place through school
visits in the summer term.
January 2015
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015

Schools, including those who are not in the moderation samples, will be able to
participate on a voluntary basis in centre based, cross school moderation
meetings for writing and /or reading. Information will be sent to schools on
request, and will include details of associated charges.

Moderators will be Learning and Assessment Service advisors, associate
advisors and serving teachers with experience of end of KS1 assessments and
moderation.

Schools will be required to provide the moderator with a ranked list of year 2
teacher assessment judgements by class for reading, writing and mathematics
as well as task and test outcomes where available prior to the visit.

Moderators must request to see the results of the statutory tasks and tests to
identify how the levels have been used to inform the school’s TA.

Dates for school visits will be arranged between moderators, Head teachers and
Y2 teachers.

If schools cancel moderation visits at short notice it will be necessary to
reschedule the visit. In these cases, or where it is necessary to make an
additional visit, the school may be charged for the moderator’s time.
Moderation visits to schools
The role of the moderator is to:
 Visit the school to moderate a sample of all Y2 teachers' assessments, check
teachers’ understanding of standards and consider the evidence from across the
year. They will also identify and give feedback on any inconsistencies and
explain how these should be remedied.

Complete a Record of Moderation form indicating whether or not the teachers'
judgements are consistent with national standards and identifying any action
points including:
 any TA judgements which the LA will consider additional evidence for a higher
level
 any TA judgements which the LA will not consider additional evidence for a
higher level
 any other TA judgements which the moderator has asked you to reconsider
Moderators will visit schools that are required to take part in statutory moderation for
a minimum of half a day in the summer term to moderate teachers' assessments.
They will sample at least 10% of pupils from across the year group, selected by the
moderator from the whole class list/s of children and their current TA levels.
Moderators will discuss their choice with the teacher/s. The sample of children will
cover the full range of attainment from each class and will include different children
for reading writing and mathematics. In a one-form entry school the moderator will
discuss three pupils each for reading, writing and mathematics in the one class.
Details of the structure of the moderation visit for 2015 will be provided to
schools by the moderators, who will telephone schools to agree a date for the half
day visit and discuss the structure of the visit in detail.
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
Moderators will negotiate an appropriate format for the moderation visit with
teachers working in special education.
Professional dialogue with teachers
The focus of the moderation visit will be to enable moderators and teachers to
have a professional dialogue about each pupil's achievements in either: reading,
writing or mathematics.
Therefore, it will be necessary for Head teachers to ensure teachers and
moderators have time and space to discuss evidence and assessment
judgements. The moderator will also address any questions teachers have about
the statutory assessments.
Schools are strongly encouraged to involve Year 3 teachers in the
professional dialogue and moderation process in order to support transition.
This particularly but not exclusively, applies to separate infant and junior
schools.
NB: Moderators will not observe the conduct of any statutory task or test
assessments.
Optional Writing moderation meetings
Schools may choose to be represented at a one day Writing Moderation Meeting in
the summer term. Early booking is suggested in order to secure preferred dates
and venues.
Delegates are required to bring writing from a statutory writing task (i.e. either
2007 or 2009 version) and dated writing samples from ‘ordinary’ classwork which
provides evidence for the TA judgement (at least 4 pieces of work from a range of
contexts). Without work arising from both task and ongoing teacher assessment, it
will be not be possible to moderate a school's judgements. Teachers attending
must be fully conversant with the evidence for each pupil including
knowledge related to level of independence / any support provided e.g. by
classroom assistants
The sample of writing should be drawn from across the Y2 classes and should
include the work of 3 pupils i.e. a high, a middle and a low achieving pupil.
For each pupil the sample should include:



2 pieces of writing from the statutory writing task (either the 2007 or 2009
version, whichever the school chooses to use);
spelling test script and score;
at least 4 other pieces of writing completed as part of normal class work and
deemed to be typical of the pupil. These pieces should represent both
narrative and non-narrative forms and include cross curricular evidence.
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
Teachers should assess the statutory writing task using the mark schemes and a
highlighted mark scheme should accompany each script. A4 versions of the
mark schemes for the 2007 and 2009 writing task are supplied in the respective
English Task packs.
Writing completed as part of normal class work should be assessed and a ‘best fit’
level judgement made, not a separate level for each piece. Schools may wish to
use the Assessing Pupils’ Progress Writing Assessment Guidelines (APP), to
make and summarise teacher assessments, and whilst this is recommended, it is
not statutory. If using other assessment criteria it is advisable to check that
judgements are consistent with national standards by referring to the APP
Guidelines, the APP Standards Files and the NC level descriptions for writing.
At the end of KS1 judgements on pupils’ attainment must be summarised in relation
to national curriculum level descriptions:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statutory-guidance-schools
Teachers need to be prepared to state their overall teacher assessment for
each of the 3 pupils. The judgements should be moderated within school
prior to bringing the samples to the Writing Moderation meeting.
If you have any queries about KS1 moderation please contact Denise Harris on
0121 366 9954
Moderation in special schools

In some special schools, it may not be possible to meet the moderation
requirements as outlined above, due to the attainment levels of their Year 2
pupils. Where a special school has been identified as part of the 25% sample of
schools, the nature of the moderation will be subject to negotiation between the
moderator and the school. Schools will be asked to present appropriate
evidence reflecting the performance of their pupils in relation to the English and
mathematics assessments they are making.
Verification of Assessment Standards Procedures
 One of the local authority’s statutory duties following moderation is to notify the
Head teacher of each moderated school whether or not the assessments in the
school are accurate and consistent with national standards. The moderation
process outlined in these notes is intended to ensure the maximum possible
consistency of assessments across schools and to deal with any inconsistencies
through a process of discussion and negotiation between the moderator and the
school. In the very rare circumstance where it was not possible to reach
agreement between a school and its moderator, this would be referred by the LA
moderation manager to a senior LA officer for adjudication. The school would
also be offered adjudication by a moderation manager from another LA.
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
 At the end of the assessment process, the local authority will notify each of the
sample schools that the assessment outcomes are accurate and, that they have
been arrived at on the basis of statutory procedures. The confirmation will
depend on:
-
-
the school having been involved in the moderation in school as described
above
assessment judgements having been agreed by the moderator
submission of results for all year 2 pupils to the Information Management
Team following participation in the moderation process

Please note that in order for any school (whether it is in the moderation sample
or not) to have met the statutory requirements for National Curriculum
assessment at the end of Key Stage 1, it is necessary for all pupils at the end of
the key stage to have been assessed as appropriate and for their results to have
been submitted to the Information Management Team for processing.

You must submit accurate TA data to your LA which reflects any changes
made as a result of an LA moderation visit.

If you wish to submit TA which is different from that agreed during the visit
you must contact Learning and Assessment (LAS) in advance.

You will need to give evidence to justify your changes and reach
agreement on final data.

There could be a maladministration investigation of your school’s TA if
you submit changed data without LAS consent.
Learning and Assessment Service has identified dates on which schools will be
required to attend a centre based moderation meeting to formally review any
application to revised teacher assessment judgements supported by appropriate
evidence. These will be confirmed with schools as appropriate and necessary.
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
Statutory end of Key Stage 1 moderation - appeals procedure 2015
One of the local authority’s statutory duties following moderation is to notify the head
teacher of each moderated school whether or not the assessments in the school are
accurate and consistent with national standards. The LA moderation process is
intended to ensure the maximum possible consistency of assessments across
schools and to deal with any inconsistencies through a process of discussion and
negotiation between the moderator and the school.
Issues concerning the assessment judgements being made by a school may arise
during statutory moderation visits to schools in the summer term or during optional
writing moderation meetings in the summer term.
Where issues arise during a moderation visit:
 advice is given to the schools as appropriate about their assessments and the
changes that need to be made to bring the assessments in line with national
standards. This advice is recorded on the record of moderation form. The head
teacher is briefed in all such cases during the moderation visit and the
moderation manager is informed;
 the moderation manager makes contact with the head teacher to discuss the
issues and next steps are agreed as appropriate;
 where necessary, a follow up visit may be made by the moderation manger or
another moderator (as agreed between the head teacher and the moderation
manager) or the school may be required to attend a subsequent moderation
meeting before any submission of teacher assessment data to the Local Authority
to check that assessments are now being made in line with the advice given;
 where there continue to be issues about the judgements being made, the school
is required to make changes to its assessments as directed by the moderator in
agreement with the moderation manager.
Where issues arise during a writing moderation meeting:
 advice is given to the representatives of the school during the course of the
meeting about their assessments and the changes that need to be made to bring
the assessments in line with national standards. This advice is recorded on the
record of moderation form;
 the moderation manager makes contact with the head teacher to discuss the
issues and next steps are agreed as appropriate;
 where necessary and before any submission of teacher assessment data to the
Local Authority the school is required to attend a subsequent moderation
meeting or a visit may be made to the school;
 where there continue to be issues about the judgements being made, the school
is required to make changes to its assessments as directed by the moderator in
agreement with the moderation team manager.
If it were not possible to reach agreement between a school and the moderation
team manager, a referral would be made to the appropriate Schools and Settings
Improvement Team Locality Lead Adviser for adjudication.
The school would also be offered a referral to an independent moderator from
another LA. Birmingham has an agreement with LA moderation managers that are
members of Midlands AAIA to act as independent moderators if requested. The
decision of an independent moderator would be final.
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Maladministration
‘Maladministration’ refers to any act that:


affects the integrity, security or confidentiality of national curriculum
assessments or the phonics screening check
could lead to results that do not reflect pupils’ actual ability or unaided work
Teacher Assessment
STA will investigate any matter brought to their attention relating to the accuracy or
correctness of a pupil’s TA.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-1-and-2-maladministrationinvestigation-procedures
Once an investigation has finished STA are responsible for deciding whether the
school’s TA is accurate. They may void the school’s TA judgements if they conclude
that there is doubt about the accuracy of pupils’ assessments.
Phonics Check
A school could be subject to investigations of maladministration if it doesn’t comply
with:
 the ‘Assessment and reporting arrangements’
 the check administration guidance
STA have a statutory duty to investigate any matter brought to their attention
relating to the accuracy or correctness of any pupil’s check results.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-1-and-2-maladministrationinvestigation-procedures
Maladministration can lead to changes to, or annulment of, results for a whole
cohort, groups of pupils or individual pupils.
You should contact the national curriculum assessments helpline to report any issue
with TA or with the administration of the phonics check and/or any allegations of
maladministration.
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
E
Reporting results to the local authority
Introduction
The following guidance details the statutory requirements for the reporting and
publication of end of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum assessment results. Similar
guidance for Key Stage 2 results is included in the equivalent LA guidelines for Key
Stage 2.
Relevant Documentation:
Standards and Testing Agency Key Stage 1 Assessment and Reporting
Arrangements 2015 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-1assessment-and-reporting-arrangements-ara/end-of-key-stage-1-assessmentarrangements Section 5
Techer Assessment KS1
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-assessment-end-of-key-stage-1
Information concerning the use of Common Transfer Files is available at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schooladmin/ims/datatransfers
/ctf
Reporting to parents
Written reports should be provided to parents/carers at least once during a school
year. Details of reporting requirements are contained in the Key Stage 1
Assessment and Reporting Arrangements 2015
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-1-assessment-and-reportingarrangements-ara/tasks-and-tests#parent
The following end of Key Stage 1 results should be reported to parents:
English (teacher assessment) for: speaking and listening, reading and writing
Mathematics (teacher assessment): overall subject level
Science (teacher assessment): overall subject level
For pupils working towards level 1, schools should report progress in the P Scales in
English, mathematics and science.
Sheets containing comparative information for each school's 2015 results with
national results for 2014 will be provided for reporting to parents of year 2 children,
as in previous years, when your results are processed by the Information
Management Team.
Pupils who transfer to a new school
Whenever a pupil changes school (including when they move from an infant school
to a separate junior school), there is a statutory requirement to use the Common
Transfer File (CTF) for the transfer of information to the receiving school, including
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Birmingham LA Guidance for Statutory End of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Assessment 2015
details of the end of Key Stage 1 assessments. Detailed information is available in
Key Stage 1 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements 2015
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-1-assessment-and-reportingarrangements-ara/keeping-and-maintaining-records--6
and at
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schooladmin/ims/datatransfe
rs/ctf
In some circumstances, and with the agreement in advance from the Local
Authority, schools may resubmit or amend KS1 data late in the summer term.
If this occurs after a transfer file has been sent to the receiving school, the
KS1 school MUST ensure that the amendments are passed to the receiving
school so they have an accurate assessment record for all transferring pupils.
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