Menu

Knowledge Organisers - for the attention of parents and students

Thamesview Curriculum Intent and Implementation

Curriculum Intent for History

History at Thamesview School is intended to provide students with a broad and balanced range of knowledge that takes them beyond their own experiences, but also reflects the diversity and difference that exists within the school environment and the wider world. With this in mind, our curriculum is intended to produce well-rounded, active citizens, who are knowledgeable and interested in the world around them. The curriculum is designed to give students equal access to knowledge and a vehicle with which to address social disadvantage through the cultural capital it delivers, as well as also developing good character.

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum offers a broad and balanced range of knowledge to our students. Our curriculum echoes the National Curriculum in that it provides chronological coherence, and deepens pupils understanding through a combination of overview and depth studies. It gives our students to a wider appreciation of the past, and the development of society. At Key Stage 3, the curriculum aims to increase knowledge of historical periods, people, trends and events in order to develop and retain a rich knowledge of the past; and to ensure students possess powerful knowledge that makes them ‘culturally literate’. It will also enable students to work like a historian through the use of sources of evidence and understanding of second order concepts. It will also support our students to communicate and debate effectively by considering different interpretations of the past and being able to write longer written answers that evaluate, judge and argue. At Key Stage 4, students will gain both a broad and depth understanding of history over many centuries and in different places. Pupils will study a thematic study, a case study of a historical environment, a British depth study, a period study and a modern depth study. The aims of the curriculum are to develop an awareness of why people, events and developments have been accorded historical significance and how and why different interpretations have been constructed about them; to engage in historical enquiry to develop as independent learners and as critical and reflective thinkers; and to organise and communicate their historical knowledge and understanding in different ways and reach substantiated conclusions. At Key Stage 5, students will explore aspects of the past in breadth and in depth and be able to make links and draw comparisons between different aspects of the periods being studied. They will examine significant individuals, societies, events, developments and issues within a broad historical context and analyse their significance. They will be able to demonstrate their understanding of key historical terms and historical concepts, such as change, continuity, causation, consequence and significance and to analyse and evaluate the causes and consequences of historical events and situations, and changes and developments in the periods and themes studied.

Across Key Stage 3, students will study six units per year, each relevant to an overarching theme, in order to gain a broad understanding of the narrative of British, European and elements of world history. In Year 7, students begin with a thematic study of migration through time and all other units come under a theme of the changing power of the monarchy, covering Anglo-Saxon, Plantagenet, Tudor, Stuart and Georgian England and key events that affected the power of the monarchy, such as the break with Rome and the English Civil Wars. In Year 8, the theme is the changing nature of society and the economy and covers the Industrial Revolution, crime and punishment, the British Empire, Slavery and the Civil Rights movement. In Year 9, all units follow a theme of the changing world in the twentieth century and covers key world events, such as the First and Second World Wars, the Holocaust and events linked to the Cold War. In Year 10, students will study a thematic study on Medicine in Britain and injuries and treatments in the trenches of the First World War and a British study on Early Elizabethan England. In Year 11, students will study a modern depth study on Weimar and Nazi Germany and a period study on Superpower Relations and the Cold War and. In Year 12, students will study a British period study and enquiry on the making of Georgian Making of Georgian Britain and a thematic study with historical interpretations on Russia and its rulers. In Year 13, students will study a non-British period study on the French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon and research their topic-based essay.

The content is sequenced broadly chronologically at Key Stage 3 in order for students to appreciate the developments in history over time, with only some exceptions, for example the study of civil rights follows on from the study of slavery, as this enables students to see developments in race relations over a longer period of time. The sequencing also develops in terms of its geography over time, with Year 7 focusing solely on English and British history, developing into Britain’s influence in the world in Year 8 and the wider world, in some cases without British involvement, in Year 9. This allows students to create a wider understanding of the history of the world. Across Key Stage 3, skills are also developed cumulatively over the three years, with Year 7 focusing on narrative, inference, causation and the use of evidence to provide a foundation for moving on to more complex skills in Year 8, such as source utility, analysis of interpretations and creating substantiated judgements. These skills will be reinforced in Year 9. Key Stage 4 begins with the thematic study, as this develops on from the thematic studies at Key Stage 3. 9. The shorter period and British studies and the depth study of Weimar and Nazi Germany will follow, which students will have some previous knowledge of from Key Stage 3.   

Link to Whole School Intent

The schools intent of Trivium has a prominent place in the History curriculum, with the objective that students are able to know more, think critically about that knowledge and communicate effectively to others. The curriculum is designed to take students outside of what they are familiar with by covering a wide range of subjects that will be new to them, as well as developing their knowledge of what they may already know. The curriculum features key questions which are designed to get students thinking further and in more detail about what they are studying. Students will become more confident with communicating their views and opinions, both verbally and in writing. They will also develop the skills of evaluating, judging and arguing supported by evidence based on what they have learned, so they can clearly demonstrate their knowledge of the topics they have studied.

Curriculum Implementation for History

History will be taught to all students at Key Stage 3 during five lessons per fortnight and is an option subject at Key Stage 4 with five lesson per fortnight and is an option subject at Key Stage 5 with students having nine lessons per fortnight. Each topic has been designed to try and cover major periods of change or development in the last 2000 years, as well as a range of political, economic, social and religious history. Across all key stages, lessons and units will be taught through an enquiry-based approach with units not only having an overarching enquiry question, but also each lesson having an enquiry question as the title, which students should be able to answer by the end of the lesson. This is intended to get students thinking and applying the content they are covering. This will also assist them to engage with the knowledge they are presented with and think critically about several second-order concepts, such as change and continuity, significance and cause and consequence.

Where possible additional revision and review time should be incorporated into the curriculum to ensure that students are prepared for the different types of assessment questions they will face and to consolidate their knowledge, but this should not take the form of ‘exam technique’ lessons at Key Stage 3. Teachers will instead aim to teach History thoroughly and well, and design tasks that encourage the students to be knowledgeable and use that knowledge in extended forms of written communication. Students will sit an end of unit assessment in which they will complete low-stakes knowledge recall questions and longer responses based around key historical skills. This will be used to inform teaching and learning by helping teaching staff to assess what form effective feedback should take and indicating what skills should be the focus of upcoming lessons. Feedback will be used to support students in making progress through developmental marking, which will enable students to develop their thought processes and respond to misconceptions, as well as modelling, which will allow teaching staff to give examples of effective writing.

Link to Whole School Implementation

The implementation of Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction is an important part of teaching in the History curriculum. The review of material is a key part of every lesson in the form of the Do Now activity, as this helps to reinforce and consolidate learning from the previous lesson. Questioning also features prominently in lessons with key questions to develop student thinking built into schemes of work, alongside enquiry questions. There are also clear links to the Thamesview Feedback policy, as teaching staff will model answers with students to demonstrate effective writing. Independent practice is built into every lesson with an expectation that students apply what they have learned. This will be scaffolded where required.

How Impact is measured within the department

The impact and effectiveness of the History curriculum will be measured by regular assessment of knowledge through low-stakes testing, the scores of which will be recorded on a departmental tracker. Students to be regularly assessed on their ability to write a narrative of the events they have studied. Students are increasingly expected to be able to use more detail, accurate factual recall and start to make sense of events in the past. Students will be judged on their ability to analyse sources, particularly to be able to make inferences, as this in the building block of historical evidential work, as well as their ability to understand the reliability and utility of sources. Students are also expected to increasingly use their contextual knowledge to give more nuanced and sophisticated explanations of the relative worth of a source to a particular enquiry. The assessment model will include both recently learned and cumulative knowledge to help students to know more, retain more and be able to use existing and newly acquired knowledge to engage in extended writing. Data from assessment is to be recorded on assessment trackers, which will be analysed to inform future planning decisions, particularly in terms of skills development. Teacher assessment will be used to ensure that the curriculum is being delivered in an impactful way through reflecting on whether students know more and are able to remember information and demonstrate understanding from earlier in the course as well as what they have most recently studied. Additionally, departmental monitoring will be in place in the form of learning walks and book scrutinies.   

Thamesview Sixth Form Curriculum Intent and Implementation

Intent:

At Thamesview 6th Form, our goal is for all students, staff, parents and carers to develop a sense of a shared ambition for success, and the resilience to achieve that ambition. Our shared vision is for all students to leave Thamesview 6th Form as knowledgeable, respectful global citizens who are fully prepared to overcome all challenges that come their way in a rapidly changing society. In achieving this, we consider that wider opportunities in the 6th form are essential to the holistic development of our students. Students have the opportunity to become part of the Student Leadership Team as well as being part of an active academic and pastoral mentoring programme that supports students in the lower school.

At KS5 we offer a varied curriculum made up of A levels,  Vocational courses, and the Extended Project Qualification. Students are able to commence a Foundation Pathway should they fail to meet the Level 3 pre-requisites. This breadth of choice allows students to specialise and focus their learning on three key areas of study and provides access to higher education, apprenticeships and straight-to-work options. In the 6th Form, we provide high quality careers guidance and experiences to ensure that students embark on the correct programme of study or employment pathway for them. All students will be exposed to advice and guidance from our Careers Advisor.

We aim to map our values and vision across the KS5 curriculum. To support this, each department has a clear statement of its curriculum intent, implementation and impact; additionally, each department has its own curriculum map.

Students are mature in how they work and behave. They are keen to go to university and, with good careers advice, have begun to think carefully about their futures. They are good role models for younger pupils.” (Ofsted, 2018)

At Thamesview 6th Form, our intent is trivium. As outlined by educationalist Martin Robinson, we expect all students to “know well, think well, communicate well”.

Know well: To achieve this, all 6th Form students will be exposed to the best knowledge in their curriculum. Schemes of Work have been carefully designed to ensure that students are able to build on prior learning and knowledge. In most cases, this will be done through ‘do it now’ activities that are prominent in lessons at KS5. Core knowledge is identified and embedded in the fabric of teaching and learning so that students are able to articulate what needs to be retained in their long-term memory. Where possible, hinterland, substantive and procedural knowledge will be utilised to support the core knowledge taught; this will often include trips outside of the classroom, processes and narratives to reinforce understanding. As a member of the 6th Form, students are encouraged to build their resilience for their chosen subjects and read outside of the curriculum; all students will be given a core reading list and a wider reading list for their chosen subject area; this will enable the application of subject terminology to specific tasks and case studies where applicable.

Think well: At Thamesview 6th Form, questioning is planned in line with the curriculum and the core knowledge required. As preparation for life after 6th Form, students at KS5 are encouraged to critically explore ideas and concepts beyond the recollection of facts. To demonstrate ambition, students are encouraged to ignite debate and discussion amongst their peers and demonstrate that they are aware of other perspectives and viewpoints. Often, teachers will use pedagogic models that encourage students to be more independent in their thinking and learning, this will often include working on the foundations of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Bruner’s scaffolding techniques.

Communicate well: At KS5, assessments are either low stake demonstrating retrieval of knowledge or cumulative end of unit assessment. At level 3, assessments will tend to be extended pieces of writing that require analytical and evaluative skills. Schemes of work have been carefully developed to ensure that any mis-conceptions are planned for. Furthermore, communication is also done in the form of articulate debates which enthuse and stimulate discussion around a specific topic area.

Our shared vision is for all students to leave Thamesview 6th Form as knowledgeable, respectful global citizens who are fully prepared to overcome all challenges that come their way in a rapidly changing society- whether that be for Higher Education or the workplace. We deem it important that students can leave with the necessary skill set to analyse, evaluate and communicate effectively. In achieving this, we consider that wider opportunities in the 6th form are essential to the holistic development of our students. Students have the opportunity to become part of the Student Leadership Team as well as being part of an active academic and pastoral mentoring programme that supports students in the lower school.

Implementation:

At Thamesview 6th Form, students can expect a high quality education that is centred on the individual needs of each student. We believe passionately that every young person, regardless of social background or previous experiences, deserves the chance to succeed in education and that is why we expect high standards of effort and behaviour from all of our students. Our curriculum implementation ensures that each student is able to access a curriculum pathway that enables them to make the best progress.

We offer three pathways:

  • Pathway A that is made up of Level 3 courses and the Extended Project Qualification (2 years)
  • Pathway B mirrors Pathway A but allows students to resit their Math and English in dedicated timetabled lessons.
  • Pathway C is a foundation year, best suited for those that have not met the pre-requisites of the Level 3 courses (1 year)

We aim to shape and evolve our students to be as independent in their studies as they can possibly be and prepare them for life after the 6th Form. It is imperative that students are able to take responsibility for their own learning and complete all activities that are required in class and also sat as homework. All lessons will be planned in line with the school’s teaching and learning policy and teachers will plan for regular summative and formative assessment points. As a member of the 6th Form, students will be required to abide by the school rules (where applicable) and adhere to the dress code.

All students will be given the chance to partake in Year 12 work experience. Additionally, students will be given plenty of opportunities to attend University open days and career/ apprenticeship fairs. These experiences will help prepare our students for life after Thamesview 6th Form.

“I’m very impressed with the standard of lessons being delivered with a variety of tasks” (Parental feedback, 2021)

At Thamesview 6th Form, implementation is centred around Rosenshines ‘Principles of Instruction’. It is important that in all lessons, a review of previous learning takes place; in most cases this will be done in line with low stake assessments and the ‘do it now’ activities. New material will be presented in small, manageable steps in line with the scheme of work and the specification, whereby questions will be asked to ensure that any misconceptions are addressed. At KS5, questions will tend to be analytical and evaluative in nature so that the student is able to reflect on cause and consequences. At Thamesview 6th Form staff and students have many resources available to enable them to model key concepts and pieces of work, whether this be technological or pedagogic, students can use these processes to help guide them through their work. As previously mentioned, scaffolding techniques are used to enable students to reach their full potential. Where possible, independent practice is encouraged whether this be in the form of wider reading, peer teaching or research specific tasks.

Impact:

Results have been improving year on year since opening in September 2017. We have achieved a 100% pass rate for each cohort and surpassed Kent averages. 100% of our students who made University applications received entry to their first choice universities. This is due to the hard work and dedicated of both students and staff where we strive for excellence on a daily basis.

From a Teaching and Learning perspective, at Thamesview 6th Form there are a range of measures used to evaluate the impact of the curriculum. These include:

  • Progress measures using formative and summative assessment
  • Observation of pupil engagement during drop-ins, lessons observations and learning walks
  • Deep Dives carried out in conjunction with partner Gravesham Schools
  • Director led work scrutiny
  • Reviewing attendance data
  • Student/ parental surveys
  • Destination data and follow up calls to students, parents and carers to ensure transition to University, apprenticeship or employment has been successful.

We aim to map our values and vision across the KS5 curriculum. To support this, each department has a clear statement of its curriculum intent, implementation and impact; additionally, each department has its own curriculum map. Schemes of Work will be reviewed year on year so that necessary amendments can take place if need be.

Student success stories (2020):

“Nga Siene received the equivalent of two A* and one A at A-Level is studying International Business at Greenwich University”

“Alex Austin received the equivalent of two A* and one A at A-Level is studying Film and Screen Arts at Plymouth College of Art”

“Jamie Ward received the equivalent of two A* and one A at A-Level is studying Law at Canterbury University”

“Jamie Rafferty received the equivalent of one A*, one A and one B at A-Level is studying Digital Music and Sound Art at the University of Brighton”

“Molly Maxted received the equivalent of two A* and is studying Law at Greenwich University”

 

Subject Curriculum Intent and Implementation

Curriculum Intent for History

History at Thamesview School is intended to provide students with a broad and balanced range of knowledge that takes them beyond their own experiences, but also reflects the diversity and difference that exists within the school environment and the wider world. With this in mind, our curriculum is intended to produce well-rounded, active citizens, who are knowledgeable and interested in the world around them. The curriculum is designed to give students equal access to knowledge and a vehicle with which to address social disadvantage through the cultural capital it delivers, as well as also developing good character.

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum offers a broad and balanced range of knowledge to our students. Our curriculum echoes the National Curriculum in that in provides chronological coherence, and deepens pupils understanding through a combination of overview and depth studies, giving our students a wider appreciation of the past, and the development of society. At Key Stage 3, the curriculum aims to increase knowledge of historical periods, people, trends and events in order to develop and retain a rich knowledge of the past; and to ensure students possess powerful knowledge that makes them ‘culturally literate’. It will also enable students to work like a historian through the use of sources of evidence and understanding of second order concepts. It will also support our students to communicate and debate effectively by considering different interpretations of the past and being able to write longer written answers that evaluate, judge and argue. At Key Stage 4, students will gain both a broad and depth understanding of history over many centuries and in different places. Pupils will study a thematic study, a case study of a historical environment, a British depth study, a period study and a modern depth study. The aims of the curriculum are to develop an awareness of why people, events and developments have been accorded historical significance and how and why different interpretations have been constructed about them; to engage in historical enquiry to develop as independent learners and as critical and reflective thinkers; and to organise and communicate their historical knowledge and understanding in different ways and reach substantiated conclusions. At Key Stage 5, students will explore aspects of the past in breadth and in depth and be able to make links and draw comparisons between different aspects of the periods being studied. They will examine significant individuals, societies, events, developments and issues within a broad historical context and analyse their significance. They will be able to demonstrate their understanding of key historical terms and historical concepts, such as change, continuity, causation, consequence and significance and to analyse and evaluate the causes and consequences of historical events and situations, and changes and developments in the periods and themes studied.

Across Key Stage 3, students will study six units per year, each relevant to an overarching theme, in order to gain a broad understanding of the narrative of British, European and elements of world history. In Year 7, all units come under a theme of the changing power of the monarchy and cover Anglo-Saxon, Plantagenet, Tudor, Stuart and Georgian England and key events that affected the power of the monarchy, such as the break with Rome and the English Civil Wars. In Year 8, the theme is the changing nature of society and the economy and cover the Industrial Revolution, crime and punishment, the British Empire, Slavery and the Civil Rights movement. In Year 9, all units follow a theme of the changing world in the twentieth century and covers key world events, such as the First and Second World Wars, the Holocaust and events linked to the Cold War. In Year 10, students will study a thematic study on Medicine in Britain and injuries and treatments in the trenches of the First World War and a modern depth study on Weimar and Nazi Germany. In Year 11, students will study a period study on Superpower Relations and the Cold War and a British study on Early Elizabethan England. In Year 12, students will study a British period study and enquiry on the making of Georgian Making of Georgian Britain and a thematic study with historical interpretations on Russia and its rulers. In Year 13, students will study a non-British period study on the French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon and their topic-based essay.

The content is sequenced broadly chronologically at Key Stage 3 in order for students to appreciate the developments in history over time, with only some exceptions, for example the study of civil rights follows on from the study of slavery, as this enables students to see developments in race relations over a longer period of time and uninterruptedly. The sequencing also develops in terms of its geography over time, with Year 7 focusing solely on English and British history, developing into Britain’s influence in the world in Year 8 and the wider world, in some cases without British involvement, in Year 9. This allows students to create a wider understanding of the history of the world. Across Key Stage 3, skills are also developed cumulatively over the three years, with Year 7 focusing on narrative, inference, causation and the use of evidence to provide a foundation for moving on to more complex skills in Year 8, such as source utility, analysis of interpretations and creating substantiated judgements. These skills will be reinforced in Year 9. Key Stage 4 begins with the thematic study, as this develops on from the thematic studies at Key Stage 3 and then moves into a study of Germany, which builds on prior knowledge from Year 9. The shorter period and British studies will follow in Year 11, which students will have some previous knowledge of from Key Stage 3.   

Link to Whole School Intent

The schools intent of Trivium has a prominent place in the History curriculum, with the objective that students are able to know more, think critically about that knowledge and communicate effectively to others. The curriculum is designed to take students outside of what they are familiar with by covering a wide range of subjects that will be new to them, as well as developing their knowledge of what they may already know. The curriculum features key questions which are designed to get students thinking further and in more detail about what they are studying. Students will become more confident with communicating their views and opinions, both verbally and in writing. They will also develop the skills of evaluating, judging and arguing supported by evidence based on what they have learned, so they can clearly demonstrate their knowledge of the topics they have studied.

Curriculum Implementation for History

History will be taught to all students at Key Stage 3 during four lessons per fortnight, is an option subject at Key Stage 4 with five lesson per fortnight and is an option subject at Key Stage 5 with students having nine lessons per fortnight. Each topic has been designed to try and cover major periods of change or development in the last 2000 years, as well as a range of political, economic, social and religious history. Across all key stages, lessons and units will be taught through an enquiry-based approach with units not only having an overarching enquiry question, but also each lesson having an enquiry question as the title, which students should be able to answer by the end of the lesson. This is intended to get students thinking and applying the content they are covering. This will also assist them to engage with the knowledge they are presented with and think critically about several second-order concepts, such as change and continuity, significance and cause and consequence.

Where possible additional revision and review time should be incorporated into the curriculum to ensure that students are prepared for the different types of assessment questions they will face and to consolidate their knowledge, but this should not take the form of ‘exam technique’ lessons at Key Stage 3. Teachers will instead aim to teach History thoroughly and well, and design tasks that encourage the students to be knowledgeable and use that knowledge in extended forms of written communication. Students will sit an end of unit assessment in which they will complete low-stakes knowledge recall questions and longer responses based around key historical skills. This will be used to inform teaching and learning by helping teaching staff to assess what form effective feedback should take and indicating what skills should be the focus of upcoming lessons. Feedback will be used to support students in making progress through developmental marking in books, which will enable students to develop their thought processes and respond to misconceptions, as well as modelling, which will allow teaching staff to give examples of effective writing.

Link to Whole School Implementation

The implementation of Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction is an important part of teaching in the History curriculum. The review of material is a key part of every lesson in the form of the Do Now activity, as this helps to reinforce and consolidate learning from the previous lesson. In addition to this, students also complete a low-stakes assessment every six lessons to help with recall of cumulative knowledge, as part of the Thamesview Assessment policy. Questioning also features prominently in lessons with key questions to develop student thinking built into schemes of work, alongside enquiry questions. There are also clear links to the Thamesview Feedback policy, as teaching staff will model answers with students to demonstrate effective writing. Independent practice is built into every lesson with an expectation that students apply what they have learned. This will be scaffolded where required.

How Impact is measured within the department

The impact and effectiveness of the History curriculum will be measured by regular assessment of knowledge through low-stakes testing, the scores of which will be recorded on a departmental tracker. Students to be regularly assessed on their ability to write a narrative of the events they have studied. Students are increasingly expected to be able to use more detail, accurate factual recall and start to make sense of events in the past. Students will be judged on their ability to analyse sources, particularly to be able to make inferences, as this in the building block of historical evidential work, as well as their ability to understand the reliability and utility of sources. Students are also expected to increasingly use their contextual knowledge to give more nuanced and sophisticated explanations of the relative worth of a source to a particular enquiry. The assessment model will include both recently learned and cumulative knowledge to help students to know more, retain more and be able to use existing and newly acquired knowledge to engage in extended writing. Data from assessment is to be recorded on assessment trackers, which will be analysed to inform future planning decisions, particularly in terms of skills development. Teacher assessment will be used to ensure that the curriculum is being delivered in an impactful way through reflecting on whether students know more and are able to remember information and demonstrate understanding from earlier in the course as well as what they have most recently studied. Additionally, departmental monitoring will be in place in the form of learning walks and book scrutinies.   

Schemes of work from

Homework

What is being studied each term

Assessment

Humanities Faculty Assessment and Feedback Policy

Rationale

Assessment across Humanities is intended to support our students to ‘Know well, think well, communicate well’, in accordance with the whole school intent of Trivium. Out intention is for students to both be able to recall core knowledge they have learned and to apply this knowledge, so that they are able to think in more depth about how they use the knowledge have learned.

In order to achieve this, students in Humanities will sit two assessments per half term:

  1. Formative assessment, which will take the form of a low-stakes knowledge check.
  2. Summative assessment, which will take the form of either a cumulative assessment or an end of unit assessment.

PSHE assessment will differ from that in Ethics, Geography and History in that only low-stakes formative knowledge checks will take place.

Formative Assessment

Years 7-11 (Ethics, Geography, History, PSHE)

Lesson-based assessment, known as a knowledge check, will take place in all Humanities subjects.

Knowledge checks should:

  • Be carried out approximately every ten lessons or one per term (this should roughly be as units are being completed).
  • Check students’ understanding of the content they have been studying (substantive knowledge) by assessing their recall key facts, key terminology and key processes they have learned across a topic.
  • Check for any misunderstandings or misconceptions that students may have surrounding the topics they have studied.
  • Be marked in green pen by students or red pen if marked by teachers (this will be dependent on whether low-stakes assessment takes place at the same time as summative assessment).
  • Be followed up by teacher-led feedback in which strengths are identified, misconceptions highlighted, exemplars/models provided and next steps tasks given to develop students understanding of areas that they have found to be more challenging. This should take the form of a whole class feedback sticker, in accordance with the Thamesview School Feedback Policy.

All students responses to the feedback should be completed in green pen.

Formative Assessment

Years 7-11 (Geography and History) and Years 7-9 (Ethics)

End of topic or cumulative assessments are to take place in Ethics, History and Geography only.

Formative assessment should:

  • Be prepared by the subject leader, or where prepared by another member of teaching staff checked by the subject leader, to ensure the content is appropriate and reflects student learning.
  • Not be shared with students prior to the assigned time and date of the assessment.
  • Reflect the information contained in the relevant knowledge organiser, so that students are able to adequately revise for the assessment.
  • Assess student understanding of procedural knowledge and the skills they have developed over the course of their learning with question types that are reflective of this learning.
  • Be cumulative in terms of the development of skills, in order to cater for the needs of all students, including LAPs, MAPs, HAPs, SEND and PP. An example of this could be the inclusion of define, describe, explain and evaluate questions.
  • Be scaffolded, where required, through the use of sentence starters to support all students to complete extended pieces of writing. This should be minimised for Year 10 and 11, with alternative means of supporting students being found that reflect the needs of GCSE assessments.
  • Be followed up by teacher-led feedback in which strengths are identified, misconceptions identified, exemplars/models provided and next steps tasks provided to develop students understanding of areas that they have found to be more challenging.

Marking of formative assessments at KS3 should be carried out by the class teacher with data inputted into the trackers. Class teachers should use the data in the tracker to identify and respond to any gaps in learning. Subject Leads should use the tracker to gain an overall picture of gaps in knowledge and skills among the entire cohort and adapt future plans of study accordingly.

Marking of GCSE mock papers should be shared amongst staff in the subject. Standardisation is to take place prior to learning to ensure that variation in marking is minimised. Moderation is to take place once all papers are marked. This is to be led by Subject Leads and involve all staff who have taking part in the marking process. Results should be entered into the subject tracker and gap analysis completed by the Subject Lead to identify any adjustments that are required to future learning.

Literacy

Contacts for the department

Your browser is out-of-date!

Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now

×