Assessment plays an important part in helping every student to succeed. It helps teachers understand what students know, where they may need further support and what they are ready to learn next. It also helps students recognise their strengths and next steps, while giving families clear and useful information about their child’s attainment and progress.
Our approach to assessment has been carefully designed to reflect the different stages of a student’s education. At Key Stage 3, students are developing the knowledge, understanding and skills that will provide the foundations for future study. They do not begin their GCSE or equivalent courses until Year 10, so we do not believe it is helpful or meaningful to assess younger students using GCSE grades. At Key Stage 4, our approach changes to reflect the requirements of the qualifications students are working towards.
This page explains how we assess students and report their academic attainment and progress at both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.
At Key Stage 3, we use a Mastery Framework to assess students’ attainment and progress. The framework focuses on how securely students understand and can apply the important knowledge and skills within each subject.
It sets high expectations for every student, regardless of their starting point, and provides the strong foundations needed for success at GCSE and beyond. It encourages students to think about what they need to understand, practise and master, rather than focusing only on marks or grades.
Through the Mastery Framework, we aim to develop confident and resilient learners who understand what successful learning looks like, recognise what they have achieved and know what they need to do next.
Students at Key Stage 3 are not awarded GCSE grades because they do not begin their GCSE or equivalent courses until Year 10. Instead, attainment is communicated using five descriptors:
Emerging, Developing, Securing, Advancing and Mastering
These descriptors show how confidently and consistently a student is demonstrating the knowledge and skills taught through the curriculum. They provide a more meaningful picture than a single numerical grade by showing how securely a student understands their learning and where further development may be needed.
Each subject has its own subject-specific attainment descriptors because success looks different across the curriculum. However, our whole-school descriptors provide a consistent language through which attainment can be understood and communicated.
The descriptors are also linked broadly to possible outcomes at GCSE. For example, a student whose Minimum Target is Developing is working towards the knowledge and skills that may typically lead to at least a Grade 3 by the end of Key Stage 4.
Although each subject has its own subject specific attainment descriptors, the generic descriptors below provide some indication of attainment within each descriptor.
For each subject, reports will include:
Together, these provide a clear indication of a student’s attainment and how well they are progressing towards their potential future outcomes.
Progress does not always mean moving immediately from one descriptor to the next. The curriculum becomes increasingly demanding as students move through Years 7, 8 and 9. A student who remains within the same descriptor may therefore still be making strong progress because they are successfully applying their learning to more challenging knowledge, concepts and skills.
Teachers consider a range of evidence when evaluating attainment and progress. Depending on the subject, this may include classwork, formal assessments, practical activities, performances, presentations, investigations, projects and the application of knowledge over time.
This allows teachers to build a balanced picture of what each student knows, understands and can do.
Each subject has identified the knowledge and skills that students need to develop during Key Stage 3. These form important building blocks for future learning and eventual success at GCSE.
Students are supported through:
This makes it easier for students to understand what successful performance looks like and what they can do to improve.
The Mastery Framework is a way of assessing how securely students have learned the knowledge and skills taught within each subject. Rather than focusing solely on grades, it focuses on what students know, understand and can do.
The framework provides a clearer picture of learning by focusing on the knowledge and skills students are developing. It helps students understand what they need to learn next and supports long-term success at GCSE and beyond.
Research suggests that grades alone often tell us little about what a student can actually do. The Mastery Framework provides more detailed information about strengths, areas for development and progress over time.
No. Expectations remain high. The framework is designed to ensure that all students are challenged appropriately and continue to make strong progress.
All students should strive to improve, but Mastering represents exceptional depth of understanding. Not all students will reach Mastering in every subject or every assessment.
Yes. The descriptors reflect a student’s current level of performance and can change as their knowledge and skills develop.
Targets are informed by prior attainment and other information available when students join the school. They provide an aspirational benchmark for achievement.
Generally, targets remain fixed throughout Key Stage 3 to provide a consistent benchmark against which progress can be measured.
This is excellent and demonstrates that they are exceeding expectations. We will continue to challenge and support them to achieve their full potential.
This does not necessarily mean there is a cause for concern. Teachers will identify areas for development and provide support to help students make progress.
Students in Years 7–9 are still developing the foundations needed for GCSE study. GCSE grades can sometimes provide a misleading picture because students have not yet completed the full GCSE curriculum.
Yes. The curriculum, assessment objectives and mastery descriptors have been designed to build the knowledge, skills and habits required for GCSE courses.
Yes. Students will receive GCSE-style grades during Key Stage 4 as they begin studying examination specifications.
This varies between subjects. Each department has an assessment strategy that sets out when and how assessment takes place throughout the year.
No. Assessment may include written work, practical activities, performances, presentations, investigations, projects or other forms of evidence depending on the subject.
A single assessment rarely tells the whole story. Teachers use a range of evidence over time when making judgements about attainment and progress.
Yes. Learning is a journey. As students gain knowledge and develop skills, they can move to higher levels of attainment.
Encourage regular reading, revision, completion of home learning and positive attitudes towards learning. Discuss feedback with your child and focus on what they need to improve rather than simply the attainment descriptor.
Please contact your child’s subject teacher or tutor in the first instance. They will be happy to discuss progress and provide guidance.
No. Levels attempted to measure overall attainment through a single number. The Mastery Framework focuses on how securely students have learned specific knowledge and skills.
No. The framework maintains high expectations and places greater emphasis on deep understanding and long-term learning.
Mastering represents exceptional depth of understanding within the secondary curriculum. A student can be making excellent progress and still be working at Secure or Advancing.
Yes. The curriculum becomes increasingly challenging as students move through Key Stage 3. Remaining on ‘Securing’ often means a student has successfully mastered new and more demanding knowledge and skills. The descriptor reflects the standard being met, not the difficulty of the work being completed.
At Key Stage 4, students begin the GCSE and vocational courses that lead to their final qualifications. Our approach to assessment and reporting therefore reflects the grading system used by each qualification.
This means that a student studying only GCSE courses will receive GCSE grades, while a student following a combination of GCSE and vocational courses may see different types of grades on the same report. In every case, we use the grading language of the qualification so that students and their families receive a clear and accurate picture of attainment and progress.
GCSE qualifications are graded from 9 to 1, with Grade 9 being the highest. A result of U means that the minimum standard required for Grade 1 has not yet been demonstrated. Combined Science is worth two GCSEs and is therefore reported using two grades, such as 6-6 or 5-4. The official GCSE grading scale is explained by Ofqual.
Vocational qualifications use the grading system set by the relevant awarding organisation. Depending on the course, grades may include Pass, Merit or Distinction, sometimes combined with a qualification level. The precise grading scale will therefore vary between courses.
Where a student follows both GCSE and vocational courses, their report will include the appropriate type of grade for each subject. Vocational grades should not be read as though they are GCSE grades. They reflect the particular knowledge, skills and assessment requirements of that qualification.
For each subject, reports will include:
Comparing Current Attainment with the Minimum Target helps students, families and teachers understand whether a student is on track and where further support or improvement may be needed.
A Current Attainment grade is not a prediction or a final result. It provides a snapshot of performance at a particular point in the course. Students’ knowledge, skills and examination technique continue to develop throughout Years 10 and 11, so grades may change as they complete more of the course and encounter increasingly demanding work.
Teachers use a range of evidence to determine Current Attainment. Depending on the subject and qualification, this may include:
Assessments are designed to reflect the requirements of each course and become increasingly representative of final examinations and assessments as students move through Key Stage 4.
Reporting helps students understand how well they are performing and what they need to do next. It also allows families and teachers to recognise achievement, identify areas requiring attention and provide appropriate support.
At The Hayfield School, assessment at Key Stage 4 is not simply about recording a grade. It helps students develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to achieve the best possible outcomes and prepare successfully for their next steps in education, training or employment.
