Primary Assessment and Moderation Briefing Paper - October 2021

Primary Assessment and Moderation Briefing 2021/22

October 2021 

Overview

All schools have received confirmation directly from the STA that the statutory assessment and moderation is going ahead for 2021/22, following their usual timetable. Public performance tables will not be published however data will be shared securely for school improvement purposes with the LA, DfE, Ofsted and schools.

If any unprecedented changes are required, then the STA will notify the LA and schools of alternative arrangements via the Primary Assessment Gateway.

EYFS information has been sent separately and can be accessible by contacting earlyyears@hillingdon.gov.uk.

STA guidance

Schools should follow the STA guidance to ensure they are compliant with the requirements. The current guidance is listed below and further guidance will be released in phases. The STA issues regular updates to all schools and Assessment Leads may wish to sign up to receive these alerts directly.

• KS1 & KS2 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements for 2021/22 · KS1 & KS2 Access Arrangements and Timetable Variation guidance · KS1 & KS2 English writing frameworks for 2021/22 (same as 2018/19) · The engagement model (replaces P-scales) · Phonics screening check: administration (v2019 to be updated in April 2022) · Investigating allegations of maladministration
• Teacher assessment guidance should be issued by December

Training (virtual)

Teachers from Hillingdon maintained schools are invited to attend the following funded virtual LA briefing sessions. Academies can join if they have selected Hillingdon to act as their moderation partner. These sessions will be undertaken via MS Teams and a link with material will be shared a day before the event.

We understand that the briefing session dates and times are not always suitable for some teachers however these are scheduled based on external resource availability. For teachers that cannot attend, the presentation used at the sessions will be shared after the event via LEAP.

Phonics screening check

Year 2 pupils autumn term 2021

Schools are reminded that for the 2021/22 academic year, it is statutory for schools to administer a past version of the phonics screening check to Year 2 pupils during the second half of the 2021 autumn term. This is due to last year's cancellation.

Please return results to the LA's data team by the end of the autumn term.

The LA is not required to undertake the usual 10% monitoring checks.

June 2022

Phonics screening check will be administered as normal during 6th-10th June 2022 following this 2019 guidance (due to be updated in April 2022) - Phonics screening check administration. The LA is required to undertake the usual 10% monitoring checks.

Moderators' Recruitment - free CPD opportunity

The LA is recruiting local KS1 and KS2 teachers to become moderators for the 2022 cycle of tests. We welcome applications from both new and experienced moderators, as full training is provided and all new moderators will be paired with experienced moderators to ensure that they are fully supported throughout the process.

In order to apply, teachers should meet the STA requirements detailed below:

All LA external moderators must:

• Be qualified teachers with recent and relevant experience of KS2 English writing assessment and internal or external moderation (KS2 moderators only).
• Be qualified teachers with recent and relevant experience of KS1 assessment and internal or external moderation (KS1 moderators only).

All LA external moderators must be able to:

• Successfully complete the LA soft skills and STA standardisation process for moderation of KS1/KS2 writing (training sessions will be provided).
• Systematically review evidence against the TA frameworks and adhere to STA guidance.
• Manage a professional discussion with teachers about the evidence presented and how a pupil's work meets the standard.
• Where appropriate, discuss and explain why a school's TA judgements cannot be validated.
• Provide accurate written and verbal feedback to the teacher(s) and Head teacher.
• Be fully released from school duties to attend two training sessions and a limited number of briefing sessions during the year.
• Potential LA moderators must be available to moderate other schools for the whole of the moderation window (June 2022) but will only be used for approximately 4 days during this period - actual dates known in May therefore flexibility with availability is essential.

Schools that provide teachers to the LA Moderation Team will be reimbursed for releasing teachers to undertake moderation visits in June 2022 at £100 per day. External training for this role will be provided and funded by the LA. Please note that reimbursement will not be provided for the release of teachers attending moderation training and briefing activities, as this is treated as funded CPD.

External moderation training can be an excellent opportunity for staff professional development and Head teachers are encouraged to share this information with all teachers who may wish to apply for consideration. Teachers who are interested in applying to be a LA Moderator should seek permission from the Headteacher and submit their short Application Form by Friday 19th November 2021.

Applicants will be contacted by the end of November to discuss next steps.

Unannounced Monitoring of KS2 tests and the KS1 Phonics screening check

The LA has a statutory duty to undertake unannounced monitoring visits for at least 10% of schools. These unannounced visits can take place before, during or after the tests. Information regarding the areas of school practice that are scrutinised during these unannounced visits can be found in the ARA for each key stage. Covid-19 requirements will be adhered to.

Moderation dates

25% of all schools will be moderated following a 3-4 year cycle, or earlier if a school has been targeted as 'at risk' by the STA or LA (further information will be provided). Moderators will follow the latest centralised government Covid-19 guidance to deliver these visits either in person or remotely.

· Notification of moderation visits will take place on or after Friday 13th May

• Moderation visits will run from Monday 6th June to Tuesday 28th June
• The data submission deadline to the STA is Tuesday 28th June

Academy schools selecting the LA as their moderation partner

The LA will be recharging costs for statutory assessment monitoring and moderation to primary academy schools for the academic year of 2021-22. This recharge is in-line with the STA and ESFA funding provided to academy schools directly.

As you will know, all academy schools are responsible for confirming to the STA the LA with which they have an agreement for assessment monitoring and moderation by 10th December.

If your academy school would like to use the London Borough of Hillingdon as your moderation and assessment provider for KS1 and / or KS2 in 2021-22, you must confirm this via this form by 19th November 2021.

If your academy school plans to use a different local authority for moderation and assessment services then please note that this must also be confirmed by email, in order to register that you have opted out.

Recharging costs will be charged accordingly to schools with a Year 2 and Year 6 cohort in place this academic year.

• For a school with Year 2 and Year 6 the recharge is £300 per academic year
• For a school with only Year 2 the recharge is £100 per academic year
• For a school with only Year 6 the recharge is £200 per academic year

This recharge includes the following services:

• Inclusion within the London Borough of Hillingdon's cycle of statutory assessment monitoring visits (KS2 tests, KS1 if linked to the school, and Year 1 Phonics Screening). An external visit will be undertaken within 4 years as a minimum.
• Inclusion within the London Borough of Hillingdon's cycle of statutory assessment moderation visits (KS1 and KS2 teacher assessment). An external visit will be undertaken within 4 years as a minimum.
• Access to local authority Assessment and Moderation briefing papers.
• Invitations to New to Year 2 and Year 6 Teacher briefing sessions.
• Invitations to phase specific moderation training.

The requirement to take part in assessment arrangements is included in your funding agreement and is detailed in the KS1 and KS2 national Assessment and Reporting Arrangements. This requirement is in place to ensure that the progress and attainment measures for schools and pupils is accurate for school accountability.

Please be aware that failure by an academy school to put in place an agreement with a local authority for the 2021-22 KS1 and KS2 assessments may lead to suppression of results.

LA support

If you have any queries regarding assessment and moderation or require further support, please email schoolimprovementadmin@hillingdon.gov.uk who will redirect your email to the appropriate lead officer in the assessment and moderation team. Keep up to date via LEAP.

Rani Dady, Education Manager

Education Improvement and Partnerships