Assessments

At Key Stage Three, students are formally assessed twice a year through Rank Order Assessment in core and Ebacc subjects. Outside of these two assessment windows, students will be regularly assessed to check their understanding of recently taught content and recall of content from the beginning of the year. 

In KS3, Rank Order Assessments will take place in January and again in June. The purpose is to measure student performance and provide a shared meaning between teachers and parents about the progress and attainment of the individual student or specific groups of students and subject or Academy as a whole at national level. 

For a guide to Rank Order Assessment at Salford City Academy please click here.

Practical and foundation subjects – expressive arts, art, music, technology, IT and PE – award an attainment grade based on assessment of practical tasks and performance against key performance indicators.

A written knowledge-based examination will take place at the end of the year if appropriate for that subject. For these subjects assessment is based on the principals that assessment should:

• Focus on developing the key concepts, knowledge and skills needed for success in KS4. Based on high expectations and challenge for all.

• Adopt a mastery approach where appropriate against United Learning Key performance indicators.

• Incorporate high quality end of topic assessments which help students develop the skills needed to tackle GCSE examination questions.

• Generate data from assessment that reliably identifies what students have understood as well as highlighting those areas that require further developing.

Exceeding – The student demonstrates comprehensive knowledge and understanding of all concepts and skills. The student can make connections between different areas within the subject and apply to new contexts.

Secure - The student has achieved a secure understanding of the main concepts and skills and has a good level of competence in the subject. When applying knowledge and skills to familiar contexts is working to the national standard in the subject.

Developing - The student is showing an increased understanding/skill level in the subject. There are skills some areas that require development. Working towards national standard in the subject

Emerging – Has begun to grasp some of the main ideas and skills but is working below the national standard in this subject.

For further information about how each subject tracks and assess each student against these grades please visit individual subject areas.

For all GCSE & BTEC course, students will be assessed twice a year through formal examinations that take place in our main hall.  For many subjects, there is a controlled assessment as part of the course.  This will take part of the formal course structure.  For more details about individual curriculum pages. 

YEAR 10 examinations will take place on two occasions in January and June of the academic year.

YEAR 11 students will undertake two mock examinations in all curriculum areas, one in November and the other in March. 

For both Year 10 and 11, letters will be sent to parents giving exact details of these examinations.