This document provides guidance for tracking pupil progress using a minimum 3-level progress system. It outlines setting long-term targets using a formula, tracking progress against targets using pupil tracking sheets, identifying gaps through half-termly assessments, and addressing gaps through teaching. The same process is used to track progress in reading, writing, and speaking and listening using tracking sheets from year 7 through key stage 4.

1. A minimum 3 levels progress
FOR ALL PUPILS
We’ll get you there

2. What’s the issue?
 Not all pupils are making at least 3 levels progress.
 And most progress happens in KS4.
 Some pupils go back over, stand still or make much
slower progress in KS3 years!
What should I do?
 Start by setting the Long Term Targets for all pupils by
using our formula click on this link (SETTING TARGETS)
 The formula assumes at least 6 sub levels progress in
KS3. That translates to 2 sub levels in Yr 7, 8 & 9 and a
further whole level at KS4

3. How do pupils know what progress they
are making against their targets?
 Read this then click through to the PUPIL TRACKING SHEET.
These are available from L1-L8
 The tracking sheet shows what level and sub level A Nony-Mouse
was assessed at the end of the previous year (ie 3A), and where the
teacher for the new academic year has to get her to by the end of
the year ie (4A) –as a minimum expectation
 The target setting formula expects 2 sub levels per year, so A Nony-
Mouse must have fallen short of her target in Year 7 so the Year 8
teacher has to get 3 sub levels from her to get her back on track
 Underneath, is the APP criteria at the level that the pupil is working
at & will be formally assessed against once every half term… so that
the pupil’s progress towards the target is measured regularly
 How much progress is being made - and how quickly - can be seen
simply & clearly by both pupil and teacher.

4. How does the tracking sheet work?
 Use a Half Termly Assessment to assess pupils’
ability against each of the APP criteria at the level at
which they are working
 Use a narrative for the first assessment. You can
assess against more criteria using a narrative than is
the case with other genre
 If a pupil shows full understanding of the APP criteria,
you put a cross in the corresponding cell on the
tracking sheet; a line if partially right and a dot if there
is no evidence of understanding.
 Vary the genre over the year so you assess across a
range of writing
 To view just one of the text type exemplars Click here
you can use with the pupils (This example is a
Newspaper Report)
 These are available for ALL text types

5. How do I award a level from the assessment?
 Count the number of crosses awarded on the half
termly assessment. Put that number in the single
row table at the bottom of the tracking sheet which
shows where they are to a sub level
 The teacher & pupil can now see how many more
crosses are needed on the next helf termly
assessment (in six weeks time) to move up to the
next sub level
 The teacher goes to the lines on the tracking sheet
to identify 4 or 5 targets that the pupil will keep for
the next half term - knowing that if these can be
converted into crosses by the time of the next half
term test, the pupil will have moved up a sub level.
 Use this Pupil Target Sheet (click here to see) to
cut and paste the pupils’ targets onto. They
become their English targets for the next half term

6. How are Writing targets achieved?
 Pupils take out their Target Sheet every time
they do extended writing so the teacher doesn’t
have to commit everyone’s individual targets to
memory
 The teacher teaches the scheme as normal but
finds the time when teaching to discuss targets
with pupils
 So does the Teaching Assistant
 But the main way to help pupils achieve their
targets is through weekly or fortnightly extended
writing lessons.
 Here they will do an extended piece of writing
where they get a chance to show what progress
they are making against their specific writing
targets

7. Is the extended writing task a Test?
No - these are assessments NOT tests
 The idea is that pupils learn through their
assessments
 Pupils get help from the teacher & TA while they
are doing extended writing assessments, which
last about 45 minutes
 Further help to achieve their targets is through
the use of pupil Prompt Sheets
 Give pupils the prompt sheet that’s relevant to
their personal targets (click here to view an
example of a prompt sheet). These are available
for all areas of writing development and at all
levels at KS3
 Pupils use the prompt sheets to learn for
themselves
 The prompt sheets are great for homework
 Parents love using them to help their children

8. How do I identify gaps in pupils’ learning?
 Dot line & crosses from half termly tests are
copied and pasted onto this Writing Class
Record. (click here to view an example)
 These are for the teacher to maintain an
overview of class performance
 They identify gaps in T&L, which informs
planning.
 Teachers use these assessments to change
what was planned to teach. Now teaching to
the gaps in learning identified by the
assessments.
 The scheme isn’t abandoned, just modified to
address gaps in pupils’ learning.
 We teach the pupils not the scheme!
 They also give an indication of ability groups to
inform class organisation and differentiation and
show the children requiring intervention and
extension work.

9. What do I do about the gaps in pupils’ learning?
 To view the whole class record sheet Click here
 You can see the areas highlighted in yellow are
whole class weaknesses
 Paragraphing, criteria 10 for eg. shows only two
pupils getting it right - so teach paragraphing in
your starters over the next two weeks?
 There’s a whole area, AF5 – vary sentences for
clarity, purpose and effect (APP criteria 13-15),
in yellow. Another class weakness & should be
addressed in your teaching
 Areas highlighted in blue show a smaller
number of pupils not getting it eg APP criteria 4
 These can be dealt with through a more
personalised intervention by the teacher
 Or why not ask the TA to tackle some of these
 Your aim is to ensure over a half term, that you
turn as many lines and dots into crosses as
possible
 So the whole class record sheet replaces your
mark book & restarts after every half term test.

10. What about Reading & Speaking & Listening?
 The system for setting targets & tracking pupil progress in Reading
is exactly the same as in Writing
- To view pupil tracking sheet for Reading click here
- To view whole class tracking sheet for Reading click here
 The system for setting targets and tracking pupil progress in
Speaking & Listening is also the same
- To view pupil tracking sheet for Speaking & Listening click here
- To view whole class tracking sheet for Speaking & Listening click here

11. What about Key Stage 4?
These resources are now available for
KS4 as well.

12. How Can I Get the Resources?
Click here to find out
how to order these
English products for
use in my own
school. Click here to
view next training
events.