How can schools avoid pigeon-holing pupils?
Matthew Higgins explains how his school in Hampshire uses CAT4 to give teachers a complete picture of student ability.
Ballard School, a co-educational independent school for 4 to 16-year-olds in New Milton, Hampshire, prides itself on being a data-rich school. “We are known as a school that makes the most of its data and uses it to complement teacher judgement,” says Matthew Higgins, Ballard's Deputy Head (Academic).
The beauty of using assessments like the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4), he says, is that it can be used in parallel with professional insight to dig deeper into pupil abilities and help teachers to get a more rounded picture. “We want to avoid pigeon-holing children, and CAT4 is invaluable in helping us do that.”
Matthew explains that it is often the discrepancies or outliers that can illuminate an individual student’s potential or problems. “If one of the CAT4 batteries sticks out like a sore thumb, for instance, it helps us to start asking the right questions, and it puts a spotlight on areas that might need further investigation.
“We also look at how the students performed on the test itself. For example, if they completed only half the questions but answered them all correctly, this tells us a lot about the child’s processing speed. They have the capacity but need some support getting there.”
It’s that type of information, Matthew says, that helps teachers build a more rounded picture of each child as an individual learner and helps the school foster a growth mindset for all students.
We want to avoid pigeon-holing children, and CAT4 is invaluable in helping us do that.
Several departments have since been effectively utilising the data from CAT4, including Maths, English, Computer Science, Science and History.
Assessment timetable
Ballard assesses children with CAT4 in Years 3, 7 and 9. “Using it in Year 9 ensures we can recalibrate our GCSE indicators - it helps us raise the bar, and it's really useful for informing student choice. However, at the start of this year we decided to assess all year groups with CAT4 (alongside the New Group Reading Test (NGRT) and New Group Spelling Test (NGST)) to establish a baseline following the previous two years of Covid-19 disruption.”
Matthew says the school also took advantage of the free Assessment Insights consultation service to train staff on CAT4, so that they understood what the different batteries meant and how to analyse the data. “Several departments have since been effectively utilising the data from CAT4, including Maths, English, Computer Science, Science and History.”
The majority of staff have now been trained in CAT4 and other standardised assessments, Matthew says, to such an extent that the tests “have become part of the school’s fabric”.
Woven into the curriculum
It’s important, Matthew believes, that assessment isn’t used in an ad hoc way. “We encourage departments to view assessment as part of their scheme of work for curriculum planning, rather than using it as a ‘bolt-on’.”
Pupils in all year groups are assessed with the Progress Test in English (PTE) and Progress Test in Maths (PTM) to support teacher assessment and the data is used to gauge whether pupils are on the right trajectory to get to where they should be. “We look at the progress made across all subjects, considering each pupil’s individual needs (such as vulnerable children or SEND) and drill further into the data for each sub-group.”
Ballard has used the standardised scores from GL Assessment’s tests to move to a reporting system that identifies how each pupil meets their age-related expectations (either significantly above, above, expected, working towards or below). “This helps us provide proactive academic care. We always ask ourselves, ‘What else can we put in place to support this child?’ The data helps us find the answers.”
Matthew says the new reporting system has been welcomed with open arms by parents. “All of the changes we make at Ballard School are evidence-based and the robust data we receive from GL Assessment is part of the process. We are proud to be working in partnership with GL as a Centre of Assessment Excellence – we like to think of them as our ‘constant friend’ who is always there to help inform the decisions we make.”
All of the changes we make at Ballard School are evidence-based and the robust data we receive from GL Assessment is part of the process.
- Ballard School is one of our Centres of Assessment Excellence
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