Assessment of our children’s learning is a priority at Dallington. We see assessment not simply as a way to measure attainment, but as a meaningful tool to support each child’s individual journey.
We aim to nurture a growth mindset, encouraging children to recognise their own progress, reflect on their learning, and understand their next steps. This helps to build confidence, independence, and a genuine love of learning.
A Balanced Approach to Assessment
Our teachers are constantly assessing children’s understanding in real time through:
- Thoughtful questioning
- Observations during lessons and play
- Peer and group interactions
- Children’s independent work
We develop self and peer assessment skills in our children so that they can learn to take ownership of their own progress and growth.
This ongoing, informal assessment allows teachers to adapt learning immediately, ensuring every child is supported and challenged appropriately.
Alongside this, we also recognise the value of more formal assessment. Together, these provide useful benchmarks and help us to monitor progress over time.
Formal Assessments at Dallington
We formally assess children’s learning at key points throughout the year. This allows us to:
- Track individual progress and attainment
- Identify trends across classes and the whole school
- Ensure children are developing key skills in line with national expectations
- Expose children to working under ‘exam conditions’, if deemed appropriate for the individual child
We use Quest Assessments, part of Atom Learning (11+), as our assessment provider. These standardised assessments give us reliable insights into each child’s strengths and areas for development.
Tracking Progress
Progress at Dallington is viewed holistically. We look beyond scores to understand each child as a learner. We use information gained from observations and professional dialogue, combined with formal assessments to track our children’s progress.
Our tracking enables us to:
- Monitor individual progress over time
- Recognise when a child is ready for further challenge
- Identify when a child may need additional support
- Ensure continuity and progression across mixed-age classes
Through our assessments, we are able to compare outcomes with national averages. However, at Dallington, these comparisons are used carefully and contextually.
We prioritise:
- Each child’s personal progress
- Confidence and wellbeing
- A love of learning
We believe that true success is not only reflected in data, but in curious, resilient, and engaged learners.
Outcomes & Results
Strong academic results and holistic development go hand in hand at Dallington. Our children consistently perform well when compared to national averages, and many go on to succeed in a range of selective and non-selective pathways.
As a non-selective school, we achieve this by placing equal value on academic progress, wellbeing, creativity and independence – developing confident, curious learners with a strong sense of self.
We measure success in outcomes and in the development of independent learners who are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
The results presented below show age-standardised score with the red dashed line indicating the national average of 100. Notably, our children have consistently achieved scores significantly above the national average.