Formative assessment is one of the most powerful tools we use to support your child’s learning. Rather than waiting until the end of a unit or term to measure progress, formative assessment happens every day in the classroom. It includes questioning, discussion, working with mini whiteboards, feedback in books and checks for understanding that help teachers adapt their lessons in real time.

These techniques serve a simple purpose, which is to understand what each child knows now, identify what they need next, and respond immediately. This means teaching is not fixed, but responsive. If a concept has not been fully understood, teachers will revisit it, provide additional support, or approach it in a different way. If pupils are secure, they will be stretched further. This ensures that all children are appropriately challenged and supported.

A key part of this process is helping pupils to understand their own learning. We want children to be active participants, not passive recipients. In lessons, teachers share clear learning objectives (WALTs – we are learning to…) and success criteria (sometimes called WILFs – what I‘m looking for…) so that pupils know what they are aiming for. Through feedback and discussion, children learn to recognise what they have done well and what they need to improve.

You may hear your child talk about their “next steps” or “targets”. These are specific and manageable points that guide improvement. For example, a writing target might focus on using a wider range of sentence openers, while a maths target might involve explaining reasoning more clearly. By focusing on small, precise improvements, pupils build confidence and make steady progress over time.

We make use of WAGOLLs (What A Good One Looks Like). These are high-quality examples of work that show pupils exactly what success looks like. Teachers use WAGOLLs to model expectations and help children understand how to improve their own work. Pupils are encouraged to compare their work to these examples, identify strengths, spot areas for development, etc, etc. This makes targets clearer and more meaningful, as children can see what they are working towards.

We also place importance on pupils responding to feedback. Time is built into lessons for children to reflect, edit, and improve their work, often using pink pens. This helps them to see learning as a process rather than a finished product and encourages independence and resilience.

Ultimately, our aim is for every child to know where they are in their learning, understand where they need to go next, and feel confident about how to get there. Formative assessment is the key to making that happen.

This term, I have been meeting small groups of students to discuss their work and their next steps.