Assessing Progress

At Falmouth School, our approach to assessment is designed to give students, parents, and teachers a clear understanding of progress, strengths, and next steps. Our system ensures fairness, transparency, and high expectations for all students.

How Assessment Works - Attainment

• Years 7-9: Students complete assessments three times a year. Each subject designs its own assessments, and results are reported as percentages. Parents also receive the average percentage for students who took the same test.
• Year 10: The first two assessments follow the same structure as Years 7-9. The third assessment is a more formal Pre-Public Exam (PPE), where students receive grades based on national grade boundaries.
• Years 11 & 13: Students sit PPEs in the autumn and spring terms. These are reported both as a grade based on exam boundaries and a "current attainment" grade, reflecting their performance if they sat the exam in its entirety at that point.
• Year 12: Follows the same assessment structure as Years 7-10, but attainment is reported as a grade.
• Vocational Subjects: From the third Year 10 assessment onward, as well as throughout Year 11 and Sixth Form, students receive grades or levels based on their most recent assessment or completed coursework.

Why We Use Percentages

We have moved from a broad, criteria-based system to a percentage-based one to improve clarity and precision. This approach:

• Gives Clearer Feedback – Students and parents can see exactly how well they are doing and where improvements can be made.
• Encourages Aspiration – Instead of settling for a broad category, students can push to improve their percentage scores and strive for excellence.
• Supports Effective Intervention – Teachers can quickly identify specific gaps in knowledge and provide targeted support.
• Prepares Students for Exams – GCSEs and national assessments often use numerical or percentage-based scoring, so our approach helps students get used to this format early.

Supporting Progress

We do not use predicted grades or “flight paths,” which can be misleading. Instead, our assessments reflect a student’s understanding at a specific point in time and identify what they need to do to improve. Teachers may also use smaller tests and knowledge checks outside of formal assessments to support student learning.

What This Means for You

• Students get regular, clear feedback to help them improve.
• Parents receive meaningful information about their child’s progress and next steps.
• Teachers can monitor student performance and adjust lessons or interventions accordingly.

If you have any questions about assessment at Falmouth School, please contact the relevant TTL for the subject you are interested in learning more about.

In addition to attainment and attendance information, the report you receive displaying your child's progress will also give grades for attitude to learning.

A student’s attitude to learning plays a crucial role in their academic success. At Falmouth School, we expect all students to demonstrate positive engagement, strong organisation, and excellent conduct in their lessons.

To support this, students receive Attitude to Learning (ATL) grades in three key areas:

• Effort – How well they apply themselves in lessons and independent work.
• Organisation – Their preparedness for learning, including bringing the right equipment and meeting deadlines.
• Conduct – Their behaviour and engagement in the classroom.

Each area is graded using the following four-point scale: