The information we send home about how your child is performing, both academically and behaviourally, has changed this year. The following is intended to clarify these changes for all parents/guardians:

In Years 7 & 8, teachers assess a student’s current academic performance against National Curriculum Levels – with sub-levels applied to indicate whether a student is ‘just meeting the skills required for the level’ (sub-level c), is secure at the level (sub-level b), or is ‘approaching the next level’ (sub-level a).

In Year 9, teachers predict the level (and sub-level) that they expect the student to achieve by the end of the year/Key Stage.

This judgement is based upon all that they know about the individual – the work that they are producing, their level of effort, and the content of the course still to be completed, etc. This judgement is intended to assist in decisions about suitability/aptitude for Key Stage 4 courses – however it is recommended that you discuss any queries with your child’s teacher prior to making final decisions.

The Fischer Family Trust is a charitable organisation that collates and analyses national data regarding the academic performance of students in England. The data produced by FFT is used by the DCSF, Ofsted and most schools and Local Authorities to benchmark the performance of students.

In both Key Stages 3 & 4 we refer to FFT D Predicted Grades. These are indicative grades based upon the performance of ‘similar’ students nationally at the top 25% of schools. The ‘similarity’ of students is based on a number of factors including gender, ethnicity, month of birth and prior performance (at Key Stage 2), as well as eligibility for free school meals, special educational needs and home location. These contextual factors are then compared to the historic performance of ‘similar’ students nationally to indicate the most probable National Curriculum Level/GCSE Grade that our students will achieve.

We believe that this measure provides us with an appropriate target for Tring School students – although it is to be hoped that all

students aim to do better than this target grade indicates.

In order to set challenging targets for all students taking AS and A2 qualifications at Tring School we

have slightly altered the way that we use the information generated by ALIS and the University of Durham. ALIS compares the GCSE performance of students nationally, and their subsequent performance in AS and A2 subjects, to predict the grades that students at Tring School should be expected to achieve. However we believe that students at Tring School should be aiming higher than simply the national average if they are to gain places at the top universities. As a result we have implemented the following change to our procedures for setting target grades:

Historically ALIS predicts a UCAS point score which equates to grades:

A grades = 60 points at AS and 120 points at A2;

B grades = 50 points at AS and 100 points at A2, etc.

If a student was predicted an AS grade of between 55 and 59 points their predicted grade would be rounded up to an A, however if they were predicted an AS grade of between 51 and 54 points their predicted grade would be rounded down to a B. We believe that if a student is predicted to achieve higher than a B grade i.e. 51+ then their target grade should be an A. The same process is applied to A2 targets.

This 'raising of the bar' is intended to support all students in fulfilling their potential and reflects our belief that we can best maximise their future opportunities by ensuring that they continue to 'aim high' throughout their time at Tring School.

I hope that the information contained here, in addition to the definitions included on the Trackers, has clarified the current system of recording and reporting your child’s academic progress. However, should you have any questions regarding any of the information outlined above please do not hesitate to contact me.