Progress Reporting at BHASVIC

Parents, carers and students can access live information linked to attendance, exams, support plans and assessments via Parent Portal.

Guiding Principles to Progress Reporting

1. At BHASVIC we think holistically about the student journey across two years. Please take time to read the Parent/Carer guidance, below, on assessing approach to learning and progress grades. A progress grade takes into account the point of the two-year course the student is in and allows for maturing development, by offering a realistic assessment of their likely grade at the end of the course. Apart from the A1 summer exam, it is not just their most recent test result.

2. There are FIVE Common Assessment Points (CAPs) in the typical student journey which make up the Progress Grades (PGs). Each one marks a point of some kind of progress reporting to students, parents and carers.

• PG1 - (November A1)
• PG2 - (March A1)
• PG3 - A1 summer exams (May/June A1)
• PG4 - (November A2)
• PG5 - (March A2)

3. Whilst there is ongoing assessment and feedback throughout the student journey, the primary purpose behind these CAPs is to enable all stakeholders (student, parents, carers, tutors) to gauge their progress at key points, relative to their statistical target grade (STG) – explained below.

4. Progress Reviews happen in this form twice a year: round 1 (PG 1&4) is in November and round 2 (PG 2&5) is in March. They have a set format which reports on ‘Approach to Learning’ and has associated teacher/student 1:1s and Parents’ Evenings linked to the progress review. Support Plan threads will also be expected if there are concerns noted in the progress review.

5. PG3 is the first-year summer exam. At the same time, staff write an A1 end of year reference which parents & carers can see and generate an initial predicted grade for the purposes of UCAS and other onward applications. Predicted grades linked to UCAS are currently finalised early in the Autumn Term. UCAS predicted grades can generally be more generous, as they have an effect on the student’s choices for higher education, but they also need to be realistic to guide students to apply to institutions that are appropriate for them. 

What is a Progress Review?

1. An opportunity for students to reflect on their progress in each of their subjects and overall at BHASVIC.
2. An opportunity for the teacher and student to formally assess progress, review and update relevant mark books and target grades and to provide this information to other audiences (e.g., parents/carers, personal tutors).
3. A short teacher assessment of progress for each subject the student is studying, along with an emphasis on ‘dialogue’ between the student and teacher (rather than a written comment from teachers, which may be recorded via Advantage at the teacher’s discretion).
4. A published report to parents/carers, which includes both of the above along with an attendance report and college information. 
5. A one-to-one meeting between the student and teacher for a least one of the progress review rounds.
6. An important opportunity to take stock of progress and for teachers to use the Support Planning system where students are a concern and/or need support and no formal record has been made up to this point.

When and how often?

Currently two rounds per year.

1. Round 1 in November for all students, with one-to-ones for A1 students.
2. Round 2 in March for all students, with one-to-ones for A2 students.

How to Access Progress Reviews on the BHASVIC Parent Portal

Guide to Grade Terms Used at BHASVIC

‘Approach to Learning’

A student’s approach to learning is made up of a huge  number of different elements, for example whether they complete their homework on time and to the best of their ability, whether they participate actively in lessons, how much productive time they spend on revision and consolidation to name just a few.  It is impossible to comment on all of these elements so teachers will make a professional assessment to give an overall judgment.  The descriptors are:

• 1.“Excellent”; 2.“Good”; 3.“Acceptable”; 4.“Concerning”; 5.“Very Concerning”

In the case of a student’s approach to learning being rated as either concerning or very concerning, brief additional comments should be provided. In these circumstances students should normally have a Support Plan thread which gives further details.

Statistical Target Grade [STG]

• The Statistical Target Grade (STG) is the grade which, on average, the student would be expected to achieve. The STG is subject-specific and is generated by analysing the grades students achieve nationally in the subject in relation to their GCSE point scores. At BHASVIC we always ‘round up’ where a student falls between two grades.

Why do we use it?

• We want students to have an informed and realistic starting point for the grades they would like to achieve at the end of the subject. It is to be seen as the ‘minimum’ we expect them to get and not the likely outcome. The STG does not take into account the individual or their circumstances.

Progress Grade

• The progress grade is the grade the student is likely to achieve given all the evidence of their work and progress so far, measured against national standards for the qualification.  It is teacher generated at the time of the student’s progress reviews and it is visible to the student, teacher and parent/carer.

Why do we use it?

• It provides a realistic assessment of the student’s current progress from their teacher, based on evidence of the work that the teacher has seen so far. The progress grade informs the student’s own self-reflection, informs any adjustments to the target grade they have set at the start of the year and allows for consideration of what the student can do in order to further improve and stretch themselves through meaningful target setting.

         Important Notice Regarding Progress Grade

Despite our best professional efforts to provide accurate grades reflecting student progress our reporting will never be perfect.  The final grades students achieve at the end of their course may differ from their progress grades as they reflect their actual performance in exams and contributing assessments and not their anticipated performance.

Attendance - College Policies

Please check the current attendance. We expect all students to maintain attendance well above 90% and to follow student absence procedures to authorise when absence is unavoidable.  Ongoing communication is essential and students should always endeavour to find out what work they have missed via TEAMS and/or BHASVLE. On their return to college, they can also arrange time to catch up at subject extensions or in discussion with the relevant teaching staff. 

What to do if a subject, grade or other part of the Progress Review seems to be missing 

Please check with your young person regarding this in the first instance. They may know the situation with that particular course or Progress Review. If an error or omission has occurred, please ask your young person to speak to their Personal Tutor who can investigate the matter with them and arrange for any missing content to be provided to you. 

What happens after Progress Reviews?

The college recommends that you look through the Progress Reviews carefully and discuss these with your young person. Studying is not only about grades: a student’s own reflections are also very important. They have been asked to comment on how they are feeling about their studies, how they are progressing and what this all means for the future. Your young person may not have written much, or they may have written an essay! The most important consideration here is the tone of what they have written. 

In particular, look for any significant mismatch between your young person’s own reflections, their STG (a statistical guideline on what they could at least achieve) and the teacher’s assessment and progress grade. We hope that these can lead to open and supportive conversations.  

 Individual Learning Plan [ILP] in tutorial

• Students discuss their Progress Reviews in Tutorial, as part of their individual learning plan (ILP). They generate personal targets linked to their subjects and to their future plans and career aspirations, which are regularly reviewed in discussion with their tutor.

Why do we use it?

• The ILP is an ongoing record of a student’s ambitions and is the starting point for their self-reflection, becoming a better learner and one-to-one discussions with their teachers and tutor about progress, action planning and target setting.