What does the reading age data mean?
An NGRT standardised age score (SAS) of 100+ means that a student is reading at or above age-related expectations and so no intervention is needed. As such, students will follow our core Reading Curriculum which is designed to support students as fluent readers and writers across all subjects.
If a student is assessed as being below 100 SAS, they are placed on a Reading Wave at NOA.
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Our Reading Curriculum at NOA takes a 4 Wave approach to support all students to make rapid progress:
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Wave 1
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All students are taught reading strategies that will help them become proficient readers. Staff promote reading fluency in their lessons and as part of a whole school reading programme in Tutor Time in Years 7-10.
Students in Years 7,8 and 9 have a fortnightly Core Reading Lesson in the Library and weekly home-learning to develop essential skills for reading via the BEDROCK Vocabulary and SPARX Reader on-line platforms.
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Overseen by Emma Tribe: Literacy Lead
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All students in years 7 and 8 are tested in September/November and June/July using New Group Reading Test. Using the NGRT data, the specific needs of students are identified, and students grouped accordingly.
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Wave 2
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Students who have achieve a standardised age score of 90-100: These are students within an average range but not quite at their age-related level and need to be supported and monitored. Students in this category are monitored by the Literacy Lead for SPARX and BEDROCK use and success and supported via home/school liaison. All students in this wave complete a mid-year and end of year NGRT.
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Overseen by Emma Tribe: Literacy Lead
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If a student scores less than 90 on NGRT, secondary testing (York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension (YARC)) is used to further assess reading needs including reading accuracy, comprehension and rate.
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Wave 3
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Students who score below 90 but are fluent in decoding strategies, may have difficulties around comprehension. To support their comprehension skills, we use Reciprocal Reading/Guided Reading Intervention groups. Students in this category should complete a mid-year and end of year NGRT.
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Overseen by Emma Tribe: Literacy Lead and Abi Waters: Assistant SENDCO
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Wave 4
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Students who score below 85 on the NGRT and who are unable to decode fluently would benefit from our Phonics intervention (Lexonik). Students in this category complete a mid-year and end of year NGRT.
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Overseen by Abi Waters: Assistant SENDCO
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After each cycle of intervention, all students are reviewed in terms of their progress to ensure that they are continuing to receive access to the most effective support.
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How do I know if my child is making good progress?
The assessments that students sit in KS3 are relative to their ability, so they are easier in year 7 than they are in year 9. As a result, for your child to be making appropriate progress, they should be maintaining the working at level that they entered on. Anything surpassing this shows they are making exceptional progress in that subject, anything below this would indicate they are struggling in this area.
What does the Rank Order mean?
The rank order, along with the year group average for each subject, is designed to give you insight into how your child is performing in comparison to the rest of their year group; rank 1 is the top rank and below is a list of how many students are in each year group to give you an indication of what the lowest rank would be.
- Year 7 – 183
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Year 8 – 178
- Year 9 – 184
The rank also allows you to see how your child is progressing between assessments. If they move up in rank then they are making significant improvement, whereas a drop in rank would indicate that your child might be struggling more with the content they are covering.
How are sets decided?
We primarily use rank order to decide the setting to ensure students are in classes which appropriately challenge and support students. Core subjects are set independently at KS3, whilst all other subjects (other than PE) are set based on an average of humanities and languages ranks. In PE, Set 1 is all boys, Set 2 is all girls and Set 3 is a mixed ability group.
Heads of department then have a chance to review these sets and make adjustments based on additional data that they have available to them e.g. reading data, attendance data, performance in in class assessments, etc.. This is particularly important where there are multiple students on the same rank.
It is important to note that rank order is awarded across the year group, whilst setting is done within bands so we cannot say precisely which ranks correlate to which sets.
My child has received a requires improvement or cause for concern, how can I get more information about why?
Your child’s weekly behaviour reports will give you an overview of any incidents that have occurred and a narrative surrounding these. If you need more information about these then please contact your child’s tutor who will be able to support you further.
Who is the best person to contact about my child’s report?
Your child’s tutor is always the best person to contact and they will then be able to direct you to the best place or get the answer for you.
If you feel that your question is more serious then please email your child’s head of year.
What does the Year Group Average tell me?
The year group average shows you how the year group did on this assessment and provides you with a benchmark to compare your own child’s assessment score.
In general, the year group average will sit between 40 and 60% however a low average could indicate that the paper was particularly difficult one and vice versa.
How is the KS2 Entry Working At Level decided?
The KS2 Entry Working At Level is created using an average of your child’s KS2 English and maths standardised SATs scores.
- Significantly Below Expectations: 80-88
- Below Expectations: 89-96
- At Expectations: 97-104
- Above Expectations: 105-112
- Significantly Above Expectations: 113-120
Where students have joined us after the start of year 7, we may not have this information, in which case students will show as No Data in this box.