ASSESSMENT, FEEDBACK AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Regular formal assessments help our students develop a good understanding of their strengths and areas for development throughout their 2-year journey. Assessments cover wide-ranging topics, helping students to reinforce their knowledge and skills across the full breadth of the course, preparing students well for the final exams. Alongside formal assessments are small, helpful mini-tests, quizzes and retrieval activities to help check knowledge and reinforce learning. Students also complete an initial assessment early in Year 12 which helps to identify any support needs, and to check that students have made good course choices.

Students, parents and teachers track how students are performing in relation to each student’s minimum target grades – challenging but achievable targets based on the range of grades each student achieved at GCSE.

Our Teacher Access Periods on Wednesday afternoons provide additional small-group support for students that teachers feel would particularly benefit. Students at New College Doncaster use their independent study periods very effectively, using the many study spaces available within the college. But we know that some students also benefit from having some of their independent study periods timetabled into our supervised Intervention Support Centre, providing structure and quiet focus. Teachers work hard to provide detailed feedback following assessments, signposting additional resources, identifying additional support where it’s needed, and providing students time to self-reflect on their next steps.

Students benefit from excellent pastoral and academic support. This includes targeted interventions to ensure that any students who are behind target very quickly catch up. For example, ‘teacher access periods’ are added to all curriculum plans. Teachers use this time well to support individual students to improve specific aspects of their learning.

Ofsted, December 2021

Teachers challenge students to be the best that they can be, to have very high levels of attendance and punctuality, and to develop strong, independent learning skills. This culture prepares students exceptionally well to progress to their next steps.

Ofsted, December 2021