P.E. assessment.

[Fresta]

Please can you tell me how your school reports your childs progress assessment in P.E. ? How do they make judgements about the child? What criteria do they use to make an assessment?

Mighty pissed off with my childs assessment report - it's always the same- not reaching expected standard but top marks for effort- she is a great swimmer and dancer out of school!

No idea, I don't care about PE and DDs have bottom 1% coordination skills.

That said, it won't be assessed on swimming and dance if they aren't done in school.

It will be assessed on skills needed for whatever sports they've been doing won't it? e.g. Throwing, catching, running, jumping, team game awareness etc.

Dance is part of the National Curriculum.

Schools have freedom to choose the sports they teach and swimming could well be included if they wished.

I know what skills are needed for team sports, but who says what is and isn't an age appropriate level? What is the criteria?

I guess you could register and download this: www.tes.com/teaching-resource/level-descriptors-1-8-for-p-e-6027453

If they did a term of swimming at DD's school I'm sure her assessment would jump too!

They are assessed on their attainment in the sport or sports they do in school
My DS has done cricket and athletics this term. It doesn't matter how skilled he is in football because that isn't being played.
Do the school offer swimming and dance? If not then she won't be assessed in either of those

I know what she is assessed in, but how exactly? How do they decide what football skills a 12 year old should have or how good they should be at hocky? What is the criteria?

Also, how does your school report their attainment- do they get a level, a banding, etc?

Those TES level descriptors are so woolly -you couldn't look at a child playing a sport and decide which level they fit into- I don't think they are relevant to the current curriculum either as levels are not used now.

DDs school has colour bands for assessment and she is always assessed as 'not age appropriate' despite being fit, active and having no special needs or co-ordination problems.

Does this help?

www.afpe.org.uk/physical-education/wp-content/uploads/NCfinalprogressionmapoverview-1.pdf

Schools can measure attainment/progress any way they like, there is no national scheme any more.

For DD, they give a trajectory GCSE banding. She also got a top grade for effort, plus a trajectory of grade 2-3 (ie a fail).

Given this is only PE (sorry PE teachers) you seem mighty upset?

There are 2 bands at DC school... higher and lower but I think it's based more on competitive spirit than actual ability. They gave them 4-5 tests: one was running (endurance), another was coordination, must be one for strength & who knows what else. Roughly 50% go into each band, with room for overlapping ability b/c DS is in the lower ability band but tends to be the best there at endurance and can beat almost all of the very best kids in the other band. DS doesn't give a damn about winning.

My son is an 8.8 (year 8, GCSE level 8) this means he should achieve an 8 in year 11 at GCSE. However, when they did football and basketball he was an 8.9.
Ask the school how they assess, I only know how our school do it

Skills in sport are very straightforward to assess. Do you even know what sports she is doing? If it's rounders and netball for example, the skills needed are very different to swimming.

She will be assessed on her ability to throw, catch, her spatial awareness, her ability to work in a team, her focus, her fitness.

All the skills I've mentioned will be ones they are looking at. If you are concerned then I suggest asking the teachers where she could improve and practice at home. Or perhaps join a more team based sport involving eye hand coordination (it's possible to be a brilliant swimmer and a good runner but have very poor catching and throwing skills - I have one of these!)

Also - dd has PE homework which they also use to assess them. Dd is working at the highest level because she has a good understanding of nutrition, anatomy, skills etc. Does your dd have PE homework?

I know what she is assessed in, but how exactly? How do they decide what football skills a 12 year old should have or how good they should be at hocky? What is the criteria?

They go to university and train as PE teachers is how they know

Thanks Gretol- yes dd is not the best at ball skills etc. but the National Curriculum isn't just about that- it's actually very general. I don't see why team sports are such a focus? They are supposed to be assessed in all areas surely? Dance, gymnastics, athletics etc.

Surely what is regarded as a 'normal' level of skill for a 12 year old varies quite a bit between the most able and the average and the below average but all will be within the expected standard for their age as they can't all be the best at sport.

My argument is, if you are going to judge a child as not performing at an expected standard for their age then surely they must either have a physical difficulty or be one of those kids that is completely unmotivated by P.E. and put in no effort at all. DD is neither of these. She's an average 12 year old, not the best at team sport skills or the most co-ordinated but fit and active and tries hard and has no co-ordination disorders or SEN and excels in some areas. Is bright and has good understanding of PE theory.

I've asked the school why and how they judge her as 'not expected'- waiting for a response!

The assessment grade will be for the sports covered in that period of assessment. For instance my dd (also 12) has been doing cricket and tennis this half term and her grade will reflect her ability in these sports.

I don’t really understand your upset- you say she’s not very good at tge sports they’re doing yet seem surprised she’s below average? She’s getting a good mark for effort which is great. I’m assuming her school stream for games? Which stream is she in?

If she isn't good at team sports and not coordinated then that will affect her attainment. She may be amazing at dance and swimming but she can only be assessed on what the school see.
There is a benchmark that children are assessed against and if she doesn't meet the benchmark in 3 team sports but does in 2 individual ones then, on average, she's not meeting it.
I'll be honest and say I'm not sure why it worries you so much. Is it GCSE pe?

not the best at team sport skills or the most co-ordinated

I think this answers your question- these are tge skills they’re assessing and, despite your dd having other great skills that’s not what they’re looking at.

It’s a bit like saying I know she can’t speak French but she’s great at Spanish so why isn’t she getting top marks in French.

Not all people are good at everything. My ds for instance competes at his sport at National level but would be marked well below average in football, cricket or Rugby.

Team sports dominate at school PE as it's probably easy to teach a group playing cricket than individual sport like dance.

My son is in y7 and PE sets were determined by everyone doing fitness tests like the Bleep Test and splitting them into 3 sets based on results (240 in a year) He gets an attitude and attainment grade. This means that the kids who are good at say football but have tantrums when people don't score have that reflected in their report. I assume that attainment is relative to the group but I've not discussed this with other people so no clue.

Not being the best doesn't mean the same as below expected standard for age though does it? If they said she was below average then that would be acceptable- it's the terminology I want to challenge the school on so was trying to determine how other schools measure and report P.E. attainment.

I'm not upset by her attainment- I'm not bothered if she's good at hockey etc. because I know I've done my job because she enjoys the sport she does out of school and is very fit and healthy. It just bugs me that school are labelling her in this way as every term she's told she's not an expected standard for her age which makes it sound as if she's failing in some way. She says about half the class get this grade too which to me highlights a problem with their judgement of children rather than the children's spotting skills.

She's not even in the bottom group for PE, she's in the middle group!

It just bugs me that school are labelling her in this way as every term she's told she's not an expected standard for her age which makes it sound as if she's failing in some way.

But so what?

Is your DC otherwise high achieving so you aren't used to be being told she isn't so good at something?

I was told in my DD's y6 SATs that she was 'not at expected standard' for maths and SPaG. (It wasn't news to me). Now at secondary she is 'below expected standard' at English and Tech and PE and MFL. We live with it. We know she struggles but tries hard. We praise her for trying hard, and she has a tutor for English.

If you are told the criteria the school uses, then what? Will you try to improve her PE - or just try to prove that the school is wrong (as wrong criteria or assessed child wrong)?

Have you not discussed it at Parents Evening?

Fresta I genuinely think you are finding problems where there are none! You yourself say she’s not coordinated or good at team sports. That sounds below expected standard. My ds represents his school at national level in a sport where they are one of the best in GB and my dd represents school in a team sport which she also plays at regional level. Both get very average (definitely not above average ) grades for sport. This is how school games assessments are. What are you looking to achieve with the school?