Progress and Reporting

We believe that rigorous and on-going assessment is a vital tool for improving pupils’ learning.  We assess every pupil’s effort and attainment regularly, through lessons, prep, coursework, tests and twice-yearly internal or external examinations.  Pupils do prep on a timetabled basis every night and teachers provide on-going feedback in their weekly marking.  Information about each pupil’s progress is then formalised in grades and reports, which tutors discuss with pupils and send home roughly every four weeks during term.  We also hold parents’ conferences at least once a year for each form.

Our comments in marking, grades, reports and conferences always place positive emphasis on pupils’ efforts and on ways in which they can improve their performance.  We aim to make pupils active participants in their own learning, by building their confidence and self-awareness, and by helping them to identify their own targets and develop the independent means to attain them.

Along with our attention to each individual’s multiple aptitudes, we believe that our focus on effort and self-improvement is the key to our pupils’ academic success.  We admire those who try hard and are actively engaged in their own learning as much as those who naturally and easily do well.  Hard work and intelligent determination are the best qualities of true scholars.

For those who strive and succeed, the rewards are innate; but we also celebrate both effort and achievement through assemblies and prize giving at times throughout the year.  For those who do not try, we have a stepped programme to increase motivation, which includes discussions with tutors, housemasters, heads of year and parents, as well as closer monitoring, extra supervision and sanctions where necessary.

Needless to say, everything we do in class is backed by strong tutorial and learning support teams.