Sue Cosson
SC/ep 01603 433276
26 November 2001 01603 700236
sue.cosson.edu@norfolk.gov.uk
To Norfolk LEA First, First & Middle, Infant, Primary and Special Schools
Dear Colleague
End of Key Stage 1 Assessment 2002: Special Arrangements and Disapplications
I am writing to you at this early stage to draw your attention to any special arrangements that may be needed for the 2002 Key Stage 1 assessments. It is essential that if you have any children of Year 2 age who may need special arrangements, or possibly to be disapplied, you read the QCA Assessment and Reporting Arrangements booklet, particularly the flow charts on page 44, well before the assessment period starts.
Special Arrangements
General principles and information about special arrangements for children who may need them are given in the 2002 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements booklet from QCA (pages 24-27). More specific advice will be given in the Teachers’ handbooks for English and maths which will arrive in school as part of the tasks packs in December. Further guidance will be given in the Teachers’ guides to the tests (for children working at Level 2 and above in reading, spelling and maths) which will arrive in April 2002.
Disapplication
The tasks and tests have been designed to allow as many children as possible to have access to them. You may, however, have one or more children in school who will be unable to take part in some or all of the assessment arrangements, even allowing for the full range of adaptations that can be made (e.g. a child who is physically unable to write, and who does not use a word processor, concept key board or other aid, will probably need to be disapplied from the writing element of teacher assessment and from the writing task).
The key factor to consider is whether the assessment is accessible to the child (e.g. it is very rarely necessary to disapply the reading task at the end of Key Stage 1 as, at its lowest level, it only requires the child to share a picture book with an adult).
End of Key Stage 1 Assessment 2002: Special Arrangements and Disapplications
The QCA guidance on criteria and procedures for disapplication is given in the Assessment and Reporting Arrangements booklet for 2002 (pages 42-48).
Please note that a long term disapplication from some or all of the assessment procedures should be written into the child’s statement or statement review before the main assessment period in May 2002.
Please send a copy of any temporary disapplication (as detailed in the QCA guidance) to Sue Cosson. If you are making a temporary disapplication you might find the
attached proforma useful to use as a checklist or as the disapplication itself. If a child of Year 2 age is working in a class of younger children and is not moving onto Key Stage 2 in September 2002, he/she should be assessed next year (i.e. in 2003) before moving into a Year 3 class. You should not make a disapplication. If you are considering disapplying a child from some or all of the assessment procedures, please contact Sue Cosson on 01603 433276 to discuss.
Yours sincerely,
Fred Corbett
Assistant Director of Education
Chief Adviser/Head of Service
Att.