Progress in the Foundation Subjects

Assessment for Learning, pupil self assessment and target setting




The purpose of these sheets (see links below) is to help teachers and children (primarily in Key Stge 2) raise the standard of achievement in foundation subjects by providing a tool which helps teachers communicate expectations and targets and helps pupils see what might be expected at the next stage of progress for them and recognise when they may be achieving this. The files and sheets below support the 2006 primary curriculum. Similar sheets based on the 2014 curriculum may be found elsewhere on this site (and found from the Teachers' Resources page).

Use the links below to download the foundation subject progress sheets:


Art and Design progress sheet

Design Technology progress sheet

Geography progress sheet

History progress sheet

Social Studies - History, Geography and RE combined progress sheet

USe of these sheets is intended to encourage children to reflect on their work and learning as they provide a (hopefully accessible) tool to help them identify and understand key aspects of the understandings and skills that children are expected to develop through their activities. This should help them recognise their own achievements and, with teacher support, record these achivements and identify "next steps". This will often be found to increase pupil engagement and motivation and focus learning in the way that success criteria do.

The sheets are not intended by pupils to use entirely independently. Teacher would normally pick out a few, related, statements in a strand (within a column) which have a strong link with activities in a particular lesson or series of lessons and highlight key aspects of progresson within these. More detailed success criteria might be agreed and children may be encouraged to refer to the success criteria or the Progress Sheets during the lesson(s) to enhance learning.

These sheets closely link to the National Curriculum Attainment Targets, QCA Exemplar Schemes of Work and QCA Teacher Assessment Activities for the relevant subjects.

The process of creating the sheets was to separate out individual, specific statements within each of the different Levels of Attainment indicated in these different documents and then match and collate them. Separate statement were interpreted in language considered appropriate to children working at each level (i.e. although the statements are intended to be "child friendly" and to be understood by junior school children, more sophisticated language appears in step 4 and 5 statements).

Step 1 on the sheets nominally equates to Level 1; step 2 to Level 2 and so on.

A much more detailed explanation of the thinking behind these resources is exemplified below in which the development and use of the "Art and Design" progress sheet is discussed.





Art and Design: assessment for learning
Pupils' Record of Achievement/Self Assessment Sheets




The progress sheets for Art and Design (see links below) are closely linked to the National Curriculum, QCA Exemplar Scheme of Work and QCA Teacher Assessment Activities for this subject.

The purpose of the sheets is to support teachers (primarily in Key Stage 2) in communicating the objectives of activities to the children and to provide the children with the opportunity to reflect upon their learning and, with some guidance, record their achievements. In this way they can make a valuable contribution to a school's approach to Assessment for Learning.



The main learning in Art and Design has been divided into three "strands" in the National Curriculum. These are:

For each of these "strands" I have produced "I can..." statements to indicate the main learning at each level (up to level 6) by combining the information available from the National Curriculum document, the QCA Exemplar Scheme of Work for Art and the 2006 QCA booklet entitled Teacher Assessment Activities for Art and Design.

In converting the statements found in these documents to "I can..." statements, I have tried to avoid simplifying the Art and Design terminology but have, in some cases, altered other non-technical vocabulary without, I hope, changing the meaning!

I have also produced a list of questions arising from these levelled statements which teachers may find useful when seeking to confirm that pupils are working at a particular level of attainment.




Use the links below to download the Art Self Assessment/Record of Achievement sheets:
Art Self Assessment/Record of Achievement checklists

Art teacher assessment questions


The self assessment/RoA checklists are available below as a single 3-fold, back to back sheet intended to be enlarged and photocopied onto A3 paper.
Art checklists in 3-fold format



For further information about the rationale underlying the sheets, please download this Powerpoint presentation:
Art checklists: development and rationale presentation

or view this in PDF format:
Art checklists: development and rationale PDF




I would very much appreciate some feedback on the likely usefulness of such a resource to other practising teachers.

Please contact me if you have any comments at: g.jennings@ntlworld.com



Please read on for further information about the sheets and possible ways they could be used.




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