Assessment: Why Should I Identify Children Working At Greater Depth In Foundation Subjects?

I recently wrote about how we might assess and identify children who are working at greater depth.

Upon sharing the blog post, someone questioned: "Why would I want to identify greater depth children in foundation subjects?"

Which is most definitely a fair question. We should query anything we do in schools, afterall time and all other resources are precious. I would never recommend that anyone do anything in a school without really understanding why they were doing it.

The follow-up questions came: "Why would it be helpful? What would you do with the decision?"

Again, worthy questions, and ones that I want to answer.

Everything we do in schools should be passed through a teacher workload filter. By this I mean that every decision that is made should be interogated with regards to its impact on teacher workload. However, it isn't simply a case of 'it'll take up too much time so we're not doing it' - decision-making is more nuanced than that. Really, it has to be held in the balance with the potential positive impact a decision could have on pupils.

So, why might it be helpful for pupils to be identified as working at greater depth in foundation subjects?

All pupils' needs should be accurately understood

Whether that's a pupil with a particular disability, or a child with a special educational need, a student who has experienced ACEs, or a pupil who has higher prior attainment than most other pupils, teachers should know what a child can and can't do, what support they need, and what their next steps for development are. You can't teach accurately without this knowledge.

I honestly don't think there needs to be another answer to the question other than this. However, I will go on.

Pupils working at greater depth should be given the chance to excel

Identifying pupils working at greater depth is the first step towards catering more specifically to their needs. What this looks like could vary wildly, but a pupil with a talent, natural propensity or a greater amount of prior knowledge (for whatever reason) should be supported to make continued improvement to the point where they can excel in their work in that particular subject. They should be given the opportunity to make as much progress as any other child and not held back because their needs haven't been identified. This answers the question regarding what might be done with any data collected.

Pupils working at greater depth should not be overlooked

We've all experienced or heard anecdotal evidence of high-achieving pupils who have begun to develop a dysfunctional relationship with school because their need for intellectual stimulus has not been met. Pupils who are bored, pupils who turn out sub-standard work because it isn't challenging them, pupils who develop behaviour issues. Obviously, there may be other factors at play here, but if we can remove one factor by ensuring that pupils' needs are catered to then understanding any other factors will be easier.

Pupils' hard work should be celebrated

Not necessarily publically, but having a sense of what you are good at is affirming, and eventually often helps a person follow particular paths in life. When we correctly identify a child as working at greater depth, and we share that with them and their parents, the feeling of success can generate further motivation. I'd perhaps not go as far as saying that its a human right to know what you're good at, but it's close - it means so much to people! I've taught pupils who struggle in some subjects but who excel in some foundation subjects - when you find maths and English hard it is wonderful to have your achievements in other subjects recognised and celebrated.

Pupils can excel in all sorts of subjects, not just maths and English

This speaks to a different part of the question - the part which specifically relates to why we should do it in foundation subjects. Well, if we do it in maths and English, and some pupils are getting the benefits of being identified as working at greater depth in those subjects, surely it is only fair that we do the same for pupils who excel in other subjects? Certainly, if you didn't agree with doing it in maths and English, and removed the requirement for this in those subjects, it would make no sense (apart from for all the reasons above) to do it in foundation subjects.

Should we assess children as working at greater depth in foundation subjects?

I think so. I don't think we should make it onerous for teachers, but I think there are enough worthwhile reasons to do it. Many schools and teachers in schools have to do it too, so it stands to reason that there should be some guidance and some systems in place to enable them to do it more consistently.

If you'd like some bespoke help with developing the way you assess and identify pupils, including those working at greater depth, here's your 3-step plan:

Drop me an email
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We'll work together to empower you and your staff to enhance teaching and to enrich your pupils' lives