Many parents are worried about how their child is doing at school, following illness, prolonged Lockdowns and home schooling. They feel they don’t know how their child is doing or how effective home schooling has been. Often they are not getting a lot of feedback from their over-stretched school, who in turn may not be giving much away because they don’t want parents to worry. In some cases, the schools may not have a clear picture themselves, as children have not been back in school for long.
We are seeing extra demand for Academic Assessments at various age groups, because parents want to know the post-Covid situation for their individual child. They are concerned that their child may not be working to the best of their ability and really want an honest and empirical analysis of their current achievement level and potential.
The fundamental value of a JK Academic Assessment is that it allows parents to understand the academic level a child is currently reaching at school and how they are doing compared to others nationally. Assessments are followed up with a detailed report and an hour-long feedback meeting with parents. The assessment report identifies a child’s academic potential and whether they are currently reaching it, and we can then ask if not, then why not? The report also identifies if and where some additional learning support might be useful.
Targeting Extra Support
So, Academic Assessments help us to identify where extra tutoring support might be needed. Assessment enquiries are on the increase, and we are providing a lot of gentle extra post-Covid support where required for children of any age, through targeted and bespoke tutoring. This is in addition to our regular subject-specific tutoring and entrance exam preparations.
We are seeing an emerging trend where children are lacking some basics, as in some cases children have missed out on some understanding of fundamentals and on curriculum content. Identifying these critical areas and addressing them is important, as these gaps in understanding need to be filled so that children can build on solid foundations and progress on to more complex work. Many schools are identifying this and working to correct the situation, but not all, and in those cases children may need extra help outside school. Once again, an Academic Assessment will identify whether this applies to a child, so that help can begin.
Assessments play a particularly useful role in KS3 where there are any concerns, so that we can ensure these gaps can be filled, but they can also be of use later. Up to Year 9/10, standardised scores can be used for assessment in English, maths and both verbal and non-verbal reasoning. From GCSE level onwards, the exam boards’ curriculum and standards are used as a measure of assessment and can identify areas where extra teaching support is required.
Identifying Future Options
JK Educate assessments are frequently used to determine academic potential; in fact, we are one of only a very few consultancies that can assess academic potential. This information about a child’s potential informs decisions about possible future schools and whether a place at an academically selective school is a viable and suitable option. Many of the assessments we have conducted over the years have been at the time parents are considering starting a 7+, 11+ or 13+ journey.
If a child has the potential to thrive in a selective school, they may still benefit from tutoring support to help them be successful in the entrance exams. This is often the case where a primary school will not have covered enough of the curriculum by the time the exams will be sat at the start of Year 6.
What an Academic Assessment Can Do for You
In short, an Academic Assessment will put your mind at rest if your child is performing to the best of their ability, it can clarify a situation and open the doorway to getting extra support if it’s needed, and it can identify future options based on a child’s academic potential. Our assessments are available both online and in person, following the Government safety guidelines. ‘Knowledge is power’, so it is worth booking an assessment to find out how your child is really doing. You can then take control of whatever help they need and make sound future decisions about their education.
