Our Skills-Based Key Stage 3 ‘Ways Of’ Assessment

At BIS we are committed to supporting students to become reflective and responsible global citizens, which have the skills to thrive in a 21^st century global context. Globally we are in a period of time where technological development is moving forward at such a pace that we are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems, we don’t even know are problems yet.

In order to fully prepare our KS3 student to possess the appropriate skills for the future, many of our teaching professionals have been involved in reviewing our assessment model over the past 12 months.

Our new model consists of three categories of Learning Ambitions:

• Ways of Being
• Ways of Thinking
• Ways of Doing. 

This move promotes key academic skills in our KS3 students, as well as developing the key characteristics that are central to our focus on effort. Furthermore, all of these skills and characteristics have been chosen because they provide a direct link to the IB Learner Profile, a course that we hope our students achieve in during their academic career with us.

Ways of Being covers the development of our students to become effective communicators, risk-takers and caring individuals.

Ways of Thinking provides opportunities for our students to become outstanding inquirers who can think at a deeper level, whist being reflective about their learning.

Ways of Doing refers to the skills required for your child to perform academically at each subject level.  It will incorporate their performance in PCTs, in-class tasks, homework and any learning activities which are set by the class teacher. The level of your child’s performance in each of the ‘Ways Of’ strands, will be assessed using the four ‘Be Ambitious’ assessment statements that you may be familiar with:

- Exceeding

- Expected

- Developing

- Supported

Ways of Being 

Ways of Thinking 

Ways of Doing 

The breadth of skill development facilitated through our ‘Ways of Doing’ is collated in the table below.  We believe that it is this wide-ranging combination of skills and knowledge will ensure your child is equipped to become a highly successful 21^st century citizen. 

In the links below you will find a detailed breakdown of the way your child will be assessed using the subject ‘Ways of Doing’.  Please use these as a tool to support your child, significant reference will be made to these documents in lessons, in teacher feedback and in conversations and parent evenings.