“Working with B Squared has been of great value for teachers, leaders and pupils at Hugh Gaitskell Primary School. We use the Connecting Steps assessment software throughout our setting to support the learning of children and young people with SEND and evaluate the impact of our SEND interventions. We consider it to be an invaluable monitoring tool.”
Cat Daniels AMBDA, SENDCO,
Hugh Gaitskell Primary School
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Hugh Gaitskell Primary School is using B Squared’s Connecting Steps assessment software with our Primary Steps framework to show small steps of progress.
Primary Steps is for pupils with SEND in primary settings who are working outside of their year group or below Year 1. This framework also incorporates the Pre-Key Stage Standards to judge progress towards end of key stage assessments.
In addition, the school uses Connecting Steps’ built in Analytics package to turn its assessment data into clear reports and graphs that help with understanding pupils’ progress. This also enables leaders to compare progress across groups and years easily, without spreadsheets.
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Evaluating the impact of SEND interventions
Hugh Gaitskell Primary in Leeds has 532 pupils on roll, speaking over 67 languages. With many pupils coming from overseas, it has had mixed demographics, high mobility and is in an area of high deprivation. 53% of its SEND population are pupil premium. One of the only primary schools in Leeds to have a fully qualified dyslexia teacher and assessor, the school also works with specialist settings such as Lighthouse independent autism school for specialist interventions.
According to SENDCO, Cat Daniels, “Before using Connecting Steps, we had paper based assessments, making is hard to monitor progress across the cohort. Working with B Squared, we have been able to encourage our teachers to effectively monitor the progress of those children with SEND who are working ‘below’. This has been most valuable when evaluating the progress of specific data groups of pupils who are taking part in evidence based interventions, and monitoring their progress over time.”
Accelerating progress for pupils working ‘below’
“In most cases we have found that pupil progress is accelerated. However, where a child has shown little to no progress, it has allowed us to re-evaluate which intervention we think would work best for that child. This has been an invaluable tool as a SENDCO.”
Helpful for gap analysis
“Teachers are able to use the Connecting Steps assessments to inform outcomes in their classroom teaching, for both individuals and groups. We also find it very helpful for gap analysis. As a SENDCO, I can watch to see if skills being taught in interventions are also being achieved in class, such as specific evidence of grammar in writing.”
Encouraging more communicative working amongst staff
“Our teachers use Connecting Steps as a planning, assessment and monitoring tool. This has enabled more cohesive and communicative working amongst staff. It also supports effective transitions at the end of the year.”
Cost effective and worthwhile
“We consider it to be a cost effective and worthwhile use of our school SEND budget. We have also found the response from B Squared to be quick should any queries arise.”
An invaluable monitoring tool
“We use Connecting Steps throughout our setting to support the learning of children and young people with SEND and consider it to be an invaluable monitoring tool. The Analytics package has been particularly effective at monitoring the progress pupils make in specific SEND interventions for dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties.”
Cat Daniels AMBDA, SENDCO, Hugh Gaitskell Primary School
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