At Swanmore College, clear and regular communication about your child’s learning helps us work together to support their progress, confidence, and achievement.

1. How Reports Are Issued

Your child will receive a written report once per term via the SIMS Parent App. These reports are often issued just before a Parents’ Evening to serve as a starting point for discussions between home and school.

Each report provides an overview of your child's learning journey:

• Pastoral Information: Details regarding attendance and conduct.
• Academic Information: Current achievement levels across all enrolled subjects.

2. Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9)

Understanding Current Levels

Swanmore College uses a continuous 1–9 numerical grading scale throughout Years 7 to 11. This creates a clear, consistent tracking system across all five years at the College.

• The 1–9 Scale: In Key Stage 3, a pupil's grade reflects their current working level against the curriculum content taught so far.
• Long-Term Progress: Maintaining a specific grade (for example, a Grade 5) throughout Key Stage 3 represents steady, ongoing progress. This is because termly assessments gradually cover more complex content and pull from earlier terms.
• GCSE Benchmark: Maintaining a Grade 5 across Key Stage 3 indicates that, with continued effort and work rate, the pupil is on track to achieve roughly a Grade 5 (a strong pass) at GCSE.

Teachers determine these grades using subject-specific skill grids alongside regular in-class assessments. For further information about how the grades are identified in a subject, look at the subject pages on our website.

3. Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11)

Working At Grades and Mock Exams

Progress in Key Stage 4 is monitored through in-class assessments and mock examination series (one round in Year 10 and two rounds in Year 11).

• Reporting Format: Reports show a Working At Grade for each subject on the 1–9 GCSE scale (or equivalent vocational qualifications, such as a Level 2 Pass).
• Progress Over Time: Mock exams test everything your child has learnt so far. Getting the same grade in each set of mocks shows your child is making steady progress as the workload increases.
• Actionable Feedback: While reports offer a summary snapshot, day-to-day learning focusses on actionable teacher feedback, helping pupils identify specific areas to improve and close knowledge gaps.

4. Targets

How Targets Are Set

Swanmore College uses national benchmark data from the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) to set Key Stage 4 targets. We benchmark against FFT20, which sets expectations aligned with the top 20% of pupil progress nationally.

Targets are calculated using Key Stage 2 starting points alongside contextual information.  Targets are to give a guide, but do not limit what a pupil can achieve in a subject.

What To Do If Grades Differ From Targets

• If a Working At Grade is below target: Focus on the immediate next steps for improvement rather than the final target grade. Encourage your child to speak directly with their subject teachers to identify key gaps and create a clear plan to address them.
• If a Working At Grade is above target: Pupils should celebrate their achievement while checking if other subjects require extra focus to maintain a balanced workload.

Predicted Grades

Swanmore College does not generally issue predicted GCSE grades. Working At Grades provide a clear, accurate reflection of demonstrated understanding in completed assessments to date. As pupils progress through successive mock exams, these grades provide an increasingly accurate picture of final GCSE performance.

5. Independent Learning and Attitude to Learning grades

These grades are from 4 (best) to 1, and the criteria can be found on the following pages.

6. Contacting the College

If you have any questions or outstanding concerns about our assessment and reporting process, please contact us: enquiries@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk 

If you have any issues accessing your child's report, please read the additional information on this page: SIMS Parent App