Additional Assessment Areas for Connecting Steps

Phonics for pupils with SEN (England)

This is a new additional assessment area for schools in England using our frameworks. We had been asked by several of our schools to provide a method of recording Ann Sullivan’s Phonics for Pupils with SEN programme. So we’ve worked with Anne to make this possible.

Phonics for Pupils with SEN is a complete, systematic linguistic phonics programme

It offers an innovative and simple approach to the teaching of phonics, which pupils with special educational needs can easily access. It enables pupils with a range of special educational needs to find reading and spelling success. It’s suitable for those with specific learning difficulties, autism, moderate and severe learning difficulties, developmental language disorder, communication needs and complex needs, including pre- and nonverbal pupils and those with significant physical disability.

Phonics for pupils with SEN is now available for FREE to schools in England already using Connecting Steps. To start using this additional content to assess your pupils’ progress in phonics, simply ask the B Squared administrator at your school to turn it on in MyBSquared – click here for instructions.

Education for Sustainable Development Goals (Scotland)

This is a new additional assessment area for schools in Scotland using our frameworks. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are a set of 17 global goals established by the United Nations to address urgent social, economic, and environmental challenges worldwide. Scotland has embraced these goals as a framework to guide its efforts in achieving sustainable development within its own context. The Scottish SDG cover a wide range of interconnected issues, including poverty eradication, quality education, clean energy, sustainable cities, gender equality, and climate action.

17 global goals to address urgent social, economic, and environmental challenges organised under three strand headings

• • Cognitive Learning Objectives – comprised of the knowledge and thinking skills necessary to better understand the SDG and the challenges in achieving it.
  • Socio-Economic Objectives – include social skills that enable learners to collaborate, negotiate and communicate to promote the SDG as well as self-reflection skills, values, attitudes and motivations that enable learners to develop themselves.
  • Behavioural Learning Objectives – cover action competencies.

Education for Sustainable Development Goals is now available for FREE to schools in Scotland already using Connecting Steps. To start using this additional content to assess your pupils, ask the B Squared administrator at your school to turn it on in MyBSquared – click here for instructions.

Literacy, Numeracy & Digital Competencies (Wales)

This is a new additional assessment area for schools in Wales using our frameworks. The Welsh Curriculum places a strong emphasis on the development of literacy, numeracy, and digital skills. These competencies are mandatory cross-curricular skills designed for all learners in Wales; the aim is to equip every pupil with essential skills and knowledge that are crucial for their personal and academic development, as well as for their future success in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.

These updated competencies have been carefully integrated into our Curriculum for Wales Progression Steps Framework, which outlines the expected progression of skills and knowledge across different stages of a learner’s education. By linking each competence from this extended structure to our Curriculum for Wales Framework, progress can be shown in real time, cross referencing between both tools.

Literacy, Numeracy & Digital Competencies is now available for FREE to schools in Wales already using Connecting Steps. To start using this additional content to assess your pupils, ask the B Squared administrator at your school to turn it on in MyBSquared – click here for instructions.

The Developmental Pathways (Wales)

This is a new additional assessment area for funded non-maintained nursery settings in Wales using our frameworks. Central to this curriculum are five key developmental pathways that are fundamental to the learning and development of all young children. These developmental pathways are child-centred and are interdependent, having equal value in supporting overall development and progress. They focus on what is important for the child and link closely to the key principles of child development, as well as to the overarching statements of what matters and descriptions of learning of the six areas of learning and experience.

The five developmental pathways support children to make progress at their own pace and in their preferred learning environment

• • Belonging
  • Communication
  • Exploration
  • Physical development
  • Well-being

The Developmental Pathways is now available for FREE to schools in Wales already using Connecting Steps. To start using this additional content to assess your pupils, ask the B Squared administrator at your school to turn it on in MyBSquared – click here for instructions.