Appendix B: Sample letters and guidance for communicating with parents or carers
Guidance and sample letters are given here to support your communications with parents or carers both before and after testing with CAT4.
Pre-testing
Many schools and other establishments choose to communicate with parents or carers before testing takes place, to inform them of their plans and give an overview of what the students will be doing.
It is likely that any communication with parents or carers prior to testing will be kept intentionally brief, as shown in the pre-testing sample letter provided on the next page. However, the following list provides some guidelines to assist with your communications, whether orally or in writing.
- Stress the school’s commitment to identifying and addressing the needs of each individual student in order to understand and maximise their potential.
- Explain that the test the students will take is delivered either in paper or digital format and that there are four parts to CAT4, each measuring the students’ reasoning skills in a different area.
- Explain that testing with CAT4 is part of the school’s regular assessment regime and that all the students in the year group(s) will be tested.
- Emphasise that no preparation can be done for the CAT4 test and so it is important that the students do not become anxious as they all have an equal chance to demonstrate their reasoning ability.
- Parents or carers should understand that information from CAT4 forms part of the process of supporting their children and helping them achieve their potential. Other information, including teachers’ own assessments, is very important. Results from CAT4 will be used in combination with a range of data to set targets for learning and identify any particular need, for example a need for support in literacy.
- Parents or carers should be made aware that they will be updated after the assessment so they know how their child has done and the school’s plans, if any, for further follow-up.
Emphasise that no preparation can be done for the CAT4 test
Pre-testing sample letter
Post-testing
An optional report on the individual student is available to support feedback to parents or carers.
This Individual report for parents strips away much of the technical detail that is included in the Group report for teachers and the Summary report for senior leaders, simply presenting the student’s results as below average, average or above average for each part of CAT4. A series of statements, tailored for parents, is included to explain what the results mean (in terms of the profile of learning bias demonstrated by the student on the test) and how learning may be affected. Recommendations focus on how the parent or carer can work with the school to support the student at home.
In addition to the Individual report for parents, you may wish to provide a supporting letter explaining the process and outcomes. The following list provides you with guidelines to assist with this communication, whether orally or in writing.
Our post-testing guidelines and post-testing sample letter provided below overlap significantly with those already provided for pre-testing. This is because many schools and establishments may choose not to contact parents or carers at all prior to testing taking place, meaning a full explanation is required post-testing. In the case of communication with parents or carers both before and after testing, you may choose to edit the post-testing sample letter to avoid such repetition.
- Stress the school’s commitment to identifying and addressing the needs of each individual student in order to understand and maximise their potential.
- Explain that there are four component parts to CAT4, each measuring the child’s reasoning skills in a different area.
- Explain that testing with CAT4 is part of the school’s regular assessment regime and that all students in the year group(s) have been tested.
- You may wish to summarise in the letter the specific outcomes and recommendations from the test for that individual student (which are also shown on the Individual report for parents).
- Parents or carers should be reassured that if they have any questions or concerns or would like any further advice on how best to support their child, they should contact the school.
Post-testing sample letter
1 If possible, it is helpful to parents to discuss the report with them on a suitable occasion before sending it out.