• Computer science GCSE will be exam-only until 2020

    Computer science GCSEs will continue to be assessed purely on exams until 2020 after tasks from the test were leaked online, Ofqual has announced. Following its announcement in January that the supervised coursework element of the GCSE won’t count towards pupils’ final grades in 2018 and 2019, the exams regulator has said today that the…

    10.14 Apr. 20th, 2018 | News

  • Don't boycott SATs, heads tell parents

    Headteachers have warned parents not to take part in a planned boycott of this year’s SATs. The campaign group Let Our Kids Be Kids is gearing up for a boycott of key stage 2 SATs, which begin in primary schools in mid-May. The group has even published a template for a withdrawal letter for parents of…

    15.47 Apr. 16th, 2018 | News

  • NFER to deliver reception baseline test

    The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has been chosen to deliver the controversial new baseline test for reception children, which will be rolled out to all schools by the end of 2020. The reintroduction of the test was announced by former education secretary Justine Greening in September last year, despite a previous pilot of baseline…

    10.19 Apr. 11th, 2018 | News

  • How to use assessment effectively in your school

    How do you know if your school’s approach to assessing pupils is effective in promoting learning, asks Jamie Scott Every school has its assessment framework, but is it fit for purpose? Schools use assessment every day, and it can be difficult to stop, step back and review the approach to ensure it is fit for…

    5.00 Feb. 24th, 2018 | Opinion

  • Botched computing test won't count towards final GCSE grades, Ofqual confirms

    A 20-hour non-examined assessment in computer science will not count towards pupils’ final GCSE grades in 2018 or 2019 after tasks from the test were leaked online, Ofqual has confirmed. The regulator proposed changes to the assessment, currently worth 20 per cent of the overall grade, after it discovered that tasks and detailed solutions were posted on…

    14.00 Jan. 8th, 2018 | News

  • Good riddance to secure-fit writing assessment

    The secure-fit model of writing assessment is on its way out and teachers will not be sorry to see it go, says James Bowen A proposal to move away from the secure-fit model of writing assessment must be one of the most welcome aspects of the government’s primary assessment consultation. NAHT has campaigned hard for this approach to…

    11.27 Mar. 30th, 2017 | Opinion

  • Assessment without levels: how are schools approaching it?

    While some schools have simply replaced the old levels with unhelpful practices, a number of companies are developing solutions to fill the gap, says Joshua Perry When the DfE announced that levels would be scrapped in June 2013, many people cheered. Finally, schools could focus on formative assessment practices that actually improved outcomes! Professionals suddenly had freedom…

    5.00 Feb. 8th, 2017 | Opinion