primary schools | Schools Week

Primary schools to receive £41m for Shanghai ‘mastery’ maths

Over the next four years, half of all primary schools in England will receive a share of £41 million to support the introduction of whole-class maths teaching based on the south Asian ‘mastery’ model. The government expects an initial 700 teachers will be trained in the model, also known as ‘Shanghai maths’, and will then […]

The next micro:bit? BBC launches primary science education campaign 2017

The BBC’s next flagship education campaign will be based around a series of mass participation science experiments for primary pupils, Schools Week can exclusively reveal. The initiative, which is yet to be named, is expected to launch at the start of 2017 and run for two years. It follows this year’s BBC micro:bit device project, […]

Key stage 2 SATs results: What does this mean for floor standards and year 7 resits?

Concerns have been raised about the impact of today’s key stage 2 results on the number of primary schools falling “below the floor” and the number of pupils who might be expected to sit resits at secondary school. Figures released today by the Department for Education (DfE) show that just 53 per cent of year […]

Key stage 2 SATs results: Nearly half of pupils fail to achieve expected standard in ‘tougher’ tests

Just half of year 6 pupils have met the new expected standard in their key stage 2 SATs tests, provisional figures released by the Department for Eduation (DfE) reveal. The DfE has stressed this figure (53 per cent) is not comparable to last year – when 80 per cent of pupils met the standard – […]

Scaled scores for 2016 key stage 2 tests announced

Note (added 4 July 2017): Here are the 2017 scaled scores for key stage 2 SATs The Department for Education has today released the marks pupils needed for this year’s key stage 2 tests to achieve the government’s “expected” score. Scaled scores replace “levels” for the first time this year. To meet government expectations, pupils must […]

High-stakes primary testing ‘puts off’ pupils from learning

A national reference test should replace high-stakes testing in primary schools because the current system does not “serve the best interests” of children, an education writer has claimed. Jack Marwood (pictured), primary school teacher and author of the Icing on the Cake blog, told delegates on Thursday that current primary school tests leave children “distressed” and […]

Teaching Assistants: are they worth it?

In light of Durham County’s decision to cut teaching assistants’ pay, and the recent warning that teaching assistants risk being replaced by poorly-paid “interns”, Helen Saddler makes a case for the invaluable classroom support staff – and argues they need better professional development. When you hear ‘Teaching Assistant’- what comes to mind? “Jack of all trades”, first […]

Be functional, not faddish, and keep it simple

New school buildings are a difficult brief: they must be flexible, functional, welcoming and poised for change. Educators can meet that challenge if they start with a checklist of do’s and don’ts, says Craig Smailes Schools are, by their nature, subject to changing needs. Populations change, educational methods evolve and technology continues to alter the […]

Primary assessment: The exclamation issue has been skewed

When Ben Fuller wrote this article for Schools Week raising concerns over new requirements for exclamation sentences, it prompted a flurry of national media headlines. They included “Cripes! No exclamation allowed!” in the Sunday Times, and “Nonsense! Backlash over new school rules on exclamation marks” in The Telegraph. Schools Minister Nick Gibb even wrote his […]