Covid recovery: The importance of EAL assessment Setting accurate language targets and using tailored strategies will be crucial if we are to help the post-lockdown recovery of students who use English as an additional language. Caroline Bruce and Silvana Richardson explain and advise
Case study: Learning together to bridge the maths transition gap Primary and secondary maths teachers have been learning from each other in a MAT-wide project that is having an encouraging impact on pupils’ outcomes. Yvonne Gandy finds out more
Pupil Premium: Tracking progress, challenges and involvement – a case study A small sheet of paper completed four times a year has transformed one primary school’s approach to Pupil Premium support and intervention. Jessica Hawley explains
Year 6 to 7: Answering the transition challenge Primary to secondary transition is always challenging for students, who face the double whammy of anxiety and learning loss. The impact is felt particularly keenly in maths. Colin Hegarty offers his advice
Reflections on year 6 reading attainment The key stage 2 national curriculum tests can give us far greater insights than just a scaled score. Sarah Gibb explores what individual question data can tell us about which skills pupils successfully demonstrate in year 6 and which areas prove more challenging
Reception Baseline Assessment: What to expect The pilot of the new Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) has begun and the national roll-out is due in September 2020. Katherine Fowler from the National Foundation for Educational Research – which has developed and will deliver the new assessment – explains how it will work in practice and ...
A focus on reading fluency to support SATs preparation Maintaining a focus on reading fluency beyond key stage 1 could be key to improving SATs results. Kelly Challis explains how and offers some teaching techniques and other ideas
Getting transition right for vulnerable pupils We all know that transition to year 7 can lead to a dip in student outcomes. Daniel Sobel speaks to Jez Piper about how we can get transition right, particularly for our most vulnerable pupils
Baseline pilots loom as DfE sticks to its guns Can any test taken by four-year-olds provide an accurate baseline to a completely different test seven years later? Since 2013 – despite embarrassing set backs – the DfE has doggedly pushed for Baseline Assessment. With the latest trials complete, a new framework is out and pilots are on the horizon
Ofsted's Education Inspection Framework: Finally moving in the right direction? The consultation over Ofsted’s draft Education Inspection Framework is almost at an end. With its new focus on curriculum breadth and balance and with the chief inspector speaking out against teaching to the test, the framework has been broadly welcomed. What are the key talking points?
Assessing English language proficiency: Why and how Recent research shows the importance of effectively assessing the English language proficiency of EAL learners. Katherine Solomon looks at the findings and offers practical advice for primary schools
Interpreting the outcomes of standardised tests Many schools use standardised tests as part of their assessment practices. To help you get the most out of standardised tests, Liz Twist outlines some of the key terms and information
Making the most of assessment data Collecting assessment data is easy – but with so much data available, collecting the right information and ensuring you are using it effectively to support pupils’ learning can be more difficult. Emily Jones explains
Baseline Assessment: Where it will end? Despite past failures, the DfE is still convinced that the best measure for pupil progress must begin in Reception. But with a long implementation timeframe, fierce opposition and unions threatening to boycott, the story is not finished...
Literacy: What can we learn from PIRLS? Fifty countries took part in the most recent Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), the world-wide study of reading at ages 9 and 10. Rachel Classick looks at some key findings from England and Northern Ireland and what lessons we can learn
Improving pupils' working memory Achieving effective differentiation in the classroom and improving your pupils’ working memories are key priorities for teachers. Margaret Reeve offers some quick CPD ideas
Personalised assessment: A whole-school approach? A whole-school approach to personalised formative assessment – is such a thing possible? David Maytham argues that it is
No overhaul of primary assessment in sight The government’s response to the primary assessment consultation was published in September. Primary headteachers are anxious for change. We look at ministers’ plans and speculate on what the new model will deliver
SATs: Protecting pupil wellbeing As another year begins, Laura Ralph looks at how schools might support those pupils who are facing SATs this year and who might soon begin to feel the pressure around their assessments
Refocusing your approach to pupil assessment With major changes afoot in both England and Wales, schools are under pressure to develop effective approaches to pupil assessment. As a new and free resource is published to help, Claire Hodgson offers some evidence-based guidance on how schools can develop their own approaches to assessment
Assessment consultation – is it too little, too late? The year 2016 perhaps marked the worst year in primary national assessment history. Now the DfE has launched its promised consultation to find out what the way forward for primary assessment might be. But is it asking the right questions and has too much been decided already? 1 comment
Innovations in AfL The outstanding St John Baptist Primary School in Lewisham has some innovative approaches to Assessment for Learning. Fiona Aubrey-Smith met headteacher John Goodey to find out more
What can we learn from our TIMSS results? International comparison studies make regular headlines, but their findings must be interpreted with caution. Dorothy Lepkowska looks at two recent reports analysing science and maths performance in England and Northern Ireland
What are the next steps for primary assessment? Could it be the calm after the storm? 2016 was not an easy year for assessment co-ordinators and their schools. Now Justine Greening offers reassurance that 2017 will be better. But will it? Suzanne O’Connell reports
Transition: Resilience, self-esteem and confidence A research project to develop pupils’ resilience, self-esteem and confidence in the run-up to their transition to secondary school has yielded some positive results. Dorothy Lepkowska reports
