How to write an effective SEF for your school Are you about to tackle the school self-evaluation form? Ciara Lamb shares some tips for writing your SEF, so you can be confident it is set up to effectively support your school's development
An (un)necessary evil: Five ways to stop testing from controlling your classroom As primary school teachers, how can you embrace and take control of testing and not let it ru(i)n your life? Mark Creasy offers colleagues five things to remember
Phonics: The debate continues... Synthetic phonics is the accepted way of teaching young children to read in the UK. The phonics screening check, backed up by Ofsted, has ensured this. But not all teachers or researchers are convinced. Suzanne O’Connell reports
Weekly Evaluation Sheet: A simple but impactful monitoring tool After a ‘requires improvement’ judgement, as part of his school’s response Gavin Hamilton implemented the Weekly Evaluation Sheet to help focus minds, improve monitoring and intervention, and cut workload...
Verdicts on the Reception Baseline Assessment We have been anticipating the introduction of the Reception Baseline Assessment for years. With full implementation finally coming last term, has it lived up to expectations? Suzanne O’Connell speaks to schools and reflects on the choppy past and uncertain future of the controversial test
Quality first teaching: Three principles for maintaining high expectations We would all agree about the power of high expectations for all students. Robbie Burns offers three broad whole school principles for ensuring high expectations, as well as suggested actions and questions for reflection
Six steps to supporting Afghan refugees arriving in your school As refugees from Afghanistan begin to arrive in the UK, primary schools across the UK are ready to welcome the children of these families. Katy Isaac offers six steps for supporting these children and signposts to useful resources
Whole class feedback: Strategies and experiences Whole class feedback reduces workload and ensures we are responsive to student need. Robbie Burns considers research into effective practice and describes his school’s strategy for whole-class feedback
Curriculum design: Impact, impact, impact... As part of Ofsted’s focus on curriculum impact, evaluating the pace of pupil progress, pupil outcomes, and their preparedness for next steps is vital, as is ‘performance development’. Matt Bromley explains
Whole-class feedback: Practical tips and ideas Giving whole-class feedback – when you address misconceptions and other issues as a collective – can have a big impact on student progress and your workload as a teacher. Adam Riches advises
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 1 comment
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
