Correcting the primary assessment imbalance

I have experienced first-hand the distorting effect the current system has had on the curriculum and the unnecessary pressure it places on schools, teachers and, most importantly, children. It is clear to me that the majority of the changes introduced by the Government last year made things worse rather than better.

It was for this reason that I was delighted to be invited to join the NAHT Assessment Review Group. Assessment experts and practitioners such as Dame Alison Peacock and Michael Tidd were involved, and many expert opinions were sought, including from early years specialists.

It was enormously tempting just to make one simple recommendation – scrap all forms of statutory assessment altogether. This certainly appealed to the teacher and former school leader in me. But as appealing as this might sound, the reality is it simply is not going to happen in the current climate. Also, we shouldn’t shy away from the fact that it is not unreasonable for schools to be held to account. This just needs to be done in a way that is fair to both them and the children. The group decided that the best way forward was to consider what a future statutory assessment system might look like.