Ministers consider national tests for seven-year-olds
The Guardian | Richard Adams, Education editor | 1 November 2015
Ministers are considering more rigorous assessments for seven-year-olds – including the reintroduction of national tests – as part of an overhaul of primary school appraisal to being announced by education secretary Nicky Morgan.
In her first major policy speech since the election, Morgan is expected to announce on Tuesday a review of primary school assessment in England, addressing concerns that current methods are ineffective in measuring the progress made by pupils.
Abstract: Next year, primary schools in England have the option of taking part in the reception year baseline assessments, which seek to record the abilities of four- and five-year-olds within the first few weeks of starting school.
The majority of primary schools have opted to take part by signing up to a baseline check being offered by the provider Early Excellence, which avoids any testing and relies on teacher observation and judgment.
While the popularity of the Early Excellence approach has undermined plans for a national boycott proposed by some teaching unions, the DfE is concerned that it and teacher-led KS1 assessments may not be robust enough to measure progress.
Earlier this year, the TES reported that Gibb was seriously considering scrapping the current KS1 assessments in favour of externally marked tests.
