National tests for seven-year-olds downgraded
Schools Minister Stephen Twigg has confirmed today that the national testing element for seven-year-olds (Key Stage One) will be downgraded.
Instead of all children taking the exams at a set time, individual schools will decide “how and when” they are administered and the test results will be integrated into teachers’ assessment of the pupil.
Parents will henceforth receive just one assessment of their child, rather than the current separate test and teacher’s assessment.
The change comes after a successful pilot of the new, flexible arrangements in 5000 primary schools.
The Department for Education said that teachers and local education authorities were strongly supportive of the changes, and that under the new system the assessment remains as robust as before.
Announcing the change, Mr Twigg said: “For seven-year-olds, a teacher’s overall, rounded assessment of a child’s progress through the year, underpinned by national tests, will provide a more accurate guide to their progress than their performance in one set of tasks and tests.
He stressed though that there are “no plans” to extend a similar system to testing at 11 and 14, saying at these later stages “it is important for schools and parents to have information on a child’s performance through objective, nationally benchmarked tests”.
