There is no requirement for assessment systems to be built on a progress mindset, however, and every reason to think that there are more effective ways of monitoring students as they move through school. Read article…

Levels were fine until they weren’t. Used until 2015, they provided a broad indicator of attainment at the end of each key stage and gave a notion of progress as children moved from one level to the next. The rot set in when they began to be used for accountability purposes, especially measures of progress, […] Read article…

At key stage 2, the national discussion is often focused on the number of children who are – or are not  – reaching the expected standard. Whilst this is clearly of interest, what is happening within the two groups created by the expected standard is potentially much more interesting, as these two groups are evolving […] Read article…

Many years ago, following a meeting of the Reception Baseline Stakeholder Group at DfE Towers, I went for a cup of tea with a fellow group member and was told a story that blew my mind. As we sat sipping English breakfast in the well-lit atrium, my partner-in-tea asked, “do you know how the expected […] Read article…