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PrimaryAssessment

DfE Changes Deadline for 2016 Primary School Teacher Assessments

The DfE has announced that this year’s deadlines for the submission of KS1 and KS2 teacher assessments have both been revised to 30th June 2016. The reason given for the change – which will apply this year only – is that teachers are currently under ‘unique circumstances’, in working with a new framework to new […]

Callum Fauser
by Callum Fauser
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The DfE has announced that this year’s deadlines for the submission of KS1 and KS2 teacher assessments have both been revised to 30th June 2016.

The reason given for the change – which will apply this year only – is that teachers are currently under ‘unique circumstances’, in working with a new framework to new standards.

The government has also issued a clarification of the recent reforms to primary assessment, briefly outlining what they are and why they were introduced, under the title ‘Five things you need to know about changes to primary assessment.‘.

They include the government’s reasons for setting a higher attainment bar and introducing a new floor standard, plus an assurance that teachers will not need to complete ‘6120 check boxes’.

There’s also an admission that the wide-ranging reforms have taken time to get right. The section in question includes the notable statement, ‘The frameworks for teacher assessment this year are interim – but it’s disingenuous to suggest this is because we don’t know what we’re doing.’

Commenting on the revised deadlines, schools minister Nick Gibb said, ‘Throughout this important reform process we have worked closely with teachers and headteachers and continue to listen to the concerns of the profession as the details of the new arrangements are finalised. We are working constructively with the teaching profession and their representatives to find solutions to some of the remaining issues. The NAHT’s readiness to work with us, rather than use the media to scaremonger, has meant that we have been able to have a sensible discussion.

‘As a result we have made changes, which I hope will allay teachers’ concerns about workload and disruption, allowing us to continue working towards the goal we all want to achieve – the best possible education for all our children.’

Nick Gibb’s reference to working with the NAHT is especially interesting when read in light of the tweet below, courtesy of Tim Taylor:

In a subsequent letter sent yesterday to NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby, Nick Gibb further notes that, ‘I have made Sir David Carter, National Schools Commissioner, aware that RSCs should be mindful of the impact of these new arrangements in making decisions about issuing warning notices and tackling underperformance following this year’s results.

‘I have also written to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector asking that his inspectors take into account national performance and the contextual factors you have outlined when considering a school’s performance on writing at Key Stage 2.

‘All organisations holding schools to account should be aware of the changes being introduced in 2016 and will consider the impact of this in making any decisions about performance or intervention on the basis of 2016 data alone.’

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