ICAPE

Why do we need a primary assessment commission?

There has long been opposition from many education professionals, parents and researchers to the use of high-stakes testing in primary schools, and concern about how this affects classroom practice. Parents’ experiences of home-schooling during the pandemic have raised new questions about whether the current assessment system is the most appropriate for their children. There has also been recent research that offers new insights relevant to practice and policy. For these reasons, and many more, the time is right for a review of the assessment regime in primary schools.

Statutory assessments take place in 5 out of 7 primary school years:

The data gathered by the DfE from these tests is used to measure school performance and informs Ofsted inspections. There is a growing consensus among educators, parents and politicians of all parties that the primary assessment system needs to change.