Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance (a) his Department and (b) Ofsted provide to schools on the regularity with which student progress should be assessed in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

Following the removal of national curriculum levels in 2014, primary and secondary schools now have the freedom to develop their own assessment methods to measure their pupils’ progress, so that they can make sure that they are appropriate for their setting and meet the needs of their pupils.

The Government does not provide statutory guidance to schools on how often they should assess their pupils’ progress and attainment. The Department has commissioned research to support schools in designing their own assessment policies. The Commission on Assessment Without Levels, the Data Management Review Group, and the Workload Advisory Group have all taken into account the balance that needs to be struck between the burden that assessment can place upon teachers and pupils, and the educational value of effective assessment. Recent research conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has shown that schools are tailoring their assessment systems to provide support more effectively.

The Commission on Assessment Without Levels is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/commission-on-assessment-without-levels.

The Data Management Review Group is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reducing-teacher-workload-data-management-review-group-report.

The Workload Advisory Group report: ‘Making data work’ is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-workload-advisory-group-report-and-government-response.

The NFER research is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/approaches-to-assessment-without-levels-in-schools.

Ofsted guidance on assessment is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.