The assessment of pupils in primary schools serves a number of purposes. The current system unhelpfully conflates these purposes, distorting the curriculum and children’s broader education.

The current statutory assessments don’t always focus on the most important things, leading in some cases to too much time being spent on peripheral aspects of learning and reducing the time available for potentially more worthwhile learning.

The current approach to assessment in primary schools risks damaging children’s wellbeing and mental health – a concern which has been exacerbated by the way in which changes have been introduced this year.

The frameworks for teacher assessment are not being applied or moderated consistently, making it very difficult to accurately judge the relative performance of schools.

Read the full respose here.