Lord Bew's independent review of Key Stage 2 testing

23 June 2011

Commenting on Lord Bew's Independent Review of Key Stage 2 testing, assessment and accountability, published today, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers' union, said:

“At a time when there is not much good news for education, Lord Bew's Review certainly looks like a step in the right direction. In his introduction he acknowledges that it is a complex situation and we are heartened that he has paid close attention to our joint document with ATL and NAHT, Making Assessment Measure Up.

“Throughout the Review, Lord Bew sends a clear message that more trust has to be placed in teachers and that it is teachers who are best able to assess individual children. It is also made clear that the current system is flawed and leads to teaching to the test.

“Consistent with the NUT, Lord Bew quite rightly suggests that writing should be principally assessed by teachers. We also endorse his recommendation that schools should be encouraged to form clusters for moderation and thereby develop their assessment skills, and particularly that Year 7 teachers be involved in Year 6 moderation.

“Unfortunately there are inconsistencies in his recommendations. For instance, we see no need for a separate test to be introduced for grammar and punctuation. If we are trusting teachers to assess writing across a range of genres, that should also include pupils' technical writing skills.

“Lord Bew wishes to focus more on accuracy, fluency and comprehension when testing children's reading skills. Teachers test these skills on an ongoing basis throughout the year and there is no need for a separate test. We are concerned that this proposal may be about developing a similar test to that proposed for six year olds. Both will skew learning.

“We support the recommendations that there should be a greater focus on the progress children make throughout their schooling rather than just a snapshot picture on the day of the tests. Systems of assessing and reporting progress should be a matter for professional judgement not the imposition of a new national structure.

“It is disappointing that the remit restrains Lord Bew from thinking far more broadly. From the outset, it was a given that some sort of statutory testing would remain and that parents 'need' league tables. Reading between the lines of his introduction, it is clearly the best he could do.

“In all, however, the Review makes clear that there is a lot about current primary education that we should celebrate and be proud of. We will engage positively with the next phase of Lord Bew's Review, looking at the practicalities of achieving a fairer system of assessment for all.”

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