Press Release

GTC supports the piloting of new approaches to assessment at ages 11 and 14

8 January 2007

The GTC comments on the proposed changes to the assessment system, as follows:

The General Teaching Council for England supports the piloting of new approaches to pupil assessment. The GTC believes that the current testing regime does not support pupil learning effectively and has been proposing for some time that teachers should be able to draw on a bank of tests and tasks to use when they judge that pupils are ready.  The GTC urges Government not to set its face against more fundamental reform of the performance tables that place such unwarranted pressure on pupils, teachers and schools.  A large part of the current malaise within the assessment regime stems from the fact that the key stage tests are used for too many conflicting purposes – they cannot effectively both support pupil learning and track school performance over time. The Gilbert report, 2020 Vision, rightly identifies greater use of assessment for learning techniques as a vital tool in personalising learning.  These techniques allow teachers and pupils to make practical use of assessment to aid, rather than simply measure, pupil learning.