Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119780 on Primary Education: Assessments, how will data from the national statistics be analysed to understand trends in education recovery; whether data from multiplication tables check in year 4 be included in that analysis; what his timescale for completing and publishing this analysis is; and whether primary schools will be required to share information about pupil attainment at key stage 2 with relevant secondary schools.

Primary school tests and assessments will be returning for the first time since 2019, and the data from the tests and assessments will enable us to understand the impact of COVID-19 disruption on the attainment and progress of all pupils. Where data is available, the department will assess the trends in education recovery by comparing the attainment level (for example, the proportion of key stage 2 pupils reaching the expected standards in reading, writing and maths) of pupils taking the tests and national curriculum assessments in 2022, with the attainment level of pupils who took these before the COVID-19 outbreak.

We will use data from multiplication tables check in year 4 to understand primary pupils’ attainment in maths. However, as 2022 will be the first time the multiplication tables check will be taken on a statutory basis, we will not be able to compare the performance of pupils taking the checks this year with the results from a previous cohort to assess education recovery.

The interim key stage 2 national curriculum assessments statistics will be released in July 2022. Further detail, including breakdowns at local authority level and by school and pupil characteristics, will be released in the provisional key stage 2 national curriculum assessments statistics in September 2022. The multiplication tables check statistics will be released between September and October 2022.

When a pupil changes school, including when they change phase of education, schools are required to share securely the pupil's educational records, including information about attainment in relevant statutory tests and assessments.

Maintained schools are required to transfer this information by law, through The Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005 (S.I 1437). Academies and free schools are required to transfer the information through obligations in their individual funding agreements.