Primary Education: Assessments

(asked on 25th February 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to ensure that data collected from the Reception Baseline Assessment will be adjusted to allow for children’s differing learning experiences in pre-school settings as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, as well as for the individual rates at which they may catch up; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 10th March 2021

The purpose of the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) is to act as the starting point to enable the Department to measure the progress schools make with their pupils. The assessment will assess all children on-entry, accounting for any impact on their education up to this point. This is important so that we can acknowledge and give credit to schools that have successfully helped their pupils to catch up, and it would therefore be inappropriate to adjust these scores.

The Department believes that it is important to have an accountability system that is fair, inclusive, and properly reflects the work done by teachers to ensure all pupils fulfil their potential, including those with additional needs. The new progress measure ensures schools are recognised for the work they do with their pupils, in particular for those with a challenging intake and those who have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Department is planning for a full programme of primary assessments to take place in the 2021/22 academic year, including the introduction of the statutory RBA as previously announced. We will confirm full details for 2021/22 primary assessments in due course.

Reticulating Splines