Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the international evidential basis is for the validity and reliability of an accountability progress measure using an assessment at the start of school as a baseline which is directly linked to an appropriate content domains at the end of Key Stage 2.

There is evidence from the University of Durham that a baseline in reception can be used to measure progress by the end of primary school[1].

Different countries use different assessment systems to evaluate school quality and the progress made by pupils. Baseline assessments are used in a number of countries for a wide range of purposes; including demonstrating the value of early years and understanding what children know when they start school.

The Department will soon be launching a consultation on primary assessment and the implications for accountability. This will cover key issues, including the best starting point to measure the progress that children make in primary school.

[1] http://www.cem.org/primary