Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing standardised testing in the autumn to assist schools in identifying any learning and skills gaps among pupils.

The department undertakes a rigorous process to develop standardised statutory assessment. Such assessments allow parents and schools to understand pupils’ achievements in relation to the age-related attainment expectations outlined in the National Curriculum.

The department recognises that pupils will have missed a critical period of education due to partial school closures in the 2019/20 academic year and have therefore confirmed our intention to return to a normal standard assessment timeframe in primary schools. The continuation of assessments on this timeframe will help us to understand the remaining impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on this cohort of pupils, allowing us to target ongoing support to those that need it most.