Assessment
The latest news and analysis on exams in the UK, including key dates, timetables, results and statistics for Sats, GCSEs and A levels
Tuesday
18th Jan 2022
Increased standardised testing spend ‘incomprehensible’
Scottish national tests’ ‘very limited educational worth’ makes decision ‘even more questionable’, says union
Rise in FSM pupils ‘will distort attainment data’
A big increase in free school meals pupils, after changes to eligibility, will make tracking progress in closing the attainment gap almost impossible, warns NFER
Friday
14th Jan 2022
Time management: is this approach the silver bullet?
In teaching, the job is never ‘done’; there’s always more work to do. So how can teachers manage their time? Mark Enser shares his approach
Why the call for former teachers and NTP has fallen flat
Geoff Barton casts a quizzical eye over a week that revealed the stark reality of how some much hyped-up government initiatives have failed to deliver – and why schools have pressed on regardless
GCSE MFL review: Why word lists are key
The chair of the review of subject content for GCSE modern foreign languages explains the rationale behind the new reforms put forward today
Thursday
13th Jan 2022
GCSEs and A levels 2022: How will Welsh students be graded?
The Welsh government announced its intention in March 2021 to run exams this year – here we take a closer look at the plans
GCSEs: Third of students improve grades in autumn exams
Around one in three students achieved better results in exams than in their teacher-assessed grades from last summer
Wednesday
12th Jan 2022
Why it’s time to ditch attempts to tackle exam inflation
Sam Freedman outlines why the government should be thinking about ditching attempts to return to normal exam grade boundaries this year given the widespread disruption pupils have faced
The rise of SEND ‘magnet schools’
The long-awaited SEND review is due in the next few months. Watching closely is a cohort of schools hoping that the report will address a growing gap – one between those schools with high numbers of pupils with SEND, and those with very few