Primary assessment for non-primary people: a very quick guide

The DfE collects a bewildering array of data from primary schools. This quick guide to statutory assessment is here to help.

Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP)
This assessment takes place at the end of the reception year when pupils are 5 years old. It 

comprises 17 early learning goals (ELGs) against which pupils are assessed as emerging, expected, or exceeding. If pupils meet the expected level of development in the 12 prime and specific ELGs then they are deemed to have reached a ‘good level of development’ (GLD). The percentage reaching GLD is the key performance measure, which is shown in the Ofsted Inspection dashboard but is not in the publicly available performance tables.

Carried out at the end of Year 1, pupils attempt to decode 40 words, half of which are real and the other half made-up. Pupils managing to decode 32 or more out of 40 have achieved the expected standard, and the percentage doing so is another key measure. As for EYFSP, school results are presented in the Inspection dashboard but are not available in the public domain.

At the end of year 2 pupils receive a teacher assessment in reading, writing, maths, and science. In science pupils are simply deemed to have met or not met expected standards (EXS or HNM). In other subjects the majority of pupils are assessed as either working towards (WTS), working at the expected standard (EXS) or working at greater depth (GDS). Pre-key stage assessment frameworks are available for those pupils that are working below the standard of the curriculum. Pupils take tests to inform the overall teacher assessment in reading and maths; there are no tests for writing and science. A grammar, punctuation and spelling test is provided but it is non-statutory and no data is collected. The DfE collect pupils’ overall teacher assessment in each subject – they do not collect the test scores – and the percentage achieving expected standards and greater depth in reading, writing and maths are the key measures. Pupils’ KS1 results also act as the baseline for primary school progress measures but this may change in future if the DfE implement a baseline at the start of reception. A school’s KS1 results are shown in the inspection dashboard but are not available in the public domain. 

At the end of Year 6, pupils sit tests in reading, maths, and grammar, punctuation and spelling. 

Achieving a score of 100 or more indicates that the pupil has met the expected standard and a score of 110 is deemed to be a high score. There are no tests for writing and science so pupils receive a teacher assessment based on the KS2 teacher assessment frameworks*, and these mirror the format of KS1 with a binary result for science (HNM or EXS), and more differentiated outcomes in writing (WTS, EXS, GDS). Pre-key stage frameworks are used to assess pupils working below the curriculum standard, with more pre-key stage categories than at KS1. The DfE collect test scores and teacher assessments but headline measures are mainly based on scaled scores in reading and maths, and teacher assessment in writing.  Headline measures include:

• % achieving expected standards in reading, writing and maths combined (1 measure)
• % achieving high standards in reading and maths, and greater depth in writing (1 measure)
• Average scores in reading and maths (2 separate measures)
• Average progress in reading, writing and maths (3 separate measures)

There are floor standards linked to these results with an attainment floor set at 65% achieving expected standards in reading, writing and maths combined, and progress floor thresholds that change each year. Schools’ results are available in the public domain as well as in the inspection dashboard.

Note that only reading and maths scores are used for Progress 8 baselines.

*Teachers also make an assessment of reading and maths. This data is collected but is not used in headline measures.

Performance tables: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/

DfE Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-
#education/about/statistics

Key guidance: https://www.gov.uk/education/school-curriculum