Interviews with teachers at the Assessment Conference

Primary and Secondary school teachers at the Assessment Conference tell us their views on the current assessment and testing regime.

Simon Groarke, head teacher at St Margaret’s Catholic primary school in Glossop, Derbyshire.

“I’ve been unhappy about assessment for a long time, both as a head and as a parent of primary school age children. I think it’s been based far too much on school performance. First and foremost, assessment should be there to directly inform the children and improve their performance.

“Listening to these ideas, I feel excited about the new initiatives on assessment and that there’s a good future for improving standards and the achievements of pupils. I’m all for formative assessment. I feel that teachers haven’t been given the chance to prove that their professional judgement is accurate. From my own experience, my Year 6 teacher can tell what the results of the Key Stage 2 SATs will be and, by and large, he’s bang on. I trust his professional judgement and feel that teachers need to be given that trust.

“Certainly assessment should inform schools about what they need to improve upon, but we should also celebrate success for the pupils. It should be a tool to help children improve – and not a stick to beat them with. I think that’s what it’s become – and a stick to beat schools with too.”

Sandra Barker, head teacher of Trowse primary school in Norfolk.

 “There’s a double layer of assessment. The first informs teaching and learning, and  teachers use it for the benefit of the children, while SATs assessment is much more about league tables and government targets. It’s a two-tier system. I would like to see assessment changed so that it’s not based on how a child does during one week of SATs. We need a truer representation of the child’s ability that is informed by teachers’ assessment.

“There are lots of very good things going on in schools now – for example, philosophy, modern languages. And there’s a lot of attention paid to how children learn, making learning meaningful – yet we’re still stuck in SATs results determining funding, how the county perceives your school and so on. I would like to know how we’re going to pave the way to get out of the rut that we’re in.

“In some ways we’re preaching to the converted – the ideas we’re hearing on assessment are very good and interesting and we’re all for them. But how are we actually going to get to that path and persuade government? Will it be through parent power? Will it be through the teaching unions? Will it be the GTC?  I’d like to know: how are we going to put these education-based policies in place and make them work?” 

Roger Froom, assistant head teacher at Little Lever secondary school in Bolton.

“Formative assessment is absolutely crucial to quality teaching and learning – once it’s sorted out, everything else will follow.

“I want the select committee inquiry to be certain not to confuse the two kinds of assessment. Summative assessment is not what classroom teachers are particularly interested in - but in recent years I believe school managers have been forced to focus too much on outcomes and not enough on processes.

“At the moment there’s way too much testing. The current system closes down options and is restrictive. For example, it works against allowing children to take qualifications when they’re ready.  

“The chance was missed to change things a few years ago, but hopefully the opportunity will be seized now.”