Category Archives: Accountability

The looming Baseline test disaster

Posted on March 29, 2018 by

    The Government are intent on introducing baseline tests of 4-year-old children. This could have dire consequences by putting a cap on many children’s learning.  The tests will give teachers the impression that each child’s future potential can be calculated. … Continue reading →

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Protecting children from primary school tests

Posted on March 18, 2018 by

The damage caused by primary school testing to children’s education and wellbeing is now very clear. Among other effects, it has helped to create a crisis in children’s mental health. As we know, large numbers of children are now suffering … Continue reading →

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Progress 8 and the North East

Posted on January 29, 2018 by

Schools in North East England are under attack again. According to Progress 8 scores, its schools are the least effective in the country, with the highest percentage coming ‘below the floor’. But Progress 8 is a flawed and misleading measure. … Continue reading →

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Yorkshire conference – More Than A Score

Posted on April 13, 2017 by

Park Inn, North St, York YO1 6JF This conference will bring together parents and teachers across the region to discuss the crisis facing our schools and how this is affecting children and young people. It will provide an opportunity to … Continue reading →

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Little change promised on primary tests

Posted on April 12, 2017 by

The Government were clearly rattled by opposition to last year’s tests, including the parents’ protest last May and hundreds of responses to the Select Committee of MPs. Unfortunately, they are very slow to learn. After many delays, the new proposals amount to … Continue reading →

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Progress 8 another unfair measure

Posted on February 24, 2017 by

In a recent post Progress 8 – another attack on working-class schools  we drew on Education Datalab research to show how this supposedly fair measure is weighted against schools serving poorer communities. This is because young people growing up in poverty … Continue reading →

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Lessons from Shanghai?

Posted on February 24, 2017 by

Education ministers have repeatedly used high achievement in Shanghai to accuse English schools of poor standards. A recent TES article, by a primary teacher in a school for migrants, gave a glimpse of the reality. The school is located in an … Continue reading →

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