Posted on Sunday 10th Apr 2016
Baseline tests for reception pupils in England are not reliable enough to measure progress this year, says a study for the Department for Education.
The education department, which is introducing the tests, says it would be "unfair" to use them as a measure.
There are three different testing systems that schools can use - but the study says the results are not "sufficiently comparable".
A head teachers' union said: "It is hard to avoid saying 'we told you so'."
Tests for pupils at the beginning of school, known as "baseline tests", were intended as a starting point against which to measure progress through primary school.
But they have faced opposition from teachers' union leaders who criticised them as introducing an unnecessary set of tests for young children who had just started school.
The Department for Education has now backed away from using the tests for measuring progress this year - after publishing a study that it had commissioned looking at the comparability of the three testing systems.
"That study has shown that the assessments are not sufficiently comparable to provide a fair starting point from which to measure pupil progress," says a statement from the Department for Education.
"In light of that, we will not be using this year's results as the baseline for progress measures. This would be inappropriate and unfair to schools."
The study from the Standards and Testing Agency concluded that the tests in literacy and numeracy, with three separate systems in use, were not sufficiently comparable.
Schools could choose between versions of the test provided by Early Excellence, Durham University's Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).
Latest News
16/02/24Hundreds of new grammar school places needed in Kent by end of the decade
Hundreds of extra grammar school places will be needed in Kent by the end of the decade with the cost likely to “fall on the taxpayer”, it’s been warned.
08/01/24School absences: Boost sport to get pupils back in class - report
More sport in school and investment in youth clubs are needed to tackle the number of children regularly missing class, according to a new report.
07/12/23Ashford school to make students lock their phones in pouches
A school in Kent is planning to make students put their mobile phones in a locked pouch during the day. The John Wallis Academy in Ashford will introduce the measure in the new year. Principal Damian McBeath explained that he hoped the rule would limit disruptions in the school and help with safeguarding. Mr McBeath said he thought the academy would be the first school in Kent to use the pouches.
01/12/23Top Tips for Supply Teachers
Going into new schools can be daunting! We wanted to share some of our favourite top tips for supply teachers so you can be as prepared as possible and enjoy your supply day.
18/10/23Digital exams to be introduced within years - AQA
Pupils in England could sit some of their GCSE exams digitally within the next few years, under exam board proposals.