Government plans to introduce a baseline test for reception age children to measure their progress throughout primary school are “flawed, unjustified and wholly unfit for purpose”, a study by a group of leading education experts has concluded. Their study concludes the plans will produce inaccurate and unfair comparisons across children’s primary school life, because a few months’ difference in age can produce pronounced developmental differences in pre-school children. The current plans also do not take into account wider factors, including family income and educational history, as well as whether the family uses English as an additional language. The panel is also concerned that the tests do not help identify specific needs or develop the best teaching strategies to help children. Under the proposals, testing will be piloted during the 2019 academic year and then rolled out in autumn 2020. Read more.
You may also like
Disadvantaged students have higher rates of mental health problems, study finds
More than one in three economically disadvantaged Year 8 students have a probable mental health condition, according to initial findings from a ground-breaking study to chart children’s wellbeing post the Covid-19...
October 5, 2026
Long-term fund to tackle causes of child poverty
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) fund will support projects that reduce the short or long-term effects of poverty on the life chances and outcomes for children. The Better Futures Fund (BFF) aims to...
September 23, 2026
Pay rent, eat or keep warm? Growing numbers face hard choices as housing benefit gap grows
Wirral mother among renters turning to food banks as gap between a two-bed and housing benefit hits £158 a month – rising to as much as £324 in London Read the full article on this link to The Guardian Share this: Share...
September 23, 2026
