Ofqual – publication of research into A level qualifications, entitled ‘Fit for Purpose?’.
Ofqual – Fit for Purpose? The view of the higher education sector, teachers and employers on the suitability of A levels.
The Telegraph – A-level overhaul to halt “rampant grade inflation”.
The Guardian – Exams watchdog plans A-level reforms to curb persistent grade inflation.
TES article – Exam boards once more fail to make the grade.
DfE teaching and learning – information about Key Stage 2 assessments in 2013 including the grammar, punctuation and spelling test.
TES article – Most teachers feel a bureaucratic burden is preventing them from raising pupils’ attainment, research has found. Planning and preparation was particularly burdensome for primary teachers, while secondary and special school staff found monitoring data and evidence to be too onerous.
NFER – Identifying and reducing bureaucratic burdens.
TES article – Figures suggest little progress in literacy and numeracy.
TES Scotland article – Scottish teachers may be so conditioned to exams and testing that even Curriculum for Excellence enthusiasts will struggle to change how they teach.
TES article – Harris Federation drops qualification lauded by education secretary.
Ofqual – We have published an exchange of letters between Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, and Glenys Stacey, Ofqual’s Chief Regulator, on proposed changes to A levels.
TES article – Critics say elite universities’ input may create two-tier system.
TES article – Bored by Sats, one class took their version to the secretary of state.
TES Scotland – The number of Scottish Baccalaureates has been doubled, in a bold move designed to attract many more candidates and allow them to skip a year at university.
TES Scotland article – The first national survey of primary and secondary pupils’ numeracy skills has found a third of S2 pupils are not performing at the expected level for maths, sparking calls for the 20-pupil maximum class size for early secondary English and maths to be reinstated.
TES article – Reception and nursery teachers have just five months to prepare for a revised and severely pared-back curriculum.
BBC News Education – Almost one in 10 pupils are starting a Hull secondary school each year with the reading age of a five-year-old, a head teacher has said.
DfE early learning and childcare – The revised, simpler framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) was published on 27 March 2012, for implementation from September 2012.
DfE – Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Foundation Years – Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2012.
Foundation Years – Quick reference guide to the changes to the 2008 framework.
DfE news and press notices – Reforming Early Years.
Areas of learning and ELGs (as of December 2011)
DfE consultations – Consultation on a Revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (Learning and Development Requirements) (Amendment) Order 2012.
DfE consultations – Results of consultation on revised Early Years Foundation Stage.
TES article – The high pass mark for the Year 1 check is causing disquiet.
Assessment: Keeping Learning on Track - guidance for schools in developing quality assessment processes, published jointly by Suffolk County Council and the AAIA.