Management Information Sheet
Primary Assessment and Reporting Arrangements 2021
The Assessment and Reporting Arrangements documents have been released, which offer further clarification. Below is a summary of the changes.
Early Years
Early Years teacher assessment is unchanged. Arrangements for this year are still as follows:
- some schools have already informed DfE that they wish to be ‘early adopters’ of the new EYFS Reforms and will submit assessment against the new EYFS Profile. There is no statutory external moderation for these schools;
- Schools not adopting the new EYFS Profile and using the current EYFS Profile will make and submit their judgements in the usual way. Statutory moderation still applies to these schools.
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check (and Year 2 where required)
The 2021 Phonics check will still take place. It must be administered between Monday 7 June and Friday 11 June and there is a now a 2-week window in which to administer the check to those who were absent during this week. (Monday 14 – Friday 25 June).
Year 2 children who do not reach the threshold score of 32 marks in the Phonics Screening Check that is being administered this term (including those who were absent) should be included in the check in Summer 2021, along with all Year 1 children.
Unannounced monitoring visits of Phonics Screening Checks will still take place.
Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
There is no requirement to administer the KS1 tests in 2021; however, teacher assessment of reading, writing and maths remains statutory.
External statutory moderation will still take place this year.
There is no requirement to submit teacher assessment of science in 2021.
Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check
The check will be optional this year.
Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
KS2 tests in Reading and Maths will go ahead, but Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test has been suspended for 2021.
The timetable variation period has been extended. Pupils will be able to sit the tests up to 10 school days after the timetabled date for administration. If schools need to vary the test timetable, they must still do this via the Primary Assessment Gateway.
The timetable for the tests is now as follows:- Monday 10 May - English reading
- Tuesday 11 May - Mathematics: Paper 1: arithmetic; Paper 2: reasoning
- Wednesday 12 May - Mathematics Paper 3: reasoning
Unannounced monitoring visits of KS2 National Curriculum tests will still take place.
Teacher assessment of writing remains statutory and external statutory moderation of writing will still take place this year.
There is no requirement to submit teacher assessment of science in 2021.
KS2 Performance Tables for the above data will not be published.
Assessment and Reporting Arrangements (ARA) documents
Implications for statutory LA moderation
Norfolk LA are exploring the possibility of a remote statutory moderation process, with colleagues in other local authorities. We will be consulting all schools about this early in the spring term, as part of the development of a local agreement. Please be assured that training and support will be put in place to enable all teachers to take part in this different approach.
Opportunities for further CPD
Moderator-led Assessment Networks to support confidence in making accurate teacher assessment judgements at EYFS, KS1 and KS2, are available for booking here.