Pupil assessments should be conducted by school staff, says body

Those in teaching jobs in primary schools should be asked by the government to assess their pupils on their progress, it has been suggested.

This method should replace the current system of national assessments, which narrow the curriculum and jeopardise a child's learning, the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) has argued.

"Using and applying mathematics is not easily tested so at present many pupils experience an impoverished mathematics curriculum as a result," the body stated in an official response to the government review of the tests.

While key stage 3 exams were scrapped last year, the government has announced that those at key stage 2 are here to stay.

It is currently considering a replacement to the current Sats, with a series of shorter assessments throughout the junior years.

But ACME has argued that teachers should be asked to judge their pupils' abilities, while a shift away from a focus on exams would also allow them to ensure that pupils would gain a deeper understanding of maths.

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