Pupil Assessment (Hansard, 25 January 1991)

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Following advice from the School Examinations and Assessment Council (SEAC), the Secretary of State for Wales and I have decided that, subject to the negotiation of appropriate contracts, the local oversight of consistent and rigorous assessment arrangements for pupils aged 14 across all schools under the national curriculum should rest with the examining bodies which certify assessments at age 16. Assigning responsibility for auditing quality to the examining bodies will help to ensure consistency of standards between the testing of 14-year-olds and the GCSE examination, and across LEA-maintained, grant-maintained and non-maintained schools alike.

In line with LEAs' duty under section 10 of the Education Reform Act to secure the implementation of the national curriculum in the schools they maintain, the Government will look to authorities to secure that their schools implement the assessment arrangements for 14-year-olds. The same duty will lie with the governors in grant-maintained schools. This will involve assuming responsibility for the professional development of the teachers making the assessments; supporting schools, where necessary, with help and guidance; and taking steps to put matters right in any schools where assessment standards slip.

The Secretary of State for Wales and I have asked SEAC to enter into discussions with the examining bodies, LEAs and representatives of other schools concerned to consider the practicalities of local assessment arrangements for 14-year-olds based on this division of responsibilities, and to let us have further advice in March.

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We have also signalled to SEAC that, in the interests of rigorous and manageable assessment, the end of key stage tests which contribute to the overall assessments of 14-year-olds, pupils should take the form of written terminal examinations except where the nature of the subject matter can clearly be shown to justify some element of practical or project work.

I am placing copies of SEAC's advice and of my reply in the Libraries of both Houses.