§ Baroness Coxasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give further information about the new spelling tests for primary school pupils reported in the press on 12 December; which agency is developing the tests; and which age group they are intended for; and [HL480]
104WAWhether they will make sample copies of the new spelling tests for primary school pupils available for inspection by Members of the House of Lords. [HL481]
§ Baroness BlackstoneSpelling will continue to be tested through the statutory key stage 1 and key stage 2 national curriculum tests. It also forms part of the optional tests for year 3, year 4 and year 5 which most primary schools take advantage of. As part of the National Literacy Strategy the department has produced a spelling bank booklet that contains lists of words and ideas to help in the teaching of the key stage 2 spelling objectives set out in the National Literacy StrategyFramework for teaching. These lists provide the basis for the informal spelling tests that, as part of the National Literacy Strategy, they are encouraged to undertake regularly. Copies of the spelling bank have been placed in the Library.