Commenting on the passing of Motion 8 at the Annual Conference of
the National Education Union, Dr Mary Bousted,
Joint General Secretary of the NEU, said:
“The Schools White Paper, Opportunity for All, has
disappointingly little to say about the need to change the models
of curriculum and assessment that established, with little
consultation, nearly ten years ago.
“Today’s resolution mandates the Union to continue to address the
problems of this model, and to develop alternatives to current
systems of assessment, both primary and secondary.
“In this work the Union is part of a growing movement for change.
Recent reports have demonstrated that there is support across the
political and educational spectrum for the replacement of
outdated assessment systems.
“The Government’s late action on contingencies for teacher
assessed grades during the pandemic caused educators unmanageable
workload and the approaches implemented in 2020 and 2021 are not
a model for the future. Secondary teacher workload is
unsustainably high and must be reduced. Improving the assessment
system must encompass manageable expectations around workload.
However, using assessments that go beyond written tests does not
have to cause the burden government created during the pandemic,
if planned properly. Using a more varied approach is something
that is already embedded in the systems of many other countries
around the world. Even in England, many qualifications in the
Vocational and Technical sector already do so.
“That which is measured or assessed is invariably that which
becomes prioritised and as such the ability to memorise and
regurgitate facts should not be the only way in which we allow
students to show what they’re capable of. It does them an
injustice, entirely dismisses the professional expertise of
educators and deprioritises skills which will be important for
life and work in the 21st century.
“Through setting up the Independent Assessment Commission on
qualifications in secondary education, the NEU has worked with
others - including parents, the Chartered College of Teaching,
the Edge Foundation and the CBI - to lay the basis of a consensus
for change. The Union has now initiated the Independent
Commission on Assessment in Primary Education, which will produce
practical alternatives to the high-stakes testing which afflicts
almost every year group in primary schools.
"By narrowing the curriculum and promoting teaching to the test,
our current assessment systems lower the quality of
education.”
