Mention the words ‘assessment in foundation subjects’ and you’re likely to be met with a frosty response. ‘Its hard enough in English and mathematics, how on earth will we find the time to carry out assessment in all those other subjects. And even if there was the time, where is the guidance, the training, the exemplars to ensure it is not just a complete waste of time.
For years schools have wondered what OFSTED will be looking for in terms of assessment beyond the core. In reality OFSTED usually had other fish to fry. And warm words from Sean Harford and others suggested that inspectors would not be looking for detailed records of achievement in foundation subjects. So far so good. But then this report of a primary school emerged and made troubling reading. What exactly are OFSTED implying by this reference to assessment in history?
The school should develop the teaching of subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics so that leaders, governors and teachers can more accurately track the progress across subjects to the same high standard as they do in English and mathematics.
So what should we do?
Here at Keystage history we have been offering our tapes across the minefield in the form of unseen Common Assessment Tasks which come towards the end of the topic and assess just the main historical concepts( no more than tow at a time) that have been the major.
Go to the assessment part of the site to find a wide range of tasks, markschemes and annotated pupils’ work which has been judged by an OFSTED inspector using history criteria.
