Before you go...

A little thought and preparation now might help you leave for that well-earned holiday secure in the knowledge that nothing will surprise you in September

Testing times?

The days of 'SATs' as we know them might be numbered, depending on the outcome of a two-year pilot in 10 local authorities starting in September.

The pilot will look at ways to encourage better progression throughout the Key Stages. Individual pupils, from Years 3 to 9, can sit 'single level' tests, in English or maths, whenever their teachers think they are ready. This will enable them to progress up the National Curriculum (NC) level ladder at their own speed as they move through KS2 and 3. Every year, there will be two windows when tests can be taken: in December and June. If it succeeds, this arrangement could replace the current system, where the whole of Years 6 and 9 sit English and maths tests, each covering a band of three NC levels, on the same days in May. Pilot schools, during the trial, will follow both systems in parallel.

Pilot schools will also trial an increase in targeted one-to-one tuition for pupils falling behind in English and/or mathematics. Each child considered in need by class teachers will be eligible for 10 hours' extra tuition in either subject. Initially, the help will be targeted at pupils who entered the Key Stage behind national expectations in English or maths. LAs will be responsible for supplying a pool of tutors, who must be qualified teachers, to do the extra work — which will be paid. It's expected that many will be teachers currently working in the pilot and neighbouring schools.

During the trial, schools will also be given 'progress targets' linked to the numbers of pupils who improve by two NC levels over the course of a Key Stage. There will also be financial rewards for schools making significant progress with those pupils who entered the Key Stage behind expectations.
Visit: www.teachernet.gov.uk/educationoverview/briefing/
currentstrategy/makinggoodprogress

Community cohesion

From September, schools will be under a duty to promote community cohesion, and Ofsted inspections will report on what schools are doing in this area. All schools, whatever the mix of pupils they serve, will be expected — through their ethos, curriculum, standards of attainment, and engagement with parents, other schools and communities — to equip those pupils to live and thrive alongside people from many different backgrounds. Final guidance, with examples of how schools are already successfully meeting this obligation, will be available on TeacherNet (www.teachernet.gov.uk) from the middle of July.

Early Years Foundation Stage

The new school year marks the start of the final 12 months' preparation time before the September 2008 deadline, when all schools, nurseries and day care centres will be expected to implement the provisions of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The EYFS will set the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five.

The aims include removing the current artificial divides between learning and care, and between children under and over three years old.

The EYFS is much more a consolidation of existing framework materials and guidance than an introduction of new rules. For example, it contains the same Early Learning Goals for children at the end of the Reception year that have been part of the Foundation Stage Profile for the last three years. Learning through play, in a safe and secure environment, will characterise the approach throughout the age-range.
www.teachernet.gov.uk/eyfs

Food

The rules governing food and drink provided at school are getting tighter. A year ago they were imposed on school lunches. From September, they will apply to every other area of school food, including vending machines, breakfast clubs and tuck shops. For all of these areas, numerous items are now banned, including chocolate, sweets, crisps, cakes and biscuits, and fizzy drinks. Salt must not be provided, and ketchup should be in sachets or individual portions of 10g or less. The regulations do not cover food brought into school in students' lunch boxes, although schools are at liberty to impose their own rules in this area.
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk

Languages

Even though there are three years to go before all primary pupils have an entitlement to learn a foreign language across all four years of Key Stage 2, many schools will start phasing in their provision from next September. This will give them time to plan the way pupils' learning will progress between Year 3 and Year 6. The Secretary of State has announced that languages will become compulsory when the primary curriculum is next reviewed. Already about 70 per cent of primary schools have introduced some language teaching in Key Stage 2.
www.teachernet.gov.uk/languagesreview

Words: Steve McCormack

And don't forget...

... there's an interactive planning tool now up and running on the Primary Framework website to help you create your own personal set of lesson plans for maths and English. For more information, don't miss the National Strategies pages in September's issue. See www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primaryframeworks/
planningtool

This content was published in July 2007 and may not reflect current policy