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BNST is an ideal test to help you to quickly assess pupil understanding of number and number operations, helping you to get to the root of any issues and misconceptions that could be impacting progress.

The first SATs results since 2019 were published earlier this month showing very different stories for children in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 for reading. While Department for Education statistics showed that approximately similar numbers of children sitting Key Stage 2 SATS (Year 6) have reached the expected standard in reading. Analysis of Key Stage 1 results by the FFT Education Data Lab showed that the median Key Stage 1 National Test (Year 2) scores fell to behind pre-pandemic levels.

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve published the first white paper as part of our Nuffield Foundation project The longer-term impact of COVID-19 on pupil attainment and well-being.

We’re pleased to announce we have a grant from the Nuffield Foundation to carry out a research project on The longer-term impact of COVID-19 on pupil attainment and well-being.

RS Assessment has recently launched a 3 step programme called ‘Shine’, which enables schools to assess students, identify those who need support and deliver effective interventions. I have been looking at feedback from schools using Shine, and have put together the top five benefits of using RS Assessment’s tests together with the Shine reports and interventions in place of other forms of assessment and intervention.

When it comes to making sure that assessment leads to action and impact in the classroom, there are certain advantages to being part of a MAT. More staff means a wider range of expertise available to help develop effective approaches to assessment, large numbers of pupils mean more reliable, meaningful data, and data can be used to pinpoint areas of excellence, enabling the sharing and development of best practice between schools. But how does a MAT leverage these advantages effectively? Let’s have a look at five ways that RS Assessments’ standardised tests, together with the reports available in MARK and MARK Plus, can help us.

This summer, for the second year in a row, our primary pupils didn’t sit national tests. And so far, from discussions with the schools I support, it seems that the annual league tables are not missed! However, the SATS aren’t just used by the DfE to rank schools, the outcomes are also used by schools themselves for self-evaluation and school improvement planning, and this aspect of the missing results is more of a problem. However, help is at hand. RS Assessments’ PUMA, PiRA, GAPS and NTS Maths and Reading tests, together with the comprehensive new dashboards in MARK Plus, can help fill in the gaps. Let’s have a look at five ways MARK Plus can help us.

This year has posed many challenges to schools, including an extended national lockdown in the spring term followed by high absence rates. Despite this, teachers and staff have shown remarkable resilience and adaptability, and they have ensured children have made significant progress in their learning.  Read this short blog on the top five takeaways from our latest nation-wide study on pupil attainment.

Staff at St Barnabas CE First & Middle have been using data from the summer PiRA, PUMA & GAPS papers to start to plan intervention activities for the forthcoming autumn term.

Last week the DfE released their latest guidance offering help and support to schools and colleges as they they develop a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. They also announced that they would be offering grants for training to develop a senior mental health lead in every Primary and Secondary state school or college from autumn 2021.

We’ve picked out four key areas from the guidance that we think award winning Wellbeing and Attitudes to Learning: Survey and Strategies can help you with.