Currently, the Children, Schools and Families committee is conducting another inquiry, into the national curriculum. This includes some more interesting evidence on the effects of test-based accountability on teaching.

Again, I include some extracts below. The full list of evidence is available here:

Extracts follow below:

- Mathematics in Education and Industry (an independent curriculum-development group): “The use of national curriculum levels in school performance tables and in performance management of individual teachers has led to a perception that the level a student achieves is more important than the student’s learning.”

- The Development Education Association: “The National Curriculum is undermined by the constant imposition of disparate, unconnected initiatives and by over-testing to narrow targets.”

- Oxfam: “The national curriculum is at present keeping bad company. The testing, assessment and inspection regime do not support the development of a relevant and engaging experience for children and young people that the national curriculum aspires to achieve.”

- Special Education Consortium: “The curriculum is overly focused on getting children to perform well on narrowlybased tests which only reflect academic intelligence”.

- Independent Schools Council: “National curriculum assessment should not entail excessive testing. Universally, a focus on testing was found to narrow children’s learning, teachers’ autonomy and children’s engagement in learning.”

- Association for Physical Education: “The dominance in school life of testing and assessment has adversely affected delivery of physical education, along with other subjects which are less subjected to the testing regime.”

- National Association of Head Teachers: “The current testing and assessment system labels too many young people as failures.”

- Futurelab, which promotes innovative approaches to the use of technology in education: “Heavily centralised prescription and assessment has negatively affected the attitudes of teachers and children towards the national curriculum.”