Life after levels – what next? Introduction

Posted on 6 September 2016

Welcome to ‘Life after levels – what next?’, our research and insight report into how schools are delivering effective assessment and tracking pupil progress at Key Stage 3 following the end of attainment levels.

In this report, which is based on in-depth interviews with multi-academy trust and school leaders and supporting quantitative research by Scholastic, we investigate how the teaching profession has responded to the challenge of developing its own methods for measuring attainment and progress in Years 7–9, the crucial pre-GCSE years.

We draw attention to the issues that schools have faced, and in many cases are still facing, in the transition from levels. We also highlight the response from a representative group of multiacademy trusts and schools, and provide guidance on where schools need support in delivering on this agenda going forward.

The key findings of this report are that:

• Schools are generally united in their view that what levels had become was not fit for purpose and change was needed.
• There has been little guidance for schools in identifying alternatives to levels and on what they report to pupils, parents and regulators.
• There is currently no definitive approach that schools are taking in response – some have developed their own systems, many are continuing with levels under other names, whilst others are still unsure of their plan.
• The lack of a standard system within schools and between schools is expected to create problems around national benchmarking and for pupils and teachers moving between schools operating different systems.
• The issues of effective entry baseline assessment into Year 7 and lack of clarity around new GCSE grades are cited as major related issues for secondary schools.

The reality is that whatever the ultimate answer to ‘life after levels’ is, including our own solution at Scholastic, we will not have a true picture about whether any of these are truly successful until pupils have gone through the new system and completed their GCSEs. However, through this report, our objective is to shine light on where the teaching profession is now and where we need to go next to help deliver the best possible outcome for pupils.

Catherine Bell

Co-Group Managing Director

Scholastic UK

Life after levels – what next? can be downloaded at www.scholastic.co.uk/ks3.