Statutory participation in trialling of national curriculum assessments
Information about the statutory requirement on selected schools to participate in national curriculum test trials
Trials are a vital part of the national curriculum test development process. It is important that the questions are trialled to ensure tests are valid, fair and reliable. The trials enable us to analyse how questions perform and provide important information for the standards maintenance process by which test thresholds are calculated. They are not used to report to individuals or to schools on performance.
It is mandatory for selected schools to participate in the trials, whether they are for statutory or optional national curriculum assessments.
School participation ensures that trial data is representative of the national cohort. The samples of schools are stratified by prior attainment and region to ensure the sample reflects the population of assessing schools in these factors.
As selection for participation is random, it is possible that a school may be selected for a trial in consecutive years, although the targeted nature of the sample should mean that, over time, schools will be drawn less frequently. If selected, a school will trial one subject only in any one year.
The volume of trials required and the subjects trialled can vary each year.
Approximate timings of trials for each subject are set out below:
| Subject | Key stage | Trial period |
|---|---|---|
| English reading | KS1 and KS2 | April to June |
| English grammar, punctuation and spelling | KS1 and KS2 | April to June |
| Mathematics | KS1 and KS2 | April to June |
| Phonics screening check | KS1 | April to June |
| Reception baseline assessment | EYFS | September to October |
There are 4 appointed agencies that can currently run trials:
- Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
- National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)
- Pearson
- Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA )
These agencies will contact schools directly to inform them if they have been selected for statutory participation in trialling and to provide further information.
Key stage 1 (KS1) and key stage 2 (KS2) trials
Each trial takes place in a 2-week period each year. We will not trial KS2 tests during test week.
Trial length varies by subject, but most trials should last no more than 2 hours 30 minutes, allowing for breaks between papers. Pupils may be asked to complete no more than 3 test papers during this time.
The appointed agencies contact selected schools early in the spring term.
Agency representatives will:
- administer the KS2 trials
- support school staff to administer KS1 trials
Schools will need to provide:
- a suitable environment for the trial to take place
- staff to support the trial
- pupil data to support the analysis
Trialling agencies will provide further instructions and information to participating schools.
Reception baseline assessment (RBA)
The appointed agency contacts selected schools early in the summer term.
The RBA trial involves a short digital assessment for a sample of pupils selected from each school to complete. Practitioners lead the pupils through the assessment using practical resources and a touchscreen device.
The trialling agency will provide further instructions and information to participating schools.
Updates to this page
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Updated the list of appointed agencies that can run trials: removed 'AlphaPlus' and added 'Pearson'. Added information about KS1 and KS2 trials, clarifying that pupils may be asked to complete no more than 3 test papers during the trial period.
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Updated page URL, added clarification around length of time for KS1 and KS2 trials, removed specific sample size for RBA digital trials
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First published.