Using the Primary Assessment Gateway
Information for schools, local authorities and multi-academy trusts (MATs) on how to use the Primary Assessment Gateway.
About the Primary Assessment Gateway
The Primary Assessment Gateway is a secure website that supports primary schools, Local authorities and MATs with the administration of key stage 1 (KS1) and key stage 2 (KS2) national curriculum assessments.
Schools can:
- place test orders
- submit holiday dates to help inform delivery of test materials
- download phonics screening check and KS1 test materials
- register pupils for KS2 tests
- apply for KS2 access arrangements
- submit headteacher’s declaration forms
- view the teacher assessment (TA) standardisation exercise and training materials
- submit KS2 TA data
- view the KS2 results and marked test scripts
Key stage 3 schools can access the Primary Assessment Gateway to view KS2 results for their incoming year 7 pupils only.
Local authorities can:
- view the TA standardisation exercise and training materials
- generate reports on KS2 access arrangements
- submit KS2 TA data on behalf of schools, if applicable
- view KS2 results
MATs can:
- view KS2 results
Signing in
To sign into the Primary Assessment Gateway:
- enter your username (this is your email address) and password
- select the ‘Sign in’ button at the bottom of the page
If you do not have a Primary Assessment Gateway account, please ask the user within your organisation who has ‘account management’ permission to create a new user account for you.
You will receive an email with instructions to follow to set-up your account. Make sure you have added assessments@education.gov.uk to your safe senders list. If you have not done this, check your junk mail folder for any emails from the Primary Assessment Gateway.
Passwords must be at least 8 characters long, and contain:
- a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters
- at least one number
- at least one special character, such as ?, !, &, or £
Do not share your Primary Assessment Gateway password with anyone else.
Resetting your password
Please go to the sign-in page and select ‘I have forgotten my password’.
Enter your username, and then select ‘Submit’. You should receive an email with instructions on how to reset your password.
Make sure you have added assessments@education.gov.uk to your safe senders list. If you do not receive the email, please check your junk or spam email folder. If you need further support, please contact the national curriculum assessments helpline by emailing assessments@education.gov.uk or calling 0300 303 3013.
Changing your password
You can change your password at any time by following the steps below:
- Sign-in to the Primary Assessment Gateway.
- Select the tab with your username in the top right-hand corner.
- Select ‘My account’ from the dropdown box.
- Select ‘Update’ next to your current password.
- Enter your current password.
- Enter your new password and confirm it by entering it a second time.
- Select ‘Change password’.
Individual passwords will automatically expire after 60 days. When this happens, you will be prompted on screen to change your password the next time you sign in.
Recommended browsers
The Primary Assessment Gateway works best on desktop computers and laptops using the following browsers with JavaScript enabled:
- Microsoft Edge (Chromium version)
- Mozilla Firefox
- Google Chrome
- Safari
We do not recommend accessing the Primary Assessment Gateway on smartphones or tablets. If you are using the Microsoft Edge browser, then please ensure that you are running on the Chromium version released on or after January 2020. If you have any questions about your browser settings, please contact your local IT support.
Navigating the Primary Assessment Gateway
The following video demonstrates how schools navigate the system:
Using the Primary Assessment Gateway
On the welcome page, after you sign in, you will find details of upcoming activities and deadlines, as well as links to useful documents.
The ‘My Activity’ tab contains the activities you can complete throughout the academic year. In the ‘Completed activity’ section, you can also find an audit trail of any activities you have previously completed. The activities listed will depend on your organisation type, your user permissions and the time of year. ‘My Activity’ is split into 4 sections, which you can expand using the arrows on the right-hand side of the page.
Outstanding activity
This section includes mandatory activities such as registering pupils for the tests or submitting the headteacher’s declaration form. It may also include activities you have completed that require further information, such as applications for access arrangements.
Available activity
This section includes optional activities that you can complete if you need to, such as placing test orders, applying for access arrangements or using the ‘access arrangements – message us’ form.
In progress activity
This section includes activities that you have completed and are awaiting a response for.
Completed activity
This is where you can find activities you have completed during the current test cycle; each activity will have an individual tile. Within these tiles you can also find chain links to copies of connecting tasks, for example correspondence generated by the system and copies of the original form you completed.
‘Envelope’ symbols open emails, ‘stack of paper’ symbols open PDF letters and ‘clipboard’ symbols open a PDF copy of the form you completed. These items will open in a different window to aid printing. You must allow pop-ups in your internet browser if you want to print copies of emails, letters or completed forms.
Tips on using the site
When you select an activity, a new tab will open. You can return to the main page by selecting the ‘My Activity’ tab.
You can close activities that you have completed, or that you no longer wish to complete, by selecting the ‘X’ symbol on the tab you want to close.
There are search boxes in the ‘My activity’ tab, which allow you to find activities you have completed or emails that you have been sent. Schools can search by:
- activity name, for example ‘teacher assessment’
- pupil name
- unique pupil number (UPN)
Local authorities and MATs can also search by school name or DfE number.
User permissions
School user permissions
There are 3 different permission levels for school users:
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‘School account management’ allows the user to create or remove user accounts and amend user permissions for the school. We recommend that headteachers, or members of staff with delegated authority, have this level of permission
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‘Schools – User’ is the standard account that allows you to view all tasks, except for those involving access arrangements or creating or deleting user accounts. We recommend that account managers give this level of permission to all school users
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‘School access arrangements’ gives users additional permission to make and view applications for access arrangements. These applications may contain sensitive information about pupils, so schools should consider carefully who needs to have this level of access.
Schools can have up to 7 users in total but are restricted to a maximum of 3 ‘School account management’ users and a maximum of 3 ‘School access arrangements’ users.
Account managers who wish to view or complete additional tasks will also need to have ‘Schools - User’ and or ‘School access arrangement’ permissions.
Local authority user permissions
There are 2 different permission levels for LAs:
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‘local authority account management’ allows you to create or remove user accounts for your local authority
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‘Local Authorities – User’ is the standard account that allows you to view all tasks except for creating or deleting user accounts. We recommend that account managers give this level of permission to all LA users
Multi-academy trust user permissions
There is just one permission level for MAT users. ‘Multi-academy trust – User’ allows you to view all activities and create additional user accounts.
Account Management
School and local authority users that have account management permissions and ‘Multi-academy trust – Users’ should ensure that users for their organisation are kept up to date and only have access to the permission levels needed to carry out the functions of their role.
Account managers and ‘Multi-academy trust – Users’ must carry out regular reviews ensuring that leavers are removed, or permission levels are amended when staff join or move to a new role.
Creating and deleting users
Creating users
To create a new user, please follow the steps below:
- Select ‘Manage user accounts’ from ‘Available activity’.
- Select ‘Create new user account’.
- Tick the box for the type of permissions you want the new user to have.
- Enter the user’s first name, last name, job title, email address and telephone number.
- Re-enter their email address to confirm it.
- Select ‘Next’ and then ‘Submit’. You will receive email confirmation, and the new user will receive an email with details of how to sign-in.
Deleting users
To delete users, please follow the steps below:
- Select ‘Manage user accounts’ from ‘Available activity’.
- Select ‘Update existing user account’.
- Tick the ‘Remove contact’ box next to the user you want to delete.
- Select ‘Next’ and then ‘Submit’. You will receive email confirmation that the user has been removed.
School contact details
You can view your organisation’s contact details on the ‘View school details’ page in the ‘Available activity’ section. Users with account management permission can update the school’s phone number and email address.
If your school’s postal address or DfE number has changed, you will need to change this on Get information about schools (GIAS). Once you have done this, the Primary Assessment Gateway will be automatically updated with the new information. This can take up to a week.
Local authority contact details
You can view and update your organisation’s contact details on the ‘View local authority details’ page in the ‘Available activity’ section.
Troubleshooting
The Primary Assessment Gateway will time out after 20 minutes of inactivity. Inactivity includes staying on the same page for too long without submitting any information. To avoid being timed out, make sure you have all relevant information to hand before starting your session.
When moving around the Primary Assessment Gateway, please do not use the ‘Back’ button on your internet browser. Instead, navigate the website using the links and menus within the Primary Assessment Gateway webpage.
There is a save function on the longer activities, such as pupil registration, so that you can partially complete them then submit them later. You will need to complete shorter activities, such as test orders, in one session.
Message us
For enquiries relating to KS2 access arrangements to meet a pupil’s specific needs, schools can use the ‘Message us – access arrangements’ form. This can be found in the ‘Available activity’ section of the Primary Assessment Gateway.
Further help
If you need any further help or support, please contact the national curriculum assessments helpline by phone or email:
- 0300 303 3013
- assessments@education.gov.uk
The helpline’s normal opening hours are 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Last updated 9 January 2023 + show all updates
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Updated for the 2023 test cycle
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'Account management' and 'Message us' sections have been added.
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Updated the Primary Assessment Gateway guidance.
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First published.