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Education and Skills Bill

moved Amendment No. 208: 208: After Clause 141, insert the following new Clause— ““National Curriculum for England: duty to implement assessment arrangements (1) In section 88 of the Education Act 2002 (c. 32) (implementation of the National Curriculum for England in schools), in the existing provision (which becomes subsection (1)), at the end insert— ““This subsection does not apply in relation to assessment arrangements.”” (2) After that subsection insert— ““(1A) In relation to any maintained school— (a) the local education authority and the governing body must exercise their functions with a view to securing, and (b) the head teacher must secure, that the assessment arrangements specified for the time being in the National Curriculum for England are implemented.”””” The noble Baroness said: My Lords, the amendments in this group make a small legislative change, although they may cause a few larger ripples. I set out the rationale for these changes in a letter to noble Lords on 23 October. They amend Section 88 of the Education Act 2002 to allow the Secretary of State to remove the obligation on schools and local authorities to administer key stage 3 national curriculum tests from 2009 onwards. On 14 October, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families announced that from the summer of 2009, children would not be required to take key stage 3 tests. Over the summer, my department looked at the assessment arrangements for the national curriculum, taking account of the recommendations of the Select Committee on Children, Schools and Families in its third report of the 2007-08 Session on testing and assessment. We fully agree with the Select Committee that the principles of national testing are sound. Testing, assessment and accountability must encourage and reward the best teaching so that it properly supports pupils in their learning and development and schools are judged fairly on how they support the progress and well-being of every child. In his Statement on 14 October, the Secretary of State described in detail the key principles that must guide our approach. He said that our system of testing and assessment should, first, give parents the information that they need to compare different schools; secondly, enable head teachers and teachers to secure the progress of every child and their school; and, thirdly, allow the public to hold to account national and local government and governing bodies for the performance of schools. National curriculum tests at key stage 2 meet these key principles. Key stage 2 tests provide a reliable and consistent source of information for parents at a crucial transition point for their child, as well as allowing the public to hold the system and the Government to account for the performance of primary schools. I do not wish to speak at length to the amendments; I have written in detail to noble Lords about them. Amendment No. 207 requires schools and local authorities to implement national curriculum assessment arrangements as they exist at the current time—that is the key change that we are making. I assure noble Lords that the amendments refer only to the assessment arrangements within the national curriculum. We are not providing for a power to change any other part of the national curriculum after the start of the school year, because that would make the job of planning and delivering the curriculum in schools extremely difficult and undermine the thoughtful planning of teaching and learning that has already taken place. We want the changes to the assessment arrangements to come into effect as soon as possible. That is why Amendments Nos. 219 and 220 bring the legislative changes into effect on Royal Assent. Amendment No. 238 is a consequential amendment, ensuring that the amendments to the legislation are carried forward when Section 74 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 comes into force. I have spoken quickly to the amendments, but I know that noble Lords will be keen to progress their effect. I beg to move.