: Beyond Right and Wrong: Assessing Mathematical Fundamentals with Real-Time Insight Sarah-Louise Johnston, interviews Liz from Venn Maths Hub to Uncover Innovative Assessment Strategies for KS1 Mathematics

It’s the end of term, and Miss Thompson is staring at her Year 2 class’s mathematics assessment results, puzzled. Something doesn’t sit right. Millie, a quiet student, always performs well on paper but appears uncertain in class. Jacob, on the other hand, understands the methodology but struggles to show it under test conditions. Are these results truly reflecting what her pupils know about maths?

While Key Stage 1 SATs may have been phased out, their influence lingers, shaping how many schools assess mathematics. However, Lyons Hall Primary School (also home to Essex Research School) has taken a different approach — one that moves beyond standardised testing to focus on real-time, formative assessment that drives deeper learning and prioritises fundamental mathematical concepts and hopes to address the gaps still evident at Year 6.

Shifting the Focus: Real-Time Assessment at Lyons Hall

Liz, an NCETM Primary Mastery Specialist and Research Advocate, explains how this innovative approach is transforming maths assessment. Aligned with the Education Endowment Foundation’s Improving Mathematics in Early Years and Key Stage 1 report, particularly Recommendation 4, Lyons Hall prioritises assessment as a tool for shaping learning in the moment rather than just measuring it retrospectively.

Why a Different Approach to Assessment?

Liz explains that while SATs provide some useful data, they don’t capture the full picture. ​“We wanted an end-of-Key Stage 1 maths assessment to track progress, but SATs alone weren’t enough. They tell us if children are right or wrong, but they don’t provide depth and with the time it takes to analyse the SATs data, interventions couldn’t happen promptly”.

Additionally, SATs assessments were unpredictable in terms of curriculum coverage and question styles. This uncertainty made it difficult to determine whether a child struggled due to the test format or a lack of conceptual understanding. This led the school to take a different approach: focusing on assessing the key fundamental concepts outlined in the Mathematics Guidance (DfE June 2020) rather than attempting to assess the entire curriculum.

By prioritising these essential building blocks, Lyons Hall ensures that assessment targets the most critical knowledge, skills, and understanding needed by the end of Key Stage 1. These are the skills that bridge the gap to Key Stage 2 and help pupils make connections in future learning, preventing them from falling behind due to missing conceptual depth.

Liz clarifies: ​“We wanted an assessment approach that wasn’t just based on the often-unpredictable curriculum coverage test questions but a more targeted/​focused assessment based on key concepts that would allow teachers to ensure pupils had the depth in mathematical knowledge and skills needed by the end of Key stage one, ready to progress to the next Key stage.”

Moving Away from ​‘Right or Wrong’ Thinking

This approach is particularly valuable because it ensures that assessment is focused and purposeful. Rather than trying to test every aspect of the Key Stage 1 maths curriculum, Lyons Hall has deliberately chosen to assess only the most crucial mathematical concepts that form the foundation for future learning. This prevents assessments from becoming overly broad and instead prioritises depth of understanding over breadth of coverage. Using the Ready to Progress skills as a starting point, assessment is no longer an end-of-term event; it is woven seamlessly into the maths curriculum. This shift ensures that teachers can respond to pupils’ needs in real time, leading to deeper understanding and more targeted support. To do this, Lyons Hall have created their own assessment materials and unpicked each key fundamental to identify exactly what pupils need to do, say, think and notice and then planned a purposeful task which elicits each of these fundamentals, such as:

• Continuous, Low-Stakes Assessment –Teachers purposely place and embed assessment opportunities for each of the key concepts into the maths curriculum. This is as an everyday whole class lesson, which also incorporates exploratory discussion and problem-solving tasks.
• Diagnostic Questioning – Structured questions and practical activities help uncover misconceptions and assess conceptual understanding.
• One-on-One Interactions – Teachers assess pupils informally during lessons, ensuring misunderstandings are addressed immediately. Ensuring conceptual understanding and misconceptions are addressed and analysed in the moment.

The Power of Verbalising Thinking

A crucial part of this approach is allowing pupils to articulate their thinking. Talking through their reasoning helps teachers diagnose gaps more effectively. For instance, when Jacob answered a division question incorrectly, it initially seemed he was struggling with short division. However, when given the opportunity to explain his thought process, it became clear he was missing a key skill — his four times table. He understood the method but lacked the necessary number knowledge to apply it correctly. 

The Impact: Clarity, Precision, and Better Progress

One of the biggest advantages of this method is clarity. ​“Teachers know exactly what they’re assessing, making it easier to identify gaps and next steps,” Liz explains. Since adopting this approach, Lyons Hall has seen significant benefits:

• Earlier identification of misconceptions – Teachers address gaps in understanding immediately rather than once test results have been analysed.
• More precise interventions – Instead of reteaching entire topics, teachers can target specific concepts pupils struggle with.

Rethinking the Role of Tests

This approach doesn’t eliminate tests but redefines their role. End-of-term assessments still exist, but they are no longer the sole measure of progress.

​“Traditional tests often fail to capture the nuances of learning,” Liz says. ​“By embedding assessment into teaching, we ensure that every child’s understanding is recognised and supported — not just those who perform well under test conditions.”

For teachers like Miss Thompson, this strategy offers a new perspective: assessment is no longer about numbers on a spreadsheet — it’s about truly understanding each pupil’s learning journey. And for pupils like Jacob, a wrong answer isn’t the end — it’s a step toward mastering the right one.