Research School Network: Using assessment to support learning and responsive teaching in Primary Science by Samantha Stockham, a Year 1 & 2 class teacher and Science Subject Lead and Primary Science Lead for Wessex Learning Trust

As primary school teachers we sometimes have to be a ​‘Jack of all trades’ (subjects). Not all primary school teachers have a specialist degree in science and we admit that we can sometimes lack specific subject knowledge and confidence in certain aspects of science teaching.

Just recently, as part of the discussions at a network meeting of the Primary Science Leads from across our trust, we posed ourselves the following question: What is the best way of assessing our pupils in science lessons? One lead expressed the need to assess the children’s progress at certain, key points in their learning, across the academic year. Another advocated the need to assess immediately after each topic is completed. Others felt that this placed too much of a demand on the younger children and even sometimes the Year 5 and 6 pupils. We all considered the varying practical methods in which we assess the children.

So, in search of advice, we turned to the 6 recommendations in the recently published ​‘Improving Primary Science’ guidance report from The EEF. Recommendation 5 is titled ​‘Use assessment to support learning and responsive teaching’ and this section begins with the ​‘why’:

It goes on to share practical advice on how to implement the recommendation in our classroom practice:

We all know that assessment informs both us as teachers and our children. It’s the type of assessment that we may select that requires careful thought. I believe that it’s important to consider our individual school’s context. Even though our school is part of a MAT, we still have our own autonomy over the schemes of work we use, how we deliver our lessons, and our assessment practices.

During our recent network meeting we shared the different ways each of us use assessment within our schools. Most of us agreed that we felt a written assessment at the end of each topic was not always necessary, especially for the younger children. One school showcased the use of the Purple Mash
online platform as an online assessment tool.

Another school described the use of a low-stakes retrieval quiz activity that they called a ​‘Quick 5’, at the beginning of each lesson. Answering these questions can help pupils to connect to prior learning from a previous lesson or topic, supporting them to understand the context or big picture. Other Science Leads explained how they have used the Explorify resources supported by The Wellcome Trust to assess children’s scientific knowledge, with ​‘Odd one out’, ​‘What’s going on?’ and ​‘What if’ activities.

These excellent Explorify resources can also support teachers when considering Recommendation 3 from the new guidance which it titled: Guide pupils to work scientifically. Click the image to access the poster which shows 6 areas that encourages children to think scientifically.

In summary, as Science Leads, we felt the underpinning statement that assessment should be viewed as a tool for informing… then improving teaching and learning, rather than simply measuring outcomes was really pertinent. How each child and the school as a whole then responds to this information is the vitally important next step.