‘The engagement model’ released by Standards and Assessment Agency

This draft guidance for maintained schools, academies (including free schools) and local authorities has been released by the Standards Assessment Agency. It sets out the statutory requirements for using the engagement model to assess pupils who are working below the standard of the national curriculum assessments and not engaged in subject-specific study at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. It describes best practice on how to use the engagement model, to support teachers and staff involved in assessing the progress of these pupils. The engagement model replaces P scales 1 to 4 and will become statutory from September 2020.

Schools will be required to:

• Use the engagement model to assess pupils who are working below the standard of national curriculum assessments and not engaged in subject-specific study at the end of KS1 and KS2 (for the 2019/20 academic year, these pupils must continue to be assessed using P scales 1 to 4)

 • Report to DfE which pupils are assessed using the engagement model for KS1 and KS2 (schools are not required to submit any other data to DfE about the progress of these pupils)

 • Ensure that evidence relating to pupils’ achievements and progress is reported as part of the end of year academic report, which schools must provide to parents, as outlined in paragraph 6.64 of the SEND Code of Practice.

However, schools will have autonomy over how they implement the engagement model, and have the freedom to decide amongst other things:

• How to use the engagement model to reflect on the success of the curriculum that they provide to their pupils

 • How to use the engagement model alongside their existing planning, assessment and recording systems

 • How often the assessments are conducted, ensuring that they take place regularly throughout the academic year to capture the progress that pupils are making at any time, not just at the end of the academic year, but also at the end of KS1 and KS2

• How long the assessments are, who conducts them and how they are recorded

This guidance will be reviewed before Spring 2020, when a final version will be published.