Lord Bew has led a small review panel consisting of two education experts, a number of primary head teachers and one secondary school Principal to review Key Stage 2 testing, assessment and accountability. The Final Report was published on 23rd June 2011. 

The final report discusses the evidence, outlines the conclusions Lord Bew and the panel have reached and sets out their final recommendations. It follows on from the Progress Report, which was published in April and summarised evidence submitted to the panel.

The Review looked at a number of issues, including

• how best to ensure schools are properly accountable to pupils, parents and the taxpayer for the achievement and progress of every child, on the basis of objective and accurate assessments
• how to ensure parents have good-quality information on the progress of their children and the success of schools
• how to avoid, as far as possible, the risk of perverse incentives, over-rehearsal and reduced focus on productive learning
• how to ensure performance information is used and interpreted appropriately within the accountability system by other agencies, increasing transparency and preserving accountability to parents, pupils and the taxpayer while avoiding the risk of crude and narrow judgments being made.

The Final Report says that there must be external school-level accountability in the system, but that more trust should be placed in teachers, with a greater weight given to their assessment of pupils. A wider range of data – including new progress and attainment measures, and rolling averages – should be published to give a less arbitrary and fairer picture of a school’s performance. Specific recommendations include replacing the writing composition test with teacher assessment, to ensure pupils can be more creative and to overcome the dangers of teaching to the test. The final report sets out all the recommendations in detail.

Lord Bew said:

"I am very pleased that we are today able to produce a set of recommendations which we unanimously believe will lead to a better system, one that will do the jobs everyone wants it to do. It will improve standards, benefit pupils and be fairer for teachers. But it will still give parents the vital information they need and hold schools accountable."

"I hope that both the Government and teachers are able to reach a consensus so that assessment at the end of primary school can now continue without interruption."

Education Secretary Michael Gove commissioned the Review to address concerns with the current system.  In response to the Final Report, he said:

"Lord Bew and the panel have clearly listened extremely carefully to all the evidence and feedback, and considered a wide range of options."

"Their recommendations represent the most educationally sound approach while taking account of different opinions. They are fair for teachers and schools. They give an opportunity for pupils to showcase their abilities. They still give parents the vital information they need about how their school is performing, in a range of new and different ways."