Assessing the Areas of Learning in Primary Schools

At the heart of the curriculum lies an explicit emphasis on the development of skills and capabilities for lifelong learning and for operating effectively in society. Children come to school with experiences from home, and many also have experience of nursery or other pre-school provision. Already they have rich experiences that teachers could build on when beginning to plan.

In the primary school, through opportunities to engage in active learning activities across the curriculum, pupils should be able to develop their skills and experience success in learning.

The grids in section four of the ‘Guidance on Assessment in the Primary School’ show the progression through the three phases in the primary school. These are not schemes of work, nor are they a checklist. Rather, they are a brief summary of the expected skills that pupils should be demonstrating throughout each stage. For full details, see The Northern Ireland Curriculum Primary (CCEA, 2007).

Teachers may wish to use the grids in section four as a framework to help with their planning for progression in assessment activities.