The Northern Ireland Curriculum

Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 (age 6 to 14)

Assessment (Year 1 to Year 10) and the Annual Report

On this page

Teachers assess children’s progress in different ways. These may include classroom observation, discussion and asking questions, classwork, homework, class tests and assessment activities. There are also parts of the curriculum that all schools must assess.

The resources below provide an overview of assessment. They include details on how schools should assess Communication, Using Mathematics and Using ICT for children in Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 (age 6 to 14).

For a detailed look at school assessment, see our Assessment and Reporting pages for Foundation Stage (Years 1–2), Key Stages 1 and 2 (Years 3–7), Key Stage 3 (Years 8–10) or Key Stage 4 (Years 11–12).

The Annual Report

The Department of Education sets basic requirements for reporting to parents. These include the annual report, which schools must provide by 30 June each year.

The annual report gives you information about your child’s progress during the year and identifies any areas for improvement.

If your child has severe learning difficulties or profound and multiple learning difficulties, their school may adapt the annual report to include different headings.

For a detailed look at reporting, see our Reporting page for Foundation Stage (Years 1–2), Key Stages 1 and 2 (Years 3–7), Key Stage 3 (Years 8–10) or Key Stage 4 (Years 11–12).