Skip to content

School effectiveness

Primary guidance

2023/24 primary assessment dates

See future primary assessment dates on GOV.UK.

Reception baseline assessment

Schools must complete the reception baseline assessment for each child in the first six weeks after they enter reception.

Key stage 1

  • Phonics screening check week is Monday 10 June 2024 – Friday 14 June 2024.
  • the end of KS1 assessments will no longer be statutory from the academic year 2023 – 2024 onwards.
  • tests are optional. It is recommended to administer during May 2024 if you decide to do so.

Key stage 2

  • The key stage 2 tests are timetabled from Monday 13 May – Thursday 16 May 2024
  • Multiplication tables check – schools must administer the multiplication tables check within the 2-week period from Monday 3 June 2024.

Primary and secondary school accountability approach


Reception baseline assessment (RBA)

The RBA became statutory in schools in September 2021.
The following is available:

Early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP)

The following guidance is for the academic year 2022 – 2023  and have not been updated yet by the DfE. They are here for reference until the guidance links for 2023 – 2024 are available.

Phonics screening check

Details on the phonics screening check can be found in the KS1 assessment and reporting arrangements in section 8.

The following phonics screening check guidance is for the academic year 2022 – 2023  and have not been updated yet by the DfE. They are here for reference until the guidance links for 2023 – 2024 are available.

Key stage 1

The end of Key Stage 1 assessments will be optional as per the DfE guidance. The following KS1 guidance is for the academic year 2022 – 2023  and have not been updated yet by the DfE. They are here for reference and will be updated if new guidance is issued for 2023 – 2024.

Multiplication tables check

The multiplication tables check (MTC) is statutory for primary schools in the 2021/22 academic year.

The following MTC guidance is for the academic year 2022 – 2023  and have not been updated yet by the DfE. They are here for reference until the guidance links for 2023 – 2024 are available.

Key stage 2

The following KS2 guidance is for the academic year 2022 – 2023  and have not been updated yet by the DfE. They are here for reference until the guidance links for 2023 – 2024 are available.

KS2 moderation

External moderation is statutory. It gives confidence that schools’ teacher assessment judgements for KS2 are accurate and consistent with national standards, as specified in the TA frameworks and the exemplification material.

Details for summer 2024 will be included in the assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA) once they are published for the 2023 – 2024 academic year.

Academies and free schools must choose which LA is responsible for external moderation and monitoring. As far as we are aware academies need to have a written agreement in place by 12 January 2024 but we will keep updating this website and the date will be included in the offer once everything is confirmed by the DfE.

Our offer is in the processed of being finalised and once we have the guidance for the new academic year we will be emailing academies and free schools with the offer. We anticipate this will be during the month of October 2023.


Top