The Education (National Curriculum) (Assessment Arrangements for English, Welsh, Mathematics and Science) (Key Stage 1) (Wales) Order 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

Section 356(1) and (2) of the Education Act 1996 places a duty on the Secretary of State to establish the National Curriculum by specifying by order such attainment targets, programmes of study and assessment arrangements as he considers appropriate for each of the foundation subjects.

This Order, which applies only to schools in Wales, consolidates (with some changes mentioned below) the Education (National Curriculum) (Assessment Arrangements for English, Welsh, Mathematics and Science) (Key Stage 1) (Wales) Order 1995. The Order specifies assessment arrangements for pupils studying “the relevant subjects” of the National Curriculum in the final year of the first key stage. “The relevant subjects” are defined as mathematics, science and, in relation to schools and classes which are Welsh speaking (as defined in regulation 3(1)), Welsh, or, in relation to schools and classes which are not Welsh speaking, English.

The main changes from the earlier Order are as follows—

(1) the provision under which high ability pupils were to be assessed under the Order specifying assessment arrangements for key stage 2 has been omitted; and

(2) in relation to English, where the document in which standard tasks are published so requires, separate statements of pupils’ levels of attainment in spelling must be recorded (article 5(5)(b)).