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<p>The department is taking forward a full programme of primary assessments to take
place in the 2021/22 academic year. The assessments will help parents, schools and
the department to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pupils more clearly,
and how this varies between different groups of pupils (for example, disadvantaged
pupils compared with the wider population), schools and local authority areas. At
a local level, the data will provide vital information to parents about their child’s
attainment, support transition to secondary schools, and identify where additional
support is best targeted to individuals. At a national level, the data will help inform
policy decisions about support for schools, enable analysis to underpin education
recovery initiatives and understand their effectiveness, and to track system progress
as we emerge from the pandemic.</p><p>Although schools should encourage pupils to
work hard and achieve well, the department does not recommend that they devote excessive
preparation time to assessment. The department trusts schools to administer assessments
in the appropriate way.</p><p> </p>
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