News & Events

See the latest news and events from Rethinking Assessment and our partners.

Upcoming events

Unlocking learning through projects cover

RA Practice Network Keynote: AQA's Chief Assessment Research Officer

  • Online
  • 15th October 4 - 5pm
Alex Scharaschkin, AQA’s Chief Assessment Research Officer will share AQA’s perspective on the current and future development of assessment, including AI and digital assessment, the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and wider government priorities including the NEET crisis, skills assessment and vocational education. Alex will share latest reflections on the current landscape and exploring the shifts the sector may see in the coming months and years….
Learning For Life: An introduction to Power Skills and Applied Learning at Aspirations Academies Trust cover

Next Generation Assessment Conference 2027

  • In person
  • 12th March 2027
HOLD THE DATE! An inspiring one day conference exploring how we can make assessment more inclusive and work better to ensure every young person thrives. Building on the success of last year’s Next Generation Assessment conference, this year’s event aims to dive deeper into the future of assessment, providing high quality examples of how you can change your classroom and improve student wellbeing. Organised by the Chartered College of Teaching. Venue Sheffield Halam University. BOOKING DETAILS COMING SOON!…

In the news

Could learner profiles fix our broken assessment system?

  • Tes Magazine
It is a travesty that young people are typically judged solely by a set of numbers and letters. Rethinking Assessment’s Peter Hyman, Bill Lucas and Rachel Macfarlane explore how the new RA “learner profile” can help build an approach to assessment that recognises the talents of each young person. …

Re-assessing assessment

  • Virgin
Holly Branson discusses the recent Times Education Commission which showed the desire amongst businesses to reform assessment. She highlights the work of Bill Lucas, reflecting that the firm arguments from his report The Case for Change are exactly what we need to change assessment for the better. …

The battle for the future of assessment

  • Schools Week
Schools Week examines the growing mass of education reports and commentaries that reveal dissatisfaction with the current system. Rethinking Assessment is mentioned alongside Pearson and the IAC as organisations embarking on research, reviews and an exploration of alternatives to the current system….

Swap ‘cliff-edge’ GCSEs for ‘test when ready’ says exams review

  • Schools Week
The Independent Assessment Commission’s final report recommended that we should move to test our students when they’re ready. Geoff Barton of ASCL and Tim Oates of Cambridge Assessment discuss the strengths and limitations of this recommendation. …

Camden Council's 2030 Education Strategy

  • Camden Learning
Camden Council have explicitly mentioned Rethinking Assessment in their 2030 Education Strategy, stating that they want to “Test new approaches to assessment using teacher research to support the Rethinking Assessment movement” over the next two years. …

What should matter most for getting into college? In the UK, more than a score.

  • CS Monitor
The case is made for making the legacy of the covid-19 pandemic a better, more equitable and valuable assessment system that is not encompassed by ‘one-size-fits-all’ exams. The authors explain how a group of educators are brainstorming better ways to assess teenagers why this must be done. …

3 reasons GCSEs need to change – and 3 alternatives

  • TES
Bill Lucas, Peter Hyman and Alistair McConville discuss the failings of the GCSE system: they are unfair, unreliable and a waste of public money. Look at the future of assessment, they explore alternatives such as a character scorecard, the extended project qualification and comparative methods….

'Scrap GCSEs to protect pupils' mental health'

  • The Times
Sian Griffiths reflects on the open letter and highlights the link between our current assessment system and declining mental health among young people in the UK. Griffiths reports that currently 1 in 10 aged 5-16 have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem. …

If GCSEs fall out of fashion, finding a school could get much more exciting

  • The Telegraph
Leah Hardy reflects on the effects that potential changes to assessments would have on choosing schools. If Rethinking Assessment’s aims came to fruition, choosing a school for one’s children becomes an exciting prospect, with far more focus on mental health, individualism and a broad curriculum….

Why we should scrap all school exams for the year ahead

  • The Telegraph
Victoria Lambert reflects on the upcoming 2021 wave of exams announced by the government and calls for the whole exam system to be scrapped for 2021, urging that this offers the education system a chance to reflect as to whether they want to stay in this system or move into into the 21st century….

GCSEs need to be scrapped – old-school grades have had their day

  • The Telegraph
Victoria Lambert reports on the sorry state of 2021 GCSE exams outlining the debate between those who support the new system or the old. She highlights that as an alternative to exams, a collation of the entire school experience could be far more beneficial to students, universities and employers. …

Schools seize on ‘perfect time’ to explore a future free of GCSEs

  • The Times
Sian Griffiths reports on two schools which will open and will not be offering GCSEs, backing a national movement to scrap GCSEs. They argue that the pandemic disrupting the exam system has provided the perfect opportunity to implement this necessary change to assessments in the UK….
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