Background and Responsibilities
The governing body has a range of duties and powers within their general responsibility for the conduct of the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement.  This article provides a brief summary of the key aspects relating to raising standards of attainment with links to GovernorNet articles containing more detailed information on:

• Stages of National Assessment and Target Setting
  • Foundation Stage
  • Key Stages 1-4
  • Post 16 Education
• Under achieving and under represented groups and children with Special Educational Needs
• School Improvement

Stages of National Assessment and target setting
There are 6 stages of educational development, linked to stages of national assessment of direct relevance to governors:

Foundation Stage
The Foundation Stage includes children in Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) and in nursery and reception classes in primary schools and is structured into six areas of learning.  Formal assessment takes place at the end of the Foundation Stage (nominally at age 5) and takes the form of the Foundation Stage Profile.  The Profile is drawn up by staff based on their day to day observations of each child throughout the final year of the Foundation Stage.  There are no tests or tasks associated with the assessment.  To view the legislation relating to Foundation Stage Profiles, follow the link in Further Reading below.

A letter regarding the Foundation Stage profile From Margaret Hodge to head teachers was sent out in February 2005. See the separate article for further information.

Key Stages 1 to 3
The Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 cover pupil age ranges 5 to 14.  For each subject at each key stage there are Attainment Targets that set out the standards that pupils are expected to reach.  These Attainment Targets are expressed in "levels" that range from 1 to 8 (where 8 is exceptional performance).

All teachers check their pupils' progress in each subject as part of their normal teaching.  Formal assessments in English, Mathematics and Science against National Curriculum Standards take place at the end of each Key Stage:

Key Stage 1, age 7
National Curriculum tasks and/or tests in English and mathematics, separate teacher assessments in English, mathematics and science
Key Stage 2, age 11
National Curriculum tests and separate teacher assessments in English, mathematics and science
Key Stage 3, age 14
Teacher assessment in all National Curriculum subjects and National Curriculum tests in English, mathematics and science.
For information on the Key Stage 3 National Strategy, follow the link in Background below.
Key Stage 4 - GCSE/GNVQ
At the end of Key Stage 4, at the age of 16, the GCSE/GNVQ is the main way of assessing pupils.

Post 16 Education
Assessment in post-16 education typically takes the form of A/S-level and A-level examinations.

The governing body must set and publish targets for their pupils' performance in Key Stage 2 (primary) and Key Stage 3 and public examinations at 16 (secondary) and shares with the headteacher and the LA the responsibility for carrying out assessements.  The governing body should:

• ensure enough lesson time is provided to pupils to cover the National Curriculum and other statutory requirements
• ensure that only approved external qualifications and syllabuses are offered to pupils of compulsory school age.
• ensure that the headteacher sends the foundation stage profile results and Key Stage 1 tasks, tests and teacher assessments to the LA
• enter a pupil for a public examination that school has prepared the pupil for.

Under achieving and under represented groups and children with Special Educational Needs
There are a variety of circumstances in which schools and governors may wish to focus particular emphasis on groups of children who may need additional or adapted provision including:

• Able children (Gifted and Talented Children)
• Attainment of boys 
• Children from ethnic minorities
• Children with medical needs
• Children in public care
• Children with Special Educational Needs

The governing body decides with the headteacher, the school's general policy and approach to meeting childrens' special educational needs and should:

• ensure that the school policy and procedure is consistent with measures set out in Guidance on the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care
• must have a policy and procedures for dealing with the education of children with medical needs

School Improvement

School Improvement is a term often associated with measures focused at schools facing challenging circumstances or causing concern but the term has broader implications relating to the formal procedures that all schools can adopt in assessing their overall performance and identifying opportunites for improvement.

Guidance and Further Information

There is a range of GovernorNet articles that provide additional information including guidance and examples of good practice where available (follow the links in Background below):

• 14 - 19 Education and Training - Overview
• Children with Special Educational Needs - Overview
• Ethnic Minority Achievement - Overview 
• Gifted and Talented Pupils - Guidance for Governors
• Key Stage 3 Naitonal Strategy
• School Improvement and Development - Overview
• Schools Causing Concern - Overview
• Target Setting in Schools