Plans to judge primary schools on pupils’ progress over seven years risk landing the blame on headteachers who have not been in post for the whole period, according to a group of experts.

This is because the average primary school head moves on after less than seven years, according to Julie McCulloch, interim director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, which has convened a panel to review primary accountability.

The panel includes representatives of Ofsted, GL Assessment and the Chartered College of Teaching, as well as academics.

It is currently considering a series of draft recommendations, which were unveiled publicly for the first time by Ms McCulloch at yesterday’s Academies Show in Birmingham, and it plans to publish a final report in the new year.

Earlier this year, the Department for Education announced plans to scrap the current tests for six- and seven-year olds, and introduce a baseline assessment in Reception so that a child’s progress can be measured over their whole time in primary education.

Ms McCulloch said that the group supported the introduction of the baseline, but warned of a “need to be careful about over-interpreting the progress measure”.

‘A lot can change in seven years’

She said that “a lot can change” over the seven-year period that the progress measure would cover, which she said was longer than the average length of a primary school headship.

Speaking to Tes, she said: “In some schools, almost all the children may be different. The other thing we are quite interested in is that there might be quite a high turnover of leaders and headteachers.

“If that progress measure was to be used in a blunt way - as a stick to beat the current leadership team - I think we need to be aware of the fact that the headteacher of that primary school will not be the same one who was in post when the child took the baseline assessment.”

Ms McCulloch also told the audience that the ASCL was working with the DfE to look at the accountability measures used to hold junior and infant schools to account.

And she questioned whether the results of controversial key stage 2 writing assessments should be included in the measures used to hold primary schools to account.

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