Ofsted Subject Conference Report 2003-04: Science

The purpose of this Ofsted conference was the use of assessment in raising standards of teaching and learning. Workshops drew on good practice from Key Stage Two and Key Stage Three, and provided 31 delegates with the opportunity to work with other professionals on assessment for learning (AfL).

The conference built on the inspection and monitoring activity by Ofsted in 2002-03 which had shown that:

*Secondary report: Assessment is beginning to broaden and have a greater influence on curriculum planning. At Key Stage Three the use of ongoing assessment to provide immediate feedback to teachers and students is becoming established. This is less common at Key Stage Four.

*Primary report: There have been significant improvements in the use of ongoing assessment but this remains an area for development. In particular, teachers need to acquire the techniques of questioning necessary to establish students’ learning in science and to use students’ talk to inform their teaching.

Conference sessions included:
- Giving effective feedback to students
- Peer and self-assessment
- Learning outcomes and asking good questions
- Promoting better questioning and marking.

The PowerPoints used in the sessions are:
- Giving feedback to students
- Assessment for learning.