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Is there equity in assessment? A longitudinal study into the relationship between disadvantage and secondary

Since 1996 the authors have collected the annual school national curriculum provision and change data for the government in England as part of a funded longitudinal research project. These data are used as the basis for a range of national monitoring reports and test data analysis feedback to schools. This paper focuses on the issue of the relationship between disadvantage and underachievement in secondary schools in England. Since 1998, England has tested pupils aged 11 and 14 in English, mathematics and science subjects alone. This has created a hierarchical system of subjects and has caused teachers to focus much teaching time on the ‘testable’ curriculum sub-domains of those subjects – to the detriment of the principles of broad and balanced curriculum menus.

Since 1996 the authors have collected and databased subject teaching time allocations from a national sample of schools and these data from the years 2004 and 2005 are utilised in this paper. The authors match the responding sample of schools to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation, then categorise their national test outputs against the nationally expected levels in the sub-sample groups of ‘disadvantaged’ (more than 20% free school meal eligibility) and ‘control’ (under 20% free school meal). The teaching time allocation data for the years 2004 and 2005 then enable the authors to determine whether the school/subject department has strategised more/less teaching time to address subjects in which the school has under-achieved or whether there is an issue of compliance or non-connectedness in these ‘disadvantaged’ schools.

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