Explanatory note

providing for its application to grant-maintained special schools in England which are not established in hospitals;

extending the period for teacher assessment of pupils so that these are required to be made not later than two weeks before the end of the summer term;

authorising the document in which standard tasks are published to require the record of the results of standard task assessments to consist of a statement of the pupil’s level of attainment in each attainment target or in the subject as a whole or both;

limiting the provision for verification of assessments of pupils to standard task assessments;

requiring that pupils whose level of attainment in English or mathematics is, in the opinion of their head teacher, level 4 or higher are also assessed by taking the National Curriculum tests laid down for pupils in the final year of key stage 2;

requiring the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority to make arrangements for evaluating the effectiveness of the arrangements made by the 1993 Order; and

making drafting amendments principally to make clear that the requirement for teacher assessment of a pupil’s level of attainment in each core subject does not apply where more than one attainment target in the subject is not applicable to the pupil and that the powers conferred by article 9 of the 1993 Order on the Secretary of State to make supplementary provision do not extend to the provisions of the Order conferring or imposing functions on governing bodies, head teachers or local education authorities.