About > The P Scales
The P Scales are a set of criteria or performance descriptions "...for measuring the progress of pupils for whom the early levels of the National Curriculum are not appropriate."
"The performance descriptions have been written for use with pupils of all ages and with a range of special educational needs. The descriptions are not a full description of all that pupils might achieve. They are intended to provide a framework on to which the progress of pupils, measured using the school's own assessment scheme, can be mapped. The descriptions do not replace the more finely tuned assessment schemes used for detailed individual assessments and curriculum planning by many schools. Rather, they complement those schemes by providing a common basis for comparing performance between pupils and schools." (DfES, 2001)
Wider adoption of the criteria by schools, it is suggested, will lead to a framework of common performance measures.
There are P level descriptions for every National Curriculum subject, including RE, PSHE and Citizenship. These can be downloaded from the QCA website or from the EM-RP Resources section of this website (see appendices 1 & 2).
Current Status of the P scales:
The Secretary of State commissioned QCA to consult with professionals in the field and parents/ carers, to comment on the proposal "to make the P scales part of the national curriculum assessment".
It is proposed that "ministers wish to make use of the P scales and collection of P level data mandatory from summer 2007". (www.qca.org/consultations)
Opportunities to respond closed at the end of November 2006.
For updates and QCA guide to P scales national data collection visit the QCA website.