The report highlighted that teaching in schools is still not good enough and does not deliver what Ofsted have now come to expect. In 50% of secondary schools and 43% of primary schools, teaching is no better than satisfactory, with 6% deemed as inadequate.  

In Ofsted's opinion there continues to be (as reported in the 2009/10 Ofsted Annual Review) three ingredients for turning an inadequate school around and one of those is to provide high-quality guidance, particularly in teaching and assessment.  

The effective management of teaching and learning, supported by strong lesson evaluation, professional development and assessment systems, is paramount. The best leaders and managers exert a decisiveinfluence on the quality of teaching and the use ofassessment. In 96% of primary schools and 95% ofsecondary schools where the quality of teaching wasgood or outstanding, leadership and management ofteaching and learning were also judged to be goodor outstanding.There is a strong focus on sharing good practice across the school and between schools, with middle leaders playing an active role in improving teaching and the use of assessment.  

The key assessment-related findings of this year's report are set out below:-   

Early Years - According to Ofsted, one factor that tends to set outstanding nursery schools apart from good ones is the meticulous observation and monitoring of children's progress, and use of assessment information to plan their learning. The inspector states that there has been an improvement in assessment practice within this area and those who have improved have methodical arrangements for assessing individual children's progress. However, the report outlined that feedback to parents or carers on a child's day or general progress was often informal, with no mention of the range of records or communication tools that outstanding providers use. As a result parents do not have easy access to information about their child's assessment and, in some instances, are not aware that it exists. Parents are not consulted about their child's progress at home or involved in identifying the child's next steps in learning. In short in the majority of cases there are no clear systems for parents to contribute to their child's assessments.  

The report outlines that Ofsted's new inspection framework has placed a stronger emphasis on the observation of lessons, and includes a new judgement on the use of assessment to support learning.  

Primary schools - Common characteristics of primary schools included a lack of rigour in monitoring teaching and weaknesses in assessment.In the schools where progress was onlysatisfactory, improvements in achievement were less secure. Schools had focused on the quality of teaching and, in most cases; this had led to some improvements in some lessons, often related to the increased engagement of pupils and the more effective use of assessment to plan lessons.  

According to Ofsted, teachers are often not sufficiently knowledgeable about the levels at which pupils are working and achieving, or practised in matching work to their abilities and using varied methods to promote learning. 

Secondary Schools - The Schools Inspectorate reported that best practice in secondary schools is rigorous, embedding assessment strategies across all subjects. Assessment is used as a powerful tool to monitor pupils' progress in classrooms and design learning activities which provide the right level of challenge for pupils of all abilities. Regular marking provides pupils with detailed feedback on their work and guidance on what they need to do to improve or to extend their understanding. Teachers make judicious use of opportunities for pupils to assess their own work and that of their peers to deepen their awareness of strengths and weaknesses. At a whole-school level assessment information is used to track pupils' progress so that any signs of underachievement are quickly identified and addressed.  

Nevertheless, according to Ofsted, assessment remains an area that schools find challenging. Many of the weaknesses in teaching identified, such as the poor match of tasks and activities to pupils' abilities, stem from deficiencies in using assessment to inform learning. In these cases, teachers are not always clear about what exactly is happening in the classroom which is why continual assessment, in their view, is key to improving the processes of teaching and learning.   

A further reported issue is the consistency with which assessment procedures are applied at all levels across the school. Considerable variations in the quality of marking and the effective use of assessment information to plan lessons are common weaknesses. When pupils do not have a clear understanding of strengths and weaknesses in their own learning, they are unlikely to know what they need to do to improve, even when they know their personal targets.  

Independent, non-maintained or boarding schools - Ofsted report that assessment procedures are strong and planning is often meticulous and linked closely to pupils' needs, including their individual education plans. A variety of teaching methods, combined with high expectations and good questioning, also contributes to the outstanding progress pupils make. However, inconsistent use of assessment for learning to ensure teaching meets the needs of all pupils is an area for further development in maintained boarding schools.  

Academies - There are some common characteristics to outstanding teaching in academies. Ofsted report that it is achieved by establishing very high and shared expectations across all classrooms. Learning is often highly structured, informed by teachers' excellent subject knowledge and reinforced by the exemplary use of assessment to inform planning.  

Further Education - In colleges judged satisfactory and inadequate, Ofsted report that frequent weaknesses highlighted by learners include the poor design of the timetable which leaves too much time between lessons, dull or monotonous teaching styles, high staff turnover and lack of information and communication technology equipment. Learners were also often concerned about poor assessment practices, which left them unaware of how targets are set or how to improve their work, and unstructured and infrequent tutorial sessions.  

The quality of provision is good or outstanding in 48 of the 79 colleges inspected this year, and inadequate in none. An important contribution to the judgement on the quality of provision comes from the evaluation of teaching, training and assessment.  

Ofsted went on to say that it is worrying that, although little inadequate teaching was seen in colleges inspected this year, too much is mediocre. In colleges where teaching, training and assessment are weak, there is insufficient focus on the effectiveness of teaching and its impact on learning.  

The best colleges use frequent and accurate assessment to promote learning effectively. Learners have clear briefs for their assignments and receive regular, prompt and perceptive feedback on both coursework and homework that enables them to understand fully how their work might be improved. Individual targets are very specific, challenging and clearly linked to learners' goals. Internal quality assurance processes are used well to maintain standards. Teachers meet to review each other's assessments and help one another to improve.  

Work-based Learning Providers - All work-based learningproviders that were judged to be outstanding for their learners' outcomes were also judged to be at least good in terms of teaching, training and assessment. However; teaching, training and assessment are not good enough across the sector as a whole. Only 48% of all providers are judged to be good oroutstanding for the effectiveness of these key aspects.  

All work-based learning providers that were judged to be outstanding for their learners' outcomes were also judged to be at least good in terms of teaching, training and assessment.  

Ofsted evidence from outstanding work-based learning, including apprenticeship providers, underlines the importance of both the clarity with which learning and assessment requirements are communicated and the expertise in industry of those providing the information and advice.

Go to full version of 2009/10 Ofsted Annual Review.