Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, noted that it is encouraging to see how much is improving across the sectors Ofsted regulates and inspects.

The report reviewed how settings that were once inadequate had improved and in many instances moved to excellence. One common factor behind improvements was good quality educational assessment practice.

Within schools it was noted that assessment was seen as a key component of good teaching and learning, but also a vital management tool to highlight progress or lack of it and help evaluate the impact of support mechanisms.

Sector-specific findings:

Childcare and Early Education

Few settings were deemed unable to allow children to enjoy themselves and achieve. However 0.5% of settings were deemed inadequate. The main weakness amongst this significant minority was poor assessment or planning to support each child's development needs and too limited a range of activities and resources to sustain the children's interest.

Primary Education

The report outlined that primary school teachers use assessment well to monitor pupils' progress, to enable them to understand how well they are doing, and in the planning of challenging activities. The key characteristics of inadequate teaching have not changed and they include the poor use of assessment, so that tasks and resources fail to meet the needs of pupils of different abilities.

Secondary Education

Teaching and learning are good and outstanding in 58% of secondary schools (an improvement on last year) and the best teaching challenges and engages pupils, making regular use of assessment to match activities to their needs and abilities.

A notable characteristic of leaders in good and outstanding schools is their determination to provide high quality teaching, supported by ongoing assessment, and their skilful analysis of data to identify and act upon weaknesses.

However, the use of assessment to track pupils' progress, plan work and manage approaches to whole-class discussion continues to be a common weakness. On-going assessment is often under-used so that pupils do not know the strengths and weaknesses of their work and the steps needed to improve their attainment.

A survey of the impact of the 'assessment for learning' strand of the National Strategies found that it was good or outstanding in only a minority of schools, with a generally lower impact in secondary than in primary schools. Within this minority where inspectors saw good practice in assessment, teachers had understood and applied carefully the key principles of assessment for learning. In the majority of schools, however, assessment remained an area of relative weakness.

Further Education

The quality and standards of education in further education colleges were deemed satisfactory. Assessment is effective in supporting students' progress and they are given prompt and expert advice on how to improve their work. Weaker colleges judge teaching too generously and fail to apply enough attention to the quality of learning. Some colleges' use of initial assessment to set and monitor targets remains underdeveloped.

Weak assessment, poor target-setting and insufficient coordination of work in basic skills often characterises provision which is satisfactory or inadequate.

Assessment within dance and drama schools was reported to be rigorous and accurate.

Adult Learning

Most providers offer highly flexible training and assessment arrangement to take account of shift patterns and work demands. However too many providers do not involve employers sufficiently in the assessment of training.

A lack of timely assessment was highlighted and it was stated that generally tutors do not use assessment sufficiently to plan learning. The link between assessment and the planned programme was also not always well explained to learners.

Limited translation of results into an effective programme of support for the development of literacy and numeracy skills was evidenced via the survey of Train to Gain provision. It found that almost all employees had an initial assessment of their existing skills but rarely led to training in literacy and numeracy when where these were identified as a need. Employers were reluctant to broach these issues with their staff and few providers had strategies, or sufficient confidence, to promote literacy and numeracy training with employers and employees

Under arrangements introduced this year, Jobcentre Plus conducts an initial assessment of literacy and numeracy skills and those identified as in need of further support are directed to an appropriate local course before joining the New Deal programme. However, not all providers take account of the varying levels of participants' skills in literacy and numeracy when planning and delivering job search and other workshop activities. In Work step, identifying and supporting participants' literacy and numeracy skills are now given a far greater priority, with improvements in initial screening and the use of diagnostic assessments.

Children and young people in secure settings

Initial assessment of children's and young people's levels of literacy and numeracy is well established and effective.

Offender Learning and Skills

Initial assessment of literacy and numeracy is carried out routinely for offenders, although some assessments are carried out too early, at a time when the individual health needs of offenders should take priority. Initial assessment of offenders' needs in literacy and numeracy is thorough but is carried out in too few cases.

Social Care

Providers that provided accurate assessment of learning, and then activities designed to promote rapid progress significantly enhanced the life chances of those from more disadvantaged backgrounds. Rigorous assessment was also seen as a key feature of excellent providers.

Learners with Special Educational Needs

Early identification of needs for very young children is mostly good and multi-agency assessment has improved.

If you would like to view the full report or summary document please visit the Ofsted website - www.ofsted.gov.uk

Please note that all of the above copy has been taken directly from both the 2007/08 full report and summary document.