Assessment for Learning (AfL): Whole-school training materials

This suite of guidance, training and support materials has been designed to help schools develop AfL across the whole school, i.e. teachers working collaboratively within and across departments to develop practice. The training units are generic. Units 1 and 2 provide an overview of AfL, and Units 3-7 each focus on a different aspect of AfL. Subject-specific development materials (covering all NC subjects), relating to each of Units 3-7, are provided to help subject departments develop their practice as part of a whole-school approach. Self-study style 'Working together' guides are also included to help develop coaching and to help develop the role of teaching assistants. More information about this suite of materials can be found in the introductory 'Guidance for senior leaders'.

Working together: parents and carers and assessment for learning website

The Working together guides are part of the suite of Assessment for Learning (AfL) training materials provided for all secondary schools.

The first two Working together guides (distributed in 2005 as part of the Assessment for learning - Whole-school and subject specific training materials), relating to coaching and  teaching assistants, are designed to help schools sustain the whole school development of AfL. Their nature and structure is similar to the Pedagogy and practice: Teaching and learning in secondary schools study guides.

This new Working together guide, relating to parents and carers, is different in nature. Schools are given access to the Working together: Parents and carers and AfL (link opens in new window) website where they can tailor and print guidance on how parents and carers can best support their child’s learning at home.

The value and effectiveness of these guides will depend on how the senior leadership team promotes and supports their use.

This guidance:

• explains what AfL is in parent/carer friendly language and how it looks in classrooms where it is a part of everyday teaching and learning
• suggests ways in which parents and carers can support their child's learning at home, using AfL principles, so that they are encouraged to become actively involved in the process.

Schools can customise the guidance online via the Working together website before producing their own booklet to distribute to parents and carers. Some of the text and images cannot be altered but schools can choose to customise other parts of the booklet in three different ways by:

• adding additional information in text boxes provided on some pages
• selecting which pages to include, for example, if the school is not currently developing written feedback then this section could be omitted
• adding appendices which provide further school specific information.

It is intended that these materials are used as part of your school's approach to work in close partnership with parents and carers and will help support a dialogue with them.