Setting targets in primary schools

Last reviewed on 20 March 2019
School types: All · School phases: Primary
Ref: 11672

Find out about setting targets under a mastery curriculum model, and have a look at examples of approaches different primary schools take for agreeing pupils’ targets.

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Contents

  1. Use appropriate assessment
  2. Target-setting under a ‘mastery’ curriculum model
  3. Examples of schools’ approaches

Use appropriate assessment

Your teachers should “use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious”.

This is explained in paragraph 4.1 of the National Curriculum framework.

You must follow the National Curriculum if you’re a maintained school. You don’t have to if you’re an academy, but may choose to.

Target-setting under a ‘mastery’ curriculum model

No prescribed way of target-setting

You’re free to use whatever method works best for your pupils when setting targets.

Focus on the needs of individual pupils to get them to the mastery standard. If a pupil will benefit from step-by-step targets, for example, this may be the best approach.

Our associate expert Nick Harding told us this.

Consider adopting a holistic approach

It does

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