The 2024 moderation process has provided many reasons for Year 6 teachers to feel proud of their hard work. One of the standout aspects this year was the positive, collaborative approach taken by teachers, moderators, and school leaders alike. Teachers not only confidently shared their judgements but celebrated the creativity, skills, and growth of their pupils. This post reflects on the key findings from this year’s moderation cycle and highlights the practices that led to accurate judgements and high-quality writing outcomes.
Teacher-led moderation discussions: A celebration of achievement
Again this year the team found that discussions were teacher-led and focused on celebrating the achievements of the pupils selected in the random sample. Teachers articulated their judgements with clarity, making continued reference to the evidence base for each pupil and showing an in-depth understanding of their pupils’ writing journeys. The moderation process became a celebration of learning, where teachers showcased the hard work and creativity of their classes, regardless of their final judgment. Refreshingly, teachers spoke very little about targets and certainly weren’t allowing any target setting to cloud their assessment judgements.
Feedback from schools who participated in our online, remote moderation delivery model was that this approach facilitated smooth and dynamic discussions. With both moderators and teachers having copies of the writing collections in front of them, they were able to flexibly navigate through pieces, ensuring key evidence was discussed thoroughly. Both moderators and teachers benefited from the opportunity to read pieces out loud together, allowing both parties to fully appreciate the creativity and skill within the writing. This shared experience helped build a complete picture of the pupil’s abilities and strengths, making the moderation process both engaging and insightful.
The impact of robust internal moderation
One of the clearest findings from this year’s moderation cycle was that schools with robust and supportive internal moderation practices consistently made more accurate and confident judgements. These schools didn’t wait until June to engage in moderation but wove it informally and formally into their assessment cycles throughout the year. This ongoing approach meant that teachers were consistently aligning their standards, building confidence in their judgements long before the statutory assessments.
In these schools, internal moderation wasn’t just a one-off event but an integrated part of the teaching and assessment process. Regular discussions, whether formal or informal, allowed teachers to refine their understanding of the writing standards, share insights, and support each other in making accurate judgements. This collaborative culture created a solid foundation for statutory moderation, ensuring that final judgements were robust, consistent, and well-evidenced. In these schools, senior leaders had also worked hard to understand the standards fully themselves, having engaged in the exemplification materials and taken on board key messages shared during our assessment leader briefings, especially with regard to greater depth.
Senior leader involvement during statutory moderation sessions
Our moderation model this year placed a strong emphasis on involving senior leaders in the process, as much as busy diaries would allow. Schools were encouraged to invite senior leaders or, in some cases, members of their multi-academy trust’s central team—such as an English lead—into the discussions if they wished. Importantly, these leaders acted as positive, supportive observers, allowing Year 6 teachers to lead the conversation and showcase their expertise. This approach created a shared sense of celebration while reinforcing confidence in the teachers’ judgements.
The power of a purposeful, carefully crafted curriculum
Another key finding from the 2024 moderation cycle was that schools with thoughtfully designed curriculums produced more accurate and robust writing assessments. These schools had shaped their writing opportunities to ensure pupils connected deeply with the purpose and audience of their writing tasks. Many teachers reported that they had made adjustments to key text choices and writing opportunities to meet the needs of their cohort this year. Having identified, quite understandably, some gaps in prior learning due to the disruption of the remote learning situation during the pandemic. In particular, the writing opportunities offered in Year 6 were carefully crafted to align with the interests and strengths of the current cohort, leading to more engaged and motivated writers.
Schools that excelled in moderation had given significant consideration to how their writing tasks were introduced and developed. High-quality texts, cross-curricular links, and meaningful experiences were woven into the writing curriculum, creating contexts that pupils found inspiring, intriguing, and relevant. Whether through powerful personal reflections, imaginative story writing, or non-fiction pieces linked to history or science, these schools demonstrated that when pupils are fully engaged in their writing, their skills and creativity flourish.
Many schools shared with moderators how they had significantly reflected on how much choice writers were afforded. This led to technically sound writing (as skills had been carefully developed) while still full of personal voice and originality. It was clear that when pupils connect deeply with what they’re writing about, their work reflects both creativity and secure skill development.
The best examples came from schools where writing was purpose-driven and pupils were given genuine reasons to engage with their tasks in as independent a manner as possible.
The impact of attending annual training events
It is likely without surprise that schools that had made the most robust assessment judgements were ones where Year 6 teachers attended moderation manager-led training, regardless of how experienced they were. Teachers shared with moderators and feedback following training that engaging in newly seen writing collections, through carefully considered interactive tasks greatly impacted their confidence and accuracy in applying the TAF. We will continue to offer training pathways for both new to Year 6 and experienced Year 6 teachers next year, through an interactive online model. With budgets being increasingly tight we have not increased prices and our training sessions cost from as little as £40 per teacher for access to a multi-session course.
Conclusion: The key ingredients for success
The 2024 moderation cycle has highlighted several key factors that contributed to accurate writing judgements and creative outcomes.
- Regular internal moderation, embedded throughout the year, played a crucial role in aligning standards and building teacher confidence.
- Purposeful writing tasks that engaged pupils through meaningful contexts and choice were another common factor in successful schools.
- Engaging in interactive training sessions to continually further knowledge and experience of using the TAF has a tremendously positive impact on both the confidence teachers have and the accuracy of applying the framework.
- Finally, the collaborative and celebratory tone of moderation discussions, involving both teachers and senior leaders, helped to validate judgements and showcase the hard work that goes into preparing pupils for end-of-key-stage assessments.
Moving forward, let’s continue to focus on embedding robust internal moderation, designing curriculums that engage and inspire, and celebrating the creativity and progress of our pupils. By doing so, we ensure that our writing assessments are not only accurate and fair but also a true reflection of the skills and creativity that our pupils have developed throughout their primary years.
I would like to share my thanks to our entire moderation team, who were highly praised in feedback from all schools for their supportive approaches, outstanding knowledge and professionalism. Teachers and leaders alike have expressed their gratitude to the moderation team for facilitating statutory moderation sessions that were both positive and supportive. The team ensured that teachers felt confident in leading discussions while maintaining robust and effective processes.
Finally, and most importantly, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the outstanding Year 6 teachers we had the privilege of working with. Your dedication to crafting inspiring curriculums and making thoughtful, well-considered judgments has been truly remarkable. The time and effort you’ve invested in ensuring that every learning sequence is meaningful and that every decision reflects a deep understanding of your pupils’ needs is nothing short of admirable.
If your school is already benefitting from a Pobble moderation subscription make sure your English Lead / Assessment Lead makes the most of the training included in your subscription to help your school develop effective moderation practices. These sessions are offered on multiple dates and, new for this year, we offer this training as an on-demand self-study course.
