This strand has two parts. Soundings are being taken from a number of witnesses from both inside and outside education who are considered likely to offer thought-provoking perspectives on the enquiry’s themes.

The soundings differ from the submissions in two crucial respects.  First, while the submissions are open to all, the soundings are by invitation.  Second, the soundings involve face-to-face discussion and debate, whereas the submissions are received and considered as they stand.

The Community Soundings are a series of nine regionally-based one to two day events, each comprising a sequence of meetings with representatives from schools and the communities they serve. The Community Soundings took place between January and March 2007, and entailed 87 witness sessions with groups of pupils, parents, governors, teachers, teaching assistants and heads, and with educational and community representatives from the areas in which the soundings took place. The interim report on these meetings, Community Soundings: the Primary Review regional witness sessions, was published 12 October 2007.

The National Soundings are a programme of more formal meetings with national organisations both inside and outside education. Some of these, with government, statutory agencies, public bodies and unions, take the form of regular consultations throughout the Review’s duration. Others, which include seminars with a specially-convened group of teachers and sessions with representatives of major non-statutory organisations, took place between January and March 2008 and explored issues arising from the Review’s now considerable body of evidence. The National Soundings help the team to clarify matters which are particularly problematic or contested in preparation for the writing of the final report.

Further information on the Community Soundings

Further information on the National Soundings