With the co-operation of DfES/DCSF, QCA, Ofsted, TDA and OECD, the Review tracked recent policy and re-assessed a range of official data bearing on the primary phase. This provided the necessary legal, demographic, financial and statistical background to the Review and an important resource for its later consideration of policy options.

This strand used the policy-makers’ own evidence on how the national system of primary education operates and performs, and on how it compares with the systems in other countries.

We are pleased to report that all the organisations referred to here co-operated fully with the Review by making their material freely available and by providing guidance on how it could be assessed and interpreted.