Overall, though our treatment of the available evidence tries to be balanced rather than partisan, we are subjecting current assumptions, policies and conventional wisdom to particular scrutiny.

Evidence about what is (‘What is happening?  ‘How successful are we?’) will be combined with the development of a vision for what should be (‘What should we be doing?’  ‘How should things change?’). A retrospective enquiry is useful, but the more important task is to identify how the system should develop over the next few decades, what values it should embody, what goals it should seek to achieve, and how.

There are four main evidential sources and procedures. Two of these – the submissions and soundings – open the review to that range of voices, experiences and perspectives without which an enquiry like this would have little credibility as a truly national and democratic exercise; while the other two – the research surveys and official data searches – use published evidence of a more formal kind.  The four evidential strands seek to balance opinion-seeking with empirical data; non-interactive expressions of opinion with face-to-face discussion; official data with independent research; and material from England with that from other parts of the UK and from international sources. This enquiry, unlike some of its predecessors, will look outwards from primary schools to the wider society, and will make full but judicious use of international data and ideas from other countries.

See here for a progress report on the Cambridge Review.

After a three-year period of preparation and consultation, the Review was launched on 13 October 2006 and will publish its final report in early 2009.

Infrastructure. The Cambridge team, Advisory Committee, Management Group and research consultants were all in place well in time for the Review launch on 13 October 2006. The website was also fully functioning by that date.

Submissions. Following the convention in enquiries of this kind, submissions were invited from all who wished to contribute. By October 2008, 817 submissions had been received and more were arriving daily. The submissions range from brief single-issue expressions of opinion to substantial documents of up to 300 pages covering several or all of the themes and comprising both detailed evidence and recommendations for the future. They came from an exceptionally diverse array of individuals and organisations both inside and outside education, and highlight strengths and weaknesses of the current system as well as identifying priorities for the future.

Soundings. This strand has two parts. 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.
Click here to access the Community Soundings report.
Click here to access the Community Soundings briefing document.

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 other practitioners, 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 have helped the team to clarify matters which are particularly problematic or contested in preparation for the writing of the final report.

Surveys. Several months before the launch of the Review, 30 (now 28) surveys of published research relating to the Review’s ten themes were commissioned from 70 academic consultants in universities in Britain and other countries. Taken together, these surveys provide the most comprehensive review of research relating to English primary education yet undertaken. The research reports and their accompanying briefings were published in thematic groups over several months, starting in autumn 2007. They provoked considerable media, public and political interest, and provided the top UK news story on several occasions. All the research reports and briefings may be downloaded from the Review website: 
Click here for a full list of the research surveys.
Click here to download and read the published research reports and their accompanying briefing documents.

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


The four evidential strands seek to balance opinion-seeking with empirical data; non-interactive expressions of opinion with face-to-face discussion; official data with independent research; and material from England with that from other parts of the UK and from international sources. This enquiry, unlike some of its predecessors, will look outwards from primary schools to the wider society, and will make full but judicious use of international data and ideas from other countries.

Other meetings. In addition to the formal evidence-gathering procedures, the Review team is meeting members of national and regional bodies for the exchange of information and ideas. To date there have been 142 such meetings apart from the 94 community and national soundings, including two dedicated sessions of the House of Commons Children, Schools and Families Committee.


Next steps

The Cambridge Primary Review final report will be published by Routledge in spring 2009. It will be in two volumes (the titles are provisional):

Primary Education in England: its condition and future (Cambridge Primary Review Final Report Volume 1). This will contain the report proper, presenting evidence and analysis together with conclusions and recommendations for policy and practice.

Research in Primary Education: surveys commissioned by the Primary Review (Cambridge Primary Review Final Report Volume 2). This will contain revised and updated versions of the 28 research surveys which were published as interim reports between October 2007 and May 2008.

Related publications. Final report briefings and digests, downloadable from the Primary Review website, will be published alongside the main report.


The final report, which is now in preparation, will draw on the various strands of evidence outlined above to address the ten structural themes and attendant questions. It will combine findings, analysis, reflection and conclusions, and recommendations for both policy and practice. With both volumes taken together, it is hoped that this material will both provoke immediate responses from stakeholders and provide a significant empirical and reflective resource for the longer term.

Click here to view the interim reports already published by the Cambridge Primary Review.


TIMETABLE

Phase 1: Preparation (January 2004 – October 2006)

Phase 2: Implementation (October 2006 – summer 2008)
     • Submissions (October 2006 – April 2007)
     • Community Soundings (January – March 2007)
     • National Soundings (January – March 2008)
     • Research Surveys (July 2006 – May 2008)
     • Searches (November 2006 – summer 2008) 
     • Other meetings (government, opposition, Select Committee, DCSF, national agencies, teaching unions etc (October 2006 – October 2008).

Phase 3: Dissemination (October 2007 – late 2008/early 2009)
     • Research surveys and other interim reports and briefings (from October 2007)
     • Final report and associated dissemination events (from early 2009)

Phase 4: Follow-up (from early 2009)
     • Programme to be agreed.

Submissions are the most familiar face of any national enquiry. They provide a means whereby anyone who wishes to contribute to the Cambridge Primary Review is able to do so. It is vital that we receive a good volume and range of such submissions.

The Primary Review is confronted by a dauntingly large canvas. It is national, so it raises questions about national values and priorities, national identity, and the condition of England and the lives of those who live there.  Breadth of coverage in a national educational review is essential. At the same time, we can't cover everything, and choices have to be made. The coverage of the Primary Review is therefore expressed as a hierarchy of ‘perspectives’, ‘themes’ and ‘questions’.

When the Review was launched, we invited written and electronic submissions on any or all of the themes from all who are interested in primary education, including parents, teachers, local authorities, political parties, employers, community organisations, faith groups, and members of the public. 

We were particularly keen to hear from two constituencies whose voices all too often remain submerged: parents and children (see Involving parents and children: an invitation to schools).

The closing date for submissions was 31 March 2007.  We are pleased to report an excellent response to our invitation. By June 2007, 550 submissions had been received and more were arriving daily. The submissions range from brief single-issue expressions of opinion to substantial documents of up to 300 pages covering several or all of the themes and comprising both detailed evidence and recommendations for the future. By October 2008, 817 submissions had been received by the Primary Review.

Please note that the deadline for submissions has now passed.

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

Several months before the launch of the Review, 30 (now 29) surveys of published research relating to the Review’s ten themes were commissioned from 70 academic consultants in universities in Britain and other countries. The consultants were selected on the basis of competitive bidding from top-rated research departments. Taken together, these surveys provide the most comprehensive review of research relating to English primary education yet undertaken.

Research consultants were invited to summarise and assess published national and international research on specific topics derived from the Review’s ten themes, and to suggest options for policy and practice which attend to the problems and needs that have been identified. The research reports and their accompanying briefings were published in thematic groups over several months, starting in autumn 2007. They provoked considerable media, public and political interest, and provided the top UK news story on several occasions. Some press coverage following the interim report releases can be found here.


The research consultants involved are listed here.

Click here for a full list of the research surveys commissioned.

The research reports and accompanying briefings have now been released, and have been published on this site as they became available. Each report was accompanied by a press release. Click here to see the research reports, briefings and press releases that have been released.

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

This strand uses 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 are co-operating fully with the Review by making their material freely available and by providing guidance on how it can be assessed and interpreted.

In addition, though it is not placed within a separate category and is perhaps best seen as an extension of the ‘soundings’ strand, the debate generated by our interim reports and media coverage of the Review will itself be treated as evidence and will feed back into our deliberations. In this we are being helped by media colleagues who have offered to commission articles on the Review’s themes.

If you disagree, agree, or would like to respond to interim reports, media coverage, or to provide further thoughts even once you have submitted evidence, please feel free to contact the Review Administrator.  Perhaps yourself and colleagues, friends, or children may like to combine efforts to further contribute to the debate generated by the Primary Review.  If writing in response to a specific stimulus, please include its details (name, date and location published) in your correspondence.

Please note: the deadline for submissions was 31 March, 2007.

This deadline has now passed, but for the record we are leaving this page on the site.

For most people, the route into the Review process is via the Submissions strand:

• Submissions may be posted as hard copy or emailed as attachments to evidence@primaryreview.org.uk .
  
  
• If sent as an email attachment, please ensure that it is a Word document and that it has been virus-scanned.
  
  
• If hard copy, please address to:
  Catrin Darsley
  Administrator, The Primary Review
  University of Cambridge Faculty of Education
  184 Hills Road
  Cambridge, CB2 8PQ.
  
  
• Please ensure that your submission specifies the author’s name, address and contact email address or telephone number.
  
  
• Please refer to the Review’s Themes, Questions and Perspectives when preparing your submission, as these provide the Review’s framework and include the questions to which we want to find answers. It would help greatly if you could group your comments under these headings.
  
  
• Your submission may be as short or as long as you wish, and it may deal with one theme or question or with many. This is up to you.