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April 27, 2010
Where Next for Primary Education?

Read the Guardian report

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April 26, 2010
Policy Priorities for Primary Education

Read the election briefing

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October 16, 2009
Children, their World, their Education: final report and recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review

Order your copy of the final report now

The Cambridge Primary Review presents Children, their World, their Education: final report and recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review. This 608-page report draws on over 4,000 published sources as well as the Review’s extensive evidence from written submissions, face-to-face soundings and searches of official data. Part 1 sets the scene and tracks primary education policy since the 1960s. Part 2 examines children’s development and learning, their lives outside school and their needs, aspirations and prospects in a changing world. Part 3 explores what goes on in primary schools, from the formative early years to aims, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, standards and school organisation. Part 4 deals with the system as a whole: ages and stages; schools and other agencies; teacher training, leadership and workforce reform; governance, funding and policy. Part 5 draws everything together with 78 formal conclusions and 75 recommendations for future policy and practice.

The story in brief: Download the press release to the final report

Background and key conclusions: Download a short briefing on the final report

The Review and its final report: download our special booklet: Download our 42-page booklet summarising the report's background, key findings and recommendations

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October 16, 2009
The Cambridge Primary Review Research Surveys

Click here for more information about the companion volume to the final report.

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The Cambridge Primary Review released a special report on the primary curriculum on February 20, 2009.

February 20, 2009
Towards a New Primary Curriculum

Towards a New Primary Curriculum is in two parts, published separately and downloadable below. Part 1 identifies the questions which need to be addressed, describes current arrangements for the primary curriculum and sets them in historical and international context. It then reveals what the Review’s evidence says about existing curriculum strengths and weaknesses, and about what needs to change. Part 2 summarises the main points from this evidence, highlights other matters in need of resolution, and sets out proposals for reform.

Press release: The Primary Curriculum: an alternative vision (99.6KB)

Briefing document: Towards a new curriculum: a report from the Cambridge Primary Review (PDF 161KB)

The report: Part 1: Past and Present (PDF 602KB)

The report: Part 2: The Future (PDF 716KB)

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The interim reports also included the 28 published research surveys commissioned from external consultants, together with a report on one of the Review’s two main consultation exercises: the community soundings (87 witness sessions with teachers, heads, parents, children and a wide range of community representatives, held in different parts of the country during 2007).

May 16, 2008
Learning and Teaching in Primary Schools: processes and contexts
Press release: Teaching matters: the last three interim reports from the Primary Review start the countdown to the final report

Overview briefing document: Learning and Teaching in Primary Schools: processes and contexts

i) Research Survey 2/4: Learning and Teaching in Primary Schools: insights from TLRP (Mary James and Andrew Pollard)
2/4 briefing

ii) Research Survey 6/1: Primary Schools: the built environment (Karl Wall, Julie Dockrell and Nick Peacey)
6/1 briefing

iii) Research Suvey 9/2: Classes, Groups and Transitions: structures for teaching and learning (Peter Blatchford, Susan Hallam, Judith Ireson and Peter Kutnick, with Andrea Creech)
9/2 briefing

April 18, 2008
Primary Teachers: training, development, leadership and workforce reform
Press release: Changing times, changing teachers: the Primary Review reports on a profession in transition

Overview briefing document: Primary Teachers: training, development, leadership and workforce reform

i) Research Survey 6/2: Primary Schools: the professional environment (Liz Jones, Andy Pickard and Ian Stronach)
6/2 briefing

ii) Research Survey 6/3: Primary Teachers: initial teacher education, continuing professional development and school leadership development (Olwen McNamara, Rosemary Webb and Mark Brundrett)
6/3 briefing

iii) Research Survey 6/4: Primary Workforce Management and Reform (Hilary Burgess)
6/4 briefing

February 29, 2008
Governance, Funding, Reform and Quality Assurance: policy frameworks for English primary education
Press release: Governing, funding and reforming primary education: four more research reports from the Primary Review

Overview briefing document: Governance, Funding, Reform and Quality Assurance: policy frameworks for English primary education

i) Research Survey 3/2: The Trajectory and Impact of National Reform: curriculum and assessment in English primary schools (Dominic Wyse, Elaine McCreery and Harry Torrance)
3/2 briefing

ii) Research Survey 4/3: Quality Assurance in English Primary Education (Peter Cunningham and Philip Raymont)
4/3 briefing

iii) Research Survey 10/1: The Funding of English Primary Education (Philip Noden and Anne West)
10/1 briefing

iv) Research Survey 10/2: The Governance and Administration of English Primary Education (Maria Balarin and Hugh Lauder)
10/2 briefing

February 8, 2008
The Structure and Content of English Primary Education: international perspectives
Press release: Other primary schools and ours: what can we learn from international comparison?

Overview briefing document: The Structure and Content of English Primary Education: international perspectives

i) Research Survey 9/1: The Structure of Primary Education: England and other countries (Anna Riggall and Caroline Sharp)
9/1 briefing

ii) Research Survey 3/1: Primary Curriculum and Assessment: England and other countries (Kathy Hall and Kamil Øzerk)
3/1 briefing

iii) Research Survey 3/3: Primary Curriculum Futures (James Conroy, Moira Hulme and Ian Menter)
3/3 briefing

January 18, 2008
Aims and Values in Primary Education: national and international perspectives
Press release: What is primary education for? Fundamental questions from the Primary Review's latest research reports

Overview briefing document: Aims and Values in Primary Education

i) Research Survey 1/1: Aims as Policy in English Primary Education (John White)
1/1 briefing

ii)Research Survey 1/2: Aims and Values in Primary Education: England and other countries (Maha Shuayb and Sharon O'Donnell)
1/2 briefing

iii) Research Survey 1/3: Aims for Primary Education: the changing national context (Stephen Machin and Sandra McNally)
1/3 briefing

iv) Research Survey 1/4: Aims for Primary Education: changing global contexts (Rita Chawla-Duggan and John Lowe)
1/4 briefing 

December 14, 2007
Children in Primary Schools: research on development, learning, diversity and educational needs
Press release: Latest Primary Review research surveys question assumptions about how young children think and learn; and how their specific needs are identified and met

Overview briefing document: Children in Primary Schools

i) Research Survey 2/1a: Children's Cognitive Development and Learning (Usha Goswami and Peter Bryant)
2/1a briefing

ii) Research Survey 2/1b: Children's Social Development, Peer Interaction and Classroom Learning (Christine Howe and Neil Mercer)
2/1b briefing

iii) Research Survey 5/1: Children in Primary Education: demography, culture, diversity and inclusion (Mel Ainscow, Jean Conteh, Alan Dyson and Frances Gallannaugh)
5/1 briefing

iv) Research Survey 5/2: Learning Needs and Difficulties Among Children of Primary School Age: definition, identification, provision and issues (Harry Daniels and Jill Porter)
5/2 briefing

November 23, 2007
Children's Lives and Voices: research on children at home and school
Press release: Striking the Balance: Support vulnerable children and families and tackle childhood poverty, but listen to children and don't take over their lives

Overview briefing document: Children's Lives and Voices.

i) Research Survey 5/3: Children and their Primary Schools: pupils' voices (Carol Robinson and Michael Fielding)
5/3 briefing

ii) Research Survey 7/1: Parenting, Caring and Educating (Yolande Muschamp, Felicity Wikeley, Tess Ridge and Maria Balarin)
7/1 briefing

iii) Research Survey 8/1: Children's Lives Outside School and their Educational Impact (Berry Mayall)
8/1 briefing

iv) Research Survey 8/2: Primary Schools and Other Agencies (Ian Barron, Rachel Holmes, Maggie MacLure and Katherine Runswick-Cole)
8/2 briefing

November 2, 2007 
How well are we doing? Research on standards, quality and assessment in English primary education
Press release: Further questions about standards and testing from the Primary Review

Overview briefing document: How well are we doing?

i) Research Survey 3/4: The quality of learning: assessment alternatives for primary education (Wynne Harlen)
3/4 briefing

ii) Research Survey 4/1: Standards and quality in English primary schools over time: the national evidence (Peter Tymms and Christine Merrell)
4/1 briefing

iii) Research Survey 4/2: Standards in English primary education: the international evidence (Chris Whetton, Graham Ruddock and Liz Twist)
4/2 briefing

October 12, 2007
Community Soundings: the Primary Review regional witness sessions
Community Soundings press release: Taking the Educational Temperature
Community Soundings briefing
Community Soundings report

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We want these interim reports both to provide information and to provoke discussion. We stress that these reports were interim rather than final, and that they arose from some but not all of the Review’s various strands of evidence.

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The following articles have been written about the Review, providing an account of the progress to date.

•  15.5.09 : Robin Alexander, Plowden, Truth and Myth: a warning.
Lecture given at the 2009 Award Ceremony of the College of Teachers.

•  7.04.09 : Robin Alexander in The Guardian, following the publication of the House of Commons Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families' report on the primary curriculum.
     • Click here to see this article in full: 'Where's the curriculum?'
     • Click here to see this article as published in The Guardian: 'What is the primary curriculum for?'

•  20.02.09: Robin Alexander in The Times Educational Supplement. 'What is primary education for?'

•  16.05.08 : Robin Alexander in the Times Educational Supplement.
'Testaments to the Power of 10'. "With today’s three research surveys on teaching, the Primary Review completes dissemination of its 30 interim reports and enters its next phase: the preparation of its main and final report. [...]"

•  17.03.08 : Robin Alexander, The Primary Review: emerging perspectives on childhood.
Lecture delivered at Central Hall, Westminster to the conference on 'Childhood, Well-being and Primary Education' organised by the General Teaching Council and held in conjunction with The Children's Society Good Childhood Inquiry and the Primary Review.

•  20.11.07 : Robin Alexander, Towards a new vision for primary education? Midway through the Primary Review.
Lecture about the Primary Review delivered at Church House, Westminster at the invitation of The Worshipful Company of Weavers.

•  2.11.07 : Robin Alexander, in the Times Educational Supplement.
'Testing times for primary assessment'. (Published with the title 'Three reports should prompt debate on primary's future')

•  Spring 2007 : Robin Alexander, in Forum.
'Where there is no vision...' - Article for special Plowden 40th anniversary issue of Forum.

•  February 2007 : Mark Brundrett in Education 3-13
Brundrett, M. (2007) 'Two decades of reform in education: do we need a review of primary education?' Education 3-13 35(1):1-3.

•  28.11.06: Peter Wilby, in The Guardian.
'Primary mover: Forty years after the Plowden report, education for the under-11s is being reviewed, and the mastermind behind the project has some radical ideas.'

•  13.10.07 : Robin Alexander, in the Times Educational Supplement.
'Alternative vision for Primary Children? A comprehensive study, launched today, aims to put the life of the child back on top of the agenda'

In this section we provide links to reports of enquiries whose work relates to our own.  If there is a report you would like us to provide a link to, please email Julia Flutter (Primary Review Administrator).

• The Good Childhood Inquiry is 'seeking to open an inclusive debate on what makes for a good childhood today that will shape future policy and inspire all our relationships with children.' 
  
  The inquiry will:
  * Listen to the voices and views of children, young people and adults about their experience and understanding of childhood in the UK today.
  
  * Identify and address the most important issues facing children and young people in the UK today.
  
  * Make recommendations to improve the way in which childhood is experienced and understood in the UK today.
  
  
• RSA Risk Commission - The Risk Commission aims to examine and contextualise risk in our modern society. In particular it is looking at all aspects of risk in childhood.  The RSA Risk Commission's report on Risk and Childhood was launched with a major one-day conference on 31.10.07.  Professor Robin Alexander, Director of the Primary Review, was one of the speakers at this conference.
  
  
• Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) - The Charter on Primary Schooling was released 1.10.07 and was 'the result of a forum which examined two key questions: “What should primary schools be like?” and “What is the purpose of primary schools?”'
  
  
• Unicef - Child poverty in perspective: An overview of child well-being in rich countries 'brings together the best of currently available data providing an overview of the state of childhood in the majority of economically advanced nations of the world. The report for the first time measures and compares overall child well-being across six dimensions: material well-being, health and safety, education...'  This report was released 14.02.07.