Enhancing assessment in Sonar Tracker

Enhancing assessment in Sonar Tracker

Over the past few years, expectations around assessment in schools have evolved. Government policy, SEND reform, and inspection frameworks have all moved towards the need for greater inclusion, stronger evidence, and more defensible assessment decisions.

At Sonar Tracker, we have responded directly to these changes, and our latest update is more than just a product improvement – it is a deliberate step to ensure schools can meet both the current and emerging DfE and Ofsted assessment expectations with total confidence.

The direction of travel: What has changed nationally?

Recent policy updates – including the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan (2023) and the Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving (2026) – make it clear that:

• Schools are expected to provide earlier, evidence-based support

• Assessment must reflect a full picture of pupil need and attainment

• Inclusion is now central to accountability, not separate from it

The SEND reforms go further, setting out a system where:

• Most pupils are supported through inclusive, mainstream provision

• Schools utilise structured approaches such as Individual Support Plans (ISPs)

• Decisions are based on consistent, evidence-informed practice

Therefore, the direction of travel for our sector is clear and education settings must do everything they can to ensure every child achieves and thrives by combining both high standards and early support.

Ofsted and the growing focus on evidence and justification

As alluded to above, inspection expectations continue to evolve alongside policy:

• Ofsted frameworks now place greater emphasis on curriculum, progress, and evidence of learning

• There is an increasing focus on inclusion as a measurable strength of a school

• Schools must be able to justify their assessment decisions clearly, particularly during moderation and inspection

In fact, inclusion is now being assessed explicitly within inspection frameworks, reinforcing the need for accurate, evidence-based assessment across all groups of pupils.

EYFS and Primary: Stronger emphasis on professional judgement

Across EYFS and Primary phases, the direction is consistent:

• Assessment must be grounded in professional judgement

• It must draw on multiple sources of evidence, not isolated data points

• It must be manageable, but also robust and defensible

This has the effect of creating a clear expectation for education settings: schools need systems that support (rather than automate) judgement.

Why have we improved the Summative Assessment screen?

In response to this national shift, and to align with the direction of travel, we have enhanced the summative assessment experience in Sonar Tracker to:

• Provide immediate access to meaningful assessment evidence

• Support professional judgement rather than replacing/automating it

• Strengthen the quality and defensibility of outcomes

All of the existing functionality is still in place, but what has changed is the clarity, flexibility, and depth of insight available to teachers at the point of assessment.

Moving beyond automatic ‘effective assessment’

One of the most significant changes is the removal of automatic carry-forward of previous assessments. This decision is grounded in what schools – and inspectors – now expect.

Automatic roll-forward can:

• Mask changes in pupil performance

• Reduce the need to review current evidence

• Make it harder to justify decisions during moderation

The updated approach guarantees that every termly judgement starts afresh, ensuring it reflects what pupils can demonstrate now.

At the same time, we also recognise the reality of workload in schools, which is why we have introduced flexible copy assessment.

Teachers can now:

• Selectively copy forward previous assessments when appropriate

• Maintain efficiency without compromising professional integrity

• Retain full control over when and how prior data is used

This approach aligns directly with current expectations: assessment must be intentional, but also manageable.

Triangulation: At the centre of strong assessment practice

Importantly, there is also now the ability to triangulate multiple sources of assessment evidence within a single view, reflecting exactly what current guidance and inspection practice require.
Teachers can now draw on:

• Formative assessment

• Termly targets

• Test scores

• Previous statutory assessments

This ensures that every summative judgement is both evidence-rich and evidence-led, all while maintaining balance and accuracy.

Why triangulation matters now more than ever

The move towards Individual Support Plans and evidence-based provision (as outlined in the new SEND reforms) requires schools to understand their pupils holistically and be able to evidence this.

Triangulated assessment provides a clear picture of need and progress and supports early identification and intervention. It also ensures that decisions are consistent and transparent and helps to strengthen internal moderation. With all relevant data visible in one place, schools can:

• Compare judgements across classes and year groups

• Ensure consistency in standards

• Build confidence in teacher assessment

Triangulation also supports external moderation and inspection. When inspectors or external moderators ask, “How do you know?”, triangulated data provides the answer. Thanks to this, schools can now:

• Clearly justify attainment decisions

• Demonstrate alignment between different data sources

• Show that assessment reflects true pupil performance

Practical improvements that make a difference

Alongside these strategic changes, the updated screen introduces tools that improve day-to-day usability:

• Sortable attainment columns allow educators to quickly identify trends and groups without additional reporting

• Flexible subject comparison enables users to select and correlate subject areas to explore patterns across the curriculum and support cross-subject correlations.

• Improved input experience means a faster, clearer, and more intuitive experience for teachers

These improvements are fully embedded across EYFS and Primary.

Conclusion

What we are seeing across the education landscape is a clear shift: assessment is no longer about recording outcomes – it is about demonstrating understanding.

Schools are being asked to know their pupils in depth, justify their decisions, and evidence progress clearly and confidently.

This update to Sonar Tracker reflects that reality. It ensures that assessment starts with professional judgement, is supported by connected evidence, and stands up to both internal and external scrutiny.

Sonar Tracker now provides educators with a framework that:

• Guarantees deliberate, evidence-led assessment

• Supports inclusion and SEND expectations

• Strengthens moderation and inspection readiness

• Improves efficiency without reducing rigour

It supports schools in doing what matters most: making accurate, informed decisions that reflect the true progress of every pupil.

As the national landscape continues to evolve, we will continue to ensure that Sonar Tracker evolves with it – giving schools the clarity, confidence, and control they need to ensure that all children can achieve and thrive.