We can learn a lot about the unforeseen consequences of assessment and accountability from the discussion on Edutwitter about text types in the teaching of primary writing:

Every day I read someone questioning the emphasis that is placed on the key features of a diary ... 1/6

...entry or on how to write a newspaper headline, and they are right to do so. Often too much attention is paid to text (stereo)types at the expense of clarity of expression.

A sensible question then is, "Where does this misplaced emphasis come from?" 2/6

I strongly suspect that it comes from the old Y6 writing SAT. When it existed, there were a substantial number of pretty cheap marks to be had for making it apparent to the marker that you knew the typical features of a given text type. Every child was trained in how to... 3/6

...signal loud and clear that they were writing a newspaper or a diary or an advert.

Nearly a decade has passed since the end of the writing SAT, and we are still living with the consequences of its mark scheme. The apparent importance of signalling text type knowledge ... 4/6

...is still embedded in the primary profession, taking up valuable learning time.

In short, we shouldn't underestimate the extent to which external assessment and accountability decisions reverberate through the profession long after they have been removed. 5/6

(An addendum: for all its flaws, I think the writing SAT was probably less detrimental to learning than the current moderation process.) 6/6