Pupil profiling system cancelled

Teachers will revert to the traditional annual report

Plans to introduce a system of pupil profiling in Northern Ireland schools have been cancelled by the Department of Education.

Pupil profiling was first suggested seven years ago.

It was meant to track a child's performance at school and include computer-based tests of reading, writing and numeracy.

However, the department is now telling teachers to go back to traditional annual reports.

Details of a new system will be revealed later.

Information

Parents and teachers will have three months to give their opinion on the new plan.

Pupil profiling was intended to provide information on children which would help parents decide what type of school their children should attend

Attempts were made to produce a version which informed parents and was easy for teachers to use.

However, the latest report on the pilot scheme has criticised both the computer technology and the lack of information in the reports.

Parents described them as "bland, impersonal, vague and too politically correct."

The department now intends to rename the profiles Annual School Reports.

Teachers will be told they should list whatever level a child has reached and, if they wish, include the class test results.

The department said the reports would not be used for academic selection.