Introduction
& Welcome
In 2009 I became the founding Director of CTC (Create The Change) Training & Consultancy. We quickly became respected experts in delivering high-impact, successful intervention programmes for GCSE & A-Level students.
As time went on, I realised two things: one was that students didn’t understand the exams as much as they should have done and secondly that a lot of assessment data used in schools was not of the quality it needed to be in order to make important teaching and learning decisions.
To address these problems, I created The Assessment Box service in 2015. The aim of the service is to provide high-quality assessment data to support quality decision-making, enabling learners to build positively for the examination experience.
The Three Aims of The Assessment Box are to:
- Provide High-quality assessment data
- Enable learners to prepare for the examination experience
- Support Schools & Academies, Parents, Carers & Learners
Provide high-quality assessment data
Through my work in schools I had encountered many situations where unreliable data was being used to make important decisions. Poor data leads to poor decisions and ultimately, poor outcomes. We aim to for great data that is valid and reliable, helping you to make great decisions. These decisions might be at whole-school level or more importantly, at a classroom level improving the quality of discussion between teacher and learner. High-quality data informs teaching and learning decisions and drives learner progress.
Enable learners to prepare for the examination experience
We have all met those learners who have the ability but just do not have the technique required for the examination. We have all met those learners who aren’t familiar enough with the paper or with what is being assessed and how important a particular question is in terms of marks and what timing should be allocated.
The examination is not just about skills and knowledge, it’s about technique and readiness. Many of our services aim to build learner readiness and resilience in an atmosphere that is positive about mental well-being and mental health. Guidance on this important issue can be found on our website and in the videos on the Audio & Video Service Website. This allows every learner to reach their full potential.
Support Schools & Academies, Parents, Carers & Learners
We have developed an innovative suite of services that support a range of stakeholders. Schools and teachers are under enormous pressure to meet the needs of an increasingly demanding examination system. Our services supports a reduction in teacher workload whilst providing the data they need to drive progress in teaching and learning.
The Assessment Box is here to support you with the challenges you face on the journey to success. We share your ambition to do well and that is why we like to think of our services as an engine of learner progress.
Steve Newlands
Managing Director, The Assessment Box
steve.newlands@theassessmentbox.co.uk
Let's work togetherA team to drive
Learner Progress
DirectorSteve Newlands
Steve is an experienced teacher, Senior Examiner, trainer & consultant. He has vast experience of working with teachers and students as a teacher, as an LEA Adviser and more recently as an Improvement Director for several large, nationwide Academy Chains. He is the co-author of the West African Literature Study Guides series, funded by The Ford Foundation.
Director of Policy & StrategyYvonne Blake
Yvonne has been a teacher of English at both GCSE and ‘A’ Level for over 40 years, including time as a Head of English working in England & in International Schools. She has been a Senior Examiner for GCSE English Language & Literature for over 20 years. For many years Yvonne was the Assistant Principal Examiner for GCSE English Literature for a major examination board in the UK.
Director of Sales & CommissioningAndrew Benjamin
Andrew has worked in the education and the corporate sector, with over ten years’ experience in the leisure and services industry. His key focus was to provide excellent service to his clients and look after them ensuring that the service and products they had requested were delivered to them at the highest possible standards; he won national awards for his service in previous roles.
Director of Resources & FinanceFiona Jeffreys
Fiona enjoyed a career of 37 years in the Civil Service working with the public and helping engage and support many hard-to-reach groups. After this she went on to work in the field of Further Education, supporting and helping many of those who have faced significant barriers to accessing education.
Director of the Advisory BoardDr. Peter Buckroyd
Dr. Buckyord is one of the country’s leading assessment experts in the field of Secondary English. Having been an examiner for nearly forty years, including Chief Examiner at A-level English/ Literature for over 20 years and Chief Examiner for GCSE English for 26 years, he has unparalleled experience.
The Assessment Box
Core Values
Endorsed by
Leaders in Education
We have used The Assessment Box for marking and moderation. The service was of a high-quality and the examiner report was extremely useful for pushing forward with progress.I recommend their excellent services.
Moira Green
The examiners’ reports inform our teachers’ planning and practice. The Assessment Box team are professional, efficient and provide a tailor-made solution to both our MAT and individual schools.
Hamid Patel OBE
Lordswood Girls’ School used The Assessment Box to supplement examination preparation in English & Maths. We were very pleased with the flexible assessment programmes that they were able to offer.
Jane Gotschel
The Assessment Box came highly recommended by a number of schools and certainly lived up to their reputation, providing an entirely bespoke package for the school. I fully recommend their services.
Jane Chan
We used The Assessment Box for our GCSE English Literature students this year. We were extremely pleased with the turnaround, excellent feedback and the insightful Assessment Report from the examiner.
Raymond Gallagher
The papers were collected when promised; marks and reports were sent in less than a week! I was delighted with the way the marks were presented and the detailed report which I was able to share with my pupils.
Colette Fryer
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