Last updated: 15 Apr 2009

The P Scales

The P scales are differentiated performance criteria.  They outline attainment for pupils working below level 1 of the national curriculum and describe some of the important skills, knowledge and understanding that pupils may gain from the programmes of study and the national curriculum.    

There are P scales for each subject in the national curriculum and for religious education.  The P scales use eight performance levels to illustrate the learning that leads to national curriculum level 1.  

• Levels P1 to P3 show the earliest levels of general attainment with subject-focused examples.
• Levels P4 to P8 show subject-related attainment.

The P scales, like the programmes of study they relate to, should be used with pupils from 5 to 16 years of age.  They are relevant to pupils with learning difficulties, whose attainments may not register on the national curriculum level descriptions.  

Materials available from QCA

 

Planning, teaching and assessing the curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties
This set of 15 booklets gives valuable guidance for all staff working with pupils with learning difficulties.  There is a booklet for every national curriculum subject and RE as well as general guidance and a booklet on developing skills.  These materials were updated in 2009 to take account of the revised secondary curriculum and the latest thinking about curriculum and assessment.  This publication is available free of charge from the QCA orderline or is downloadable by subject as a PDF from the 'related documents' on the right hand side.

Supporting school improvement: emotional and behavioural development
Guidance on setting improvement targets for pupils.  This publication is available from the QCA orderline or is downloadable as a PDF from this page.