Lancashire County Council has developed the widely acclaimed assessment tool PIVATS (Performance Indicators for Valued Assessment and Targeted Learning) as part of its commitment to ensuring all young people receive an education of the highest quality, appropriate to their needs and irrespective of any special needs, disabilities, social or other contextual factors.

Although P Scales are now no longer used for statutory assessment, having been replaced by the Pre-Key Stage Standards and the Engagement Model, PIVATS remains a highly regarded, effective in-school assessment tool that is used throughout the world, and is available in two formats:

PIVATS 5 – assesses small steps of progress in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening and Maths from PIVATS P-Scale milestones 1-8, up to PIVATS milestone 4 (which is approximately in line with Year 4 age related expectations).

PIVATS PSED (Personal, Social and Emotional Development) – aims to narrow the gaps in social and emotional development that are present in some children, in order to help them to be ‘ready for leaning and life’. The PSED format is similar to PIVATS 5^th Edition but some of the milestones go up to PIVATS milestone 6 (the approximate equivalent of Y6) as this is used more widely in secondary schools.

In addition to providing the assessment structure, PIVATS 5 On-line Analysis enables schools to enter PIVATS assessments, track progress, set targets and generate pupil, group and school level reports.

Constantly seeking to add to our range of products we launched the PIVATS PSED Toolkit in March 2020 which provides a time saving, flexible resource to work alongside the PSED milestones. Containing a large number of information cards and editable resources, the Toolkit assists teachers, learning mentors and support staff to use assessment to enhance teaching and learning. 

Further developments are currently ongoing in the areas of number, early reading, speaking and listening and early writing.

For further information, including support videos, order forms and details of training opportunities, please visit the PIVATS website or indeed contact us via ADV.PIVATS@lancashire.gov.uk or  (01772) 531555.