This week I’m going to share how ThriveNow Secondary School and Education Hub is creating an inclusive model of assessment that empowers students to take agency over their learning, helping them become active, compassionate citizens.
Rethinking what assessment is for
Today’s high-pressure, one-size-fits-all exams fail to reflect the rich diversity in how young people learn, think, and grow. Instead of nurturing understanding, they reward speed and surface-level recall and both students and teachers are calling this out:
🎯 Only 40% of students feel exams let them show what they really know.
🎓 72% of teachers say current assessments don’t reflect the full range of student abilities.
(Source: Rethinking Assessment, 2021 & Edge Foundation/YouGov, 2021)
If assessment’s purpose is to support learning, it should never be about gatekeeping opportunity or sorting children by speed. And yet, that’s the daily reality for many young people, with lasting impacts on mental health, motivation, and future pathways.
At ThriveNow, we believe assessment should empower, not diminish. That’s why our Fourth Pillar is a bold step toward dynamic, inclusive, and meaningful ways of measuring learning.
ThriveNow's four-pillar approach to educational transformation
As a reminder, at ThriveNow, we're developing a comprehensive framework for educational reform based on four essential pillars:
An inclusive community – creating an equitable and diverse environment where every learner is supported.
Inquiry-led pedagogy – encouraging students to take ownership of their learning through curiosity-driven exploration.
A transdisciplinary curriculum – breaking down traditional subject silos to offer a connected and meaningful learning experience.
Multi-modal formative assessment – moving beyond exams to assess learning in a way that reflects real-world competencies.
This post focuses on our fourth pillar: Multi-modal formative assessment that prioritises life-long learning and ownership.
ThriveNow pillar 4: Multi-modal formative assessment
. By using what we KNOW about how children learn, we create opportunities for young people to demonstrate their understanding in a multitude of ways… As such we’re developing a model of assessment rooted in four key principles:
✨ Rigour with relevance – Grounded in the best of global education practice, our assessments are not “easier,” just smarter and more meaningful by placing ‘assessment practices’ in a broader context of how we can help to bridge learning and opportunities.
✨Relational expertise – Teachers and specialists support and guide the process with empathy and structure. Using their expertise, they develop rational rubrics WITH young people so they understand what it means to learn, grow and get better at things.
✨ Peer-to-peer engagement – Students are taught how to assess each other’s work, building communication, critical thinking, empathy and collaborative skills.
✨ Self-reflection and ownership – Learners evaluate their own progress, fostering metacognition, agency, and personal responsibility and develop the confidence to ask intelligent questions and understand who or were they need to go to find answers and deeper perspectives on complex issues.
Rather than assess just for knowledge retention, we assess for growth, iteration, and adaptability… the highly transferable skills young people need to navigate their futures.
More than a grade
Formative, multimodal assessment enables students to build portfolios that reflect not only academic outcomes but also creativity, collaboration, and compassion. At ThriveNow Secondary School and Education Hub, we will be offering core GCSEs (as this still remains the ‘gate-keeper’ of the next ‘phase’ of learning) alongside learner-designed portfolios that:
Recognise different ways of thinking, learning, and showing understanding.
Foster a growth mindset and intrinsic motivation.
Prepare students not just for exams but for life.
We’re proud to align closely with the incredible work of Rethinking Assessment, a research-driven collective building credible alternatives to the current exam regime. Like them, we believe the time for change isn’t in the future… it’s now.
Our vision is simple but urgent:
Assessment should not be a barrier. It should be a bridge.
We need your help to make this a reality
If you’re an educator, parent, student, policymaker or just someone who believes that all young people deserve to thrive we invite you to join us. We really do need your help to make this a reality.
We’re sharing our model openly, with a roadmap for others to implement inclusive assessment in their communities.
How you can help
This only works if we build it together.
If this resonates with you - if you believe young people deserve more than grades and pressure, then please consider supporting us.
Here’s how:
➡️ Donate!
If just 1,000 of us gave £20, we’d be off to a fighting start.
If 10 patrons gave between £2.5k–£10k, we’d be flying.
➡️ Share this campaign with someone who cares about education.
Every donation matters large or small. This isn’t just a financial contribution.
It’s a vote for a more human, inclusive, relevant education system.
With hope, gratitude and determination,
Kimberley & the ThriveNow team 🌱
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