Starting School BPVS
Starting School was a research project that engaged Bradford primary schools and which ran for two consecutive academic years (2012-13 and 2013-14). The project aimed to assess all children in their first (reception) year of schooling who were in schools where there were at least 10 Born in Bradford children enrolled. Ninety-four out of the 142 primary schools in Bradford were contacted in the recruitment phase. The British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVS) is a one-to-one test that assesses a child’s receptive vocabulary. For each question, the assessor says a word and the child responds by selecting a picture from four options that best illustrates the word’s meaning. As no reading is required, BPVS can be used to assess language development in non-readers and especially pupils with expressive language impairments. Because no spoken response is required, the assessment may be administered to pupils with autism and other related communication difficulties or those with English as an Additional Language (EAL). To help with administration to pupils who may be colour blind the illustrations have black outlines and the colours are vivid.