National Improvement Framework and teacher identity: a (re)turn to performativity in Scotland?

To inform policy aimed at reducing the attainment gap between the most and least advantaged children, the Scottish Government reintroduced standardised national tests in 2017 as a core element of the National Improvement Framework (NIF). While standardised assessment can provide valuable information to enable policy formation, when used within a performative culture for accountability and control purposes it can alter the meaning and purposes of education and teaching. This article explores performativity within the context of English schools in order to draw parallels with the Scottish context and forecast a potential future for Scotland's schools with particular attention to the impact of performativity on teacher identity.