FAQs

A PIVATS folder which includes everything you need to get started is £140 plus postage & packing (discounts may apply if you are buying in bulk - please telephone for more details). Subscriptions to our online website range between £100 - £400 per academic year dependant on location and size of school. Please view our order form for prices of other PIVATS products.

It is crucial that PIVATS, although a valuable assessment tool, is not used as a curriculum model. It is extremely inadvisable to use those performance indicators not achieved as the child’s next learning objectives or to work through them systematically until all are achieved. This would be entirely inappropriate and lead to a narrowing of the curriculum for pupils for whom PIVATS was being used in this way. The performance indicators are a good way of measuring performance and informing future learning through the many smaller steps that are required to take place to achieve the targets defined.

PIVATS covers Maths, English, Science, ICT and PSD.

PIVATS is an assessment tool developed by Lancashire County Council, it is not a statutory curriculum document.

P-Scales are government developed steps to improvement for an SEN child to follow that are manageable for even severely disabled children. P-Scales are used in PIVATS.

Once a PIVATS folder has been purchased PIVATS assessments can be carried out straight away. PIVATS assessments are based on teacher judgement, not written standards so it is important that the teacher knows the child, not only tests the child.

PIVATS is only for children outside of national expectations.

PIVATS has been designed to be an easy to use assessment tool (first time users are advised to run the whole course/folder when they begin assessing with PIVATS). There is also PIVATS training available, and the latest training sessions can be viewed on the training section of this website.

A user must have a computer with a working internet connection. The online service has been optimised to run on Internet Explorer version 7 or above and is best viewed with a screen resolution of 800 x 600 or higher. The PIVATS website is also fully functional within Google Chrome and Apple Safari. It is advisable that users have access to a colour printer or multi functional product.

To run the PIVATS CD-Rom included within the PIVATS Folder you must meet the following system requirements: Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP or Vista, with a Pentium-class or faster processor, 32MB of available Ram, 125MB free hard disc space, and a working internet connection. The contents of the CD-Rom can only be accessed when the CD is in the CD Drive. The CD is non-installable.

This could be due to one of three things:

1. You may not have registered for a data analysis account. You can apply for an account through the 'Order PIVATS' page of this website (subscription charge applies).

2. The username or password entered may be incorrect. For help with passwords please view the PIVATS website user guide or telephone the PIVATS helpline.

3. You are attempting to login to the Lancashire County Council website rather than the PIVATS data analysis website. For help in selecting the correct website please view the following guidance notes - login guidance notes.

Having gone through the steps above, if you are still struggling to login please email or telephone the PIVATS helpline.