Shirley Clarke

Shirley Clarke is a UK-based expert in formative assessment and an international education consultant known for her practical work on classroom assessment and feedback. A former primary teacher and advisory/mathematics consultant in the Inner London Education Authority, she later spent around ten years as a lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Education, University of London, directing national research projects on curriculum and assessment. She has been recognized with an honorary doctorate (Hon.Doc), awarded in 2007, for her contribution to education.

Clarke has authored a series of influential books on formative assessment and feedback, including Targeting Assessment in the Primary Classroom, Unlocking Formative Assessment, Enriching Feedback in the Primary Classroom, Active Learning Through Formative Assessment, and Outstanding Formative Assessment: Culture and Practice. More recent works include Visible Learning: Feedback (with John Hattie), Thinking Classrooms (with Katherine Muncaster), Unlocking Learning Intentions, and A Little Guide for Teachers: Formative Assessment. Her ongoing work with teachers, action‑research teams, and videostreamed classroom clips focuses on formative assessment, learning intentions, and feedback, aiming to help children become confident, self‑regulated learners.