The purpose of this research project is to find out the most ethical way to assess children in maths. It is currently felt that the children are potentially put through unnecessary assessment procedures. This does not always reflect the child’s true mathematical knowledge. It was discussed that there can be a discrepancy in what children show when working 1:1 and when in play. By this I mean that in play sometimes children can show a very good mathematical understanding that they do not show when working 1:1 with an adult or in a small group. Alternatively it can be difficult to know a child’s mathematical understanding when observing in play but when they are asked to complete a focus activity they demonstrate a good level of maths ability.