A northern beaches school is scrapping sit down tests in favour of one-on-one interview style assessments.

Farmhouse Montessori primary school in Manly has been allowed to abandon conventional exams.

They’ve been trialling the new assessment program on Year 2 and Year 3 students throughout the first half of the year.

It will assess communication skills, body language and academic efforts of students.

School principal Gavin McCormack tells Ben Fordham it’s an “alternative method”.

“It’s all about empowering the child and really allowing the children to hold the teachers accountable for really, ‘What are we supposed to be learning?'”

He says parents have said the move is “fantastic”.

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview