Assessment for Learning (AfL) has influenced the assessment policy of many countries around the world because a range of research studies have shown the effectiveness of AfL on student learning. In the English context, although significant AfL developments have taken place in schools, its implementation seems not to have produced significant and substantial learning gains. This article discusses the potential for AfL to substantially promote student learning in schools across England. To achieve this, it identifies what AfL is, in terms of the literature, examining the existing research regarding the effects of AfL strategies and practices on student learning and the questions that these findings raise. Moreover, it discusses the problems of implementing AfL in classroom practice. Finally, this article aims to provide some recommendations to policy makers about how to embed AfL in mainstream English schools.