Control and monitoring method for a valve

An assembly and associated method of monitoring the functionality of electromagnetic flexure valves, the valve having a flexure assembly 40 with a part moveable between a pair of pole pieces 50a, 50b and a coil that receives a voltage to drive the moveable part 40a, or armature. Strain gauges 80 and/or field effect transistors (FET) are provided on the armature, and provide outputs to a monitoring device to indicate whether the armature is stuck. Monitoring may include detecting the armature has moved, and flexure assembly is stationary. The voltage is provided according to a predetermined profile of the coil, with two separate increases in the current. Indications that the armature is stuck may include: an absence of an expected disturbance in the current rate of change through the coil compared to an expected current, a smaller than expected variance in the strain gauge output, or a substantially continuous modulation pattern of the actual FET output compared to an expected output. Movement of the armature may be detected through a disturbance in the pulse width of the modulation pattern of the FET. The assembly may be part of a vehicle braking system. The FET may be a MOSFET.