Commenting on the release today of Key Stage 2 SATs
results, Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the
Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“Congratulations to schools, teachers and pupils on the work
which has gone into the continued improvement in results this
year following the introduction of harder tests in 2016 and a new
curriculum. They have done a remarkable job in achieving such
impressive results.
“We are, however, concerned about reports of children crying
and having nightmares about SATs. Schools do their best to
protect their pupils from stress and anxiety, but action is
clearly needed to reduce the pressure of the current
system.
“The problem is not the tests themselves but the fact that
they are used as the main way of judging primary schools and the
stakes are extremely high. In reality, four days of tests out of
seven years of schooling can never provide anything more than a
snapshot.
“ASCL is urging the Department for Education and Ofsted to
attach less weight to a single set of results and to treat these
tests as just one element of the story of a school. We have put
forward a series of proposals to lower the stakes and make the
system fairer on schools and better for children.”
ASCL published a report in March 2018 entitled ‘Sense and
Accountability: Holding our primary schools to account for what
matters most.’ See here for further
information.
