NEU comments on primary school performance tables

Commenting on today’s publication of primary school performance tables, Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:

“The test scores reported by the Department for Education tell us little about the overall quality of children’s education, yet they continue to dominate many aspects of school life.  They come at a cost.  In the pursuit of high SATs scores, teachers’ workload is intensified and children’s well-being is damaged. Teaching to the test, as even Ofsted now recognises, works against the development of a broad curriculum and rich opportunities for learning. The primary assessment system based on SATs has run its course: we need a replacement.”