Teachers warn that high-stakes tests will worsen student engagement and fail to broaden curriculum – NEU survey
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A new online survey of members of the National Education Union
reveals fears that the government's commitment to keep in place all
current primary tests, as well as adding a statutory reading test
in Year 8, will narrow the curriculum and worsen student
wellbeing. The snapshot survey of 1,136 teachers in
primary and secondary settings was conducted on 10 November, just
days after the publication of Building a world-class curriculum for
all, the final report of...Request free
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A new online survey of members of the National Education Union reveals fears that the government's commitment to keep in place all current primary tests, as well as adding a statutory reading test in Year 8, will narrow the curriculum and worsen student wellbeing. The snapshot survey of 1,136 teachers in primary and secondary settings was conducted on 10 November, just days after the publication of Building a world-class curriculum for all, the final report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR). The Department for Education (DfE) has broadly accepted its recommendations. The NEU member survey found:
The results cast doubt over whether the government's focus on testing, which goes further than the Review's recommendations, is compatible with the asserted aim of a “broad and balanced curriculum.” It is clear to the profession that the primary assessment system is damaging and counterproductive for learning, and that a new test in Year 8 will undermine any efforts to broaden the secondary curriculum. Primary Schools NEU teacher members were asked about the government decision to retain all statutory assessments in primary schools. Members who work in this phase answered a series of questions.
Respondents see little to no prospect of the curriculum benefiting from the decision to retain all tests. One told us, “I have seen how detrimental formal assessments can be for some pupils. I have also seen the pressure SATs put on hard working, highly skilled educators. Consequently, the pressure of SATs outcomes has narrowed the curriculum, due to the pressure of assessment outcomes. This is especially prevalent in schools within socio-economic deprived areas and impacts on some of the most vulnerable pupils!” This comment was well supported by the findings of the next question:
This was particularly acute for respondents who work in schools in areas with the highest levels of deprivation, where 83 per cent felt that wellbeing and engagement would worsen. One despaired that “an opportunity to make the curriculum less onerous on children and more engaging is [being] squandered.” For the next question, primary school members were reminded that the government has now committed to keeping SATs in place. In the form of a multiple-choice question, they were asked
Startlingly few respondents (0.4 per cent) held the opinion that SATs in primary schools improve wellbeing and engagement. One respondent spoke of their disappointment that the DfE was “continuing to invest in high-stakes testing when we know how inaccurate it is and when we're dealing with unprecedented levels of mental health difficulties in children.” Another added: “There are better ways to assess the children, across a breadth of the curriculum without impacting other subjects or their emotional wellbeing in the process.” Secondary Schools The Curriculum and Assessment review recommended non-statutory diagnostic assessment of English and Maths skills in Year 8. However, the government went further than the recommendations of the CAR's final report by opting to make the reading test statutory. As part of our snapshot survey, members working in secondary schools were asked about the government's decision to introduce a reading assessment for Year 8 students.
One respondent told us that, in their view, “Introducing reading assessments at Year 8 will be incredibly damaging. Teachers continually assess progress and already know where the gaps are." Another warned that “Teaching to a Year 8 test will sap any joy out of reading for children who are at the age where that becomes a problem.” Generations of teachers are familiar with the role statutory assessments play in school life; that they exist not to support attainment or progress, but to support accountability. One told us that the government's priorities were in the wrong place: “Reading is already being stifled because of the limited texts offered at GCSE - we need to expand the curriculum offer to be more inclusive and reflective of our students.” Secondary members were then asked about the government's intention to decrease exam time by 2.5 to 3 hours, while still being reliant solely on exam-only assessment.
Once more, this reflected significant concern that the government was failing to meet the challenge of ensuring that students' abilities are accurately captured. Several told us, “Bring back coursework for core subjects.” One added, “Terminal exams are hopelessly ineffective ways to measure actual skill and attainment.” Another bemoaned that government reforms were “all about outcomes, as usual, rather than the whole child!” Commenting on the findings of the survey, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Broadening the curriculum matters. A top-down ‘exam factory' culture and a stifling curriculum have, up to now, resulted in high rates of mental ill-health among young people, the choice of subjects at secondary being reduced, and a level of disengagement that can lead to classroom disruption and truancy. “The Curriculum and Assessment Review was an opportunity to address the elephant in the room. Scrapping the EBacc, improving representation across the curriculum, and addressing over-crammed curriculum content are all positive steps towards that goal. “Sadly, the panel's work was undermined by a government intent on sticking with the tried and over-tested. In March it pre-empted the Review's conclusions by indicating it would keep all statutory primary assessments. In putting its thumb on the scale, the government blew the opportunity to re-set education and eradicate the mistakes and tick-box obsessions of past governments. "There is still time to change approach. Government must stop, look and listen. If they are serious about young people and unleashing opportunity, then that starts with the curriculum. It is clear that the current strategy of yet more assessment will do nothing to broaden the curriculum. This is the very opposite of what parents and the profession want to see.” ENDS Editor's Note The online survey of National Education Union members was conducted on Monday 10 November 2025. The sample comprised 517 primary school teachers and 619 secondary school teachers. Responses were reweighted in line with national figures from the School Workforce Census to control for gender, region, phase, age and level of deprivation in schools as measured by the IDACI index. The most recent statistical release is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2025/english-indices-of-deprivation-2025-statistical-release CAR: Building a world-class curriculum for all final report, 5 November 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-final-report “Reading holds the key”, from Guardian, 26 September 2025: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/sep/26/year-8-state-school-pupils-in-england-could-face-mandatory-reading-tests |