ASCL comment on SATs results

Commenting on the release of Key Stage 2 SATs results today, Tiffnie Harris, Association of School and College Leaders’ primary specialist, said:

“Congratulations to the children who took these tests and the superb teachers and leaders who have worked so hard to support them following the disruption of the pandemic.

“The impact of the pandemic can still be seen in these results. While writing and maths results have improved since last year thanks to the great education recovery work of schools, they are still down compared to before the pandemic in 2019. Schools are straining every sinew to improve results and we appeal to the government to support them by urgently addressing the national crisis caused by teacher shortages and inadequate funding.

“It is extremely difficult to raise standards when schools are struggling to put a qualified teacher in front of every class. Primary education is very poorly funded to the point where small schools are sometimes close to being financially unsustainable. The government’s target of 90% of children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths is a pipe-dream in these circumstances.”