NEU comments on SATs results

Commenting on today’s Key Stage 2 Sats results, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:  

“These results confirm the point made by teachers and researchers: primary schools are still deeply affected by the pandemic and SATs worsen this already difficult situation.

‘Funding is inadequate. Class sizes are growing. The jobs of support staff have been cut. The National Tutoring Programme has not enabled a rise in the overall profile of results. There is no substantial programme to support educational recovery.

‘Rather than addressing these issues, Government continues to incompetently administer high stakes tests which impose further pressure on schools. We do not need to test every child to identify whether an attainment gap is widening or closing. We do not need high stakes summative tests to establish how best to support individual pupils. SATs have long outlived their day; much work has been done to develop alternatives – but the government chooses to ignore them.

‘Our primary assessment system needs to move on and the funding crisis to be addressed. It is time for government to offer real solutions, advised by educators - not create more problems for children and schools.”