As the the Year 6 test results start to return to school the chief executive of the GTC, Keith Bartley, who is in charge of setting
teaching standards, said he was optimistic that the Government will have
started to phase out the tests by the end of the year.
There was “not a lot of
difference”, he said, between his authority and ministers over the future
of the tests. The GTC controversially
called for the tests to be scrapped and replaced by teacher assessments in
evidence to the Commons Select Committee on Education, which is conducting an
inquiry into testing.
Ministers have
already relaxed the regime for seven-year-olds – allowing them to be assessed
instead. A pilot scheme this autumn will introduce similar measures for
14-year-olds. However, a sticking point
may emerge over the tests for 11-year-olds, which ministers argue are essential
for monitoring the performance of primary schools. The GTC conducted a survey of parental
opinion which indicated that the majority were unhappy about the amount of
testing.
