Primary schools in England should not be inflicting stress on
seven-year-olds by treating national tests like exams, the children’s secretary
has said. Ed Balls said SATs days should be like any other and that pupils should not
be aware that they were being tested.
In May, a Commons committee said inappropriate testing of children at seven,
11 and 14 could be damaging. It is feared that drilling children for tests – with results in school
“league tables” – narrows their education. Mr Balls told the New Statesman magazine:
“The best head teachers will ensure
that no six or seven-year-old knows they are doing Sats. I promise you that is
the case. If you are telling pupils in Year 2 that they are doing Sats next week then
that’s the wrong thing to do. You should not be stressing the children.”
He said the tests did not need to be done in a “sit-down” environment, but
could be carried out as part of the school day.
Why not just remove them all together?
Have you had your SATs back. I know a number of schools that still haven’t! I advise you to check your stock room though – they are returned this year in a plain brown box that looks like every other box that comes into school on a daily basis!
