Parents of every child in primary school class boycott sats tests - Tutor Hunt Blog

Parents of every child in primary school class boycott sats tests Parents of every child in primary school class boycott sats tests Parents of every child in primary school class boycott sats testsPrimary schoolsThe parents of Year 2 pupils at Bealings primary school have staged a protest over the Sats tests their children are obliged to sit. Such is the strength of feeling against the obligatory testing that a family representative of each and every pupil in the class have signed up, committed to preventing their children sitting the examination. The feeling amongst parents is that year two pupils are too young to be put through the worry of what is an important and potentially stressful examination. Heather Chandler, one of the parents standing up against the school`s policy, is convinced that six or seven years of age is `far too early` to be testing children. `At that age they should be out playing and investigating the world around them, not being taught to do a test,` Ms Chandler continued. `It adds extra pressure they don`t really need and takes a lot of teachers` time away from what they should be doing.` Though the school declined to comment on the matter, it seems the parents may have some support from the Governors, with the Chairman Rick Gillingham commenting `over-testing is certainly something we wouldn`t go along with,` and going on to say that they would not be opposing the parents` actions. According to the education authority Sats stands for `Standards and Testing Agency tests,` but the acronym officially stands for Statutory Assessment Tests. They began shortly after the National Curriculum was rolled out back in 1989 - the first Sats being gradually introduced between 1991 and 1995. They are designed to assess a child`s progress, focusing on English, mathematics, and reasoning skills. Children take Sats at the end of key stage one - around the age of 7, and then once more at the age of 11. The results of the two tests can be compared, with the school being able to tell if a child has fallen short of their expected grade. Schools themselves are also be judged on the results - if less than 65% of their pupils fail to meet the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics they can find themselves facing special intervention orders by their local education authority. The SATs for 7 year olds are actually due to be scrapped by 2023. They will be replaced by a baseline assessment of children`s abilities, to be taken at the start of their schooling in their reception year. This will permit their progress to be followed throughout their schooling. New testing in year six will mean schools don`t have to submit the results of their pupils` English and mathematics at age 11. Ms Greening has praised this proposal, saying it will `free up teachers to educate and inspire young children, while holding schools to account in a proportionate and effective way,` The action by the parents may seem overly authoritarian - they are interfering with their own children`s education by preventing their school from carrying out their assessments. This would be one way to look at things - another might be that during their early years at school children should not be placed under too much pressure. They should be developing social skills, spending time with their friends, learning through play. This is not to say that primary school classrooms should be hosting non stop parties! but there should be a balance - if we make our children`s early years of school too stultifying and academic, too pressurised with exams and assessments, we may be taking something special and pure from their childhoods. Getting that balance right, the balance between work and play, is a difficult challenge - but it is a challenge even adults face. A recent report published the directorate-general Eurostat, the United Kingdom has the longest working week (41.2 hours) out of all the countries in Europe. The issue of Sats is certainly a topical one, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announcing only last month that he would scrap the assessments if he came to power, with the aim to improve teacher recruitment and retention. 9 months ago0Add a Comment