Primary testing regime chaotic, say head teachers

BBC News | Hannah Richardson, Education Reporter | 29 April 2016

The testing regime for primary schools in England is in chaos and distracting to pupils, says the National Association of Head Teachers.

Heads gathering for the union’s annual conference in Birmingham are urging the government to work with them to set up a new assessment system for next year.

NAHT head Russell Hobby said primary tests no longer gave parents reliable information on children’s progress.

Tests allow teachers to spot when pupils need more help, say ministers.

The NAHT highlighted issues such as a lack of time to implement the new primary curriculum and its “inappropriate content”, a lack of clarity on standards and contradictory guidelines plus the late publication of materials.

‘High pressure’

It also highlighted the accidental publication of the content of the spelling, punctuation and grammar test and the cancellation of this year’s planned baseline test for pupils in Reception following unsuccessful trials.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Mr Hobby said: “Testing has a role to play in the assessment of children, but the poorly designed tests and last minute-changes we have seen this year do not add value to teaching.

“Increasingly, parents and teachers agree that high-stakes statutory tests like Sats can actually make it harder to find out what children are really learning and to improve their education.