Liverpool Union Backing Calls To Cancel Year 6 SATS
A teaching union in Liverpool is backing calls to cancel exams for pupils the year before they end primary school.
A teaching union in Liverpool is backing calls to cancel exams for pupils the year before they end primary school.
Around 28'000 people have signed a petition arguing that SATS for children in Year Six should be brought to an end this May. Currently pupils aged 10 & 11 take the test ahead of the move to Secondary school.
The peition reads "The expected standard that children in Year 6 have to achieve has been pushed up so high it is out of reach for most children. Schools have only been given three months notice of what this expected standard is. According to our govt, all children who do not meet these standards will be failures"
"The expected standard that all 10 and 11 year olds have to achieve is now wildly out of reach for most children with many topics being brought down from the secondary curriculum. The tests will be pass/fail with the goalposts potentially changing again next year"
Peter Glover is on the National Executive of the NUT and is based in Liverpool.
He said: "We're firmly against this high stakes testing regime thats plagued schools for years. It creates a climate of fear, especially for kids who aren't high achievers."
"People are essentially teaching to a test. if you don't do well at the test, but you're better at other things, that doesn't matter."
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:
"Throughout this important reform process we have worked closely with teachers and headteachers and continue to listen to the concerns of the profession as the details of the new arrangements are finalised. We are working constructively with the teaching profession and their representatives to find solutions to some of the remaining issues. The NAHT’s readiness to work with us, rather than use the media to scaremonger, has meant that we have been able to have a sensible discussion.
"As a result we have made changes, which I hope will allay teachers’ concerns about workload and disruption, allowing us to continue working towards the goal we all want to achieve - the best possible education for all our children."