- 82% of school leaders believe SATs disproportionately impact pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds
- 92% believe SATs should be scrapped or reformed
- Headteachers from across the country will meet MPs and ask them to try SATs questions for themselves
As year 6 pupils await their delayed SATs results, today (Tuesday 7 July) a group of headteachers and parents from across the country will meet MPs and peers in Westminster to demand “Where is the equity?” in the current primary exam system.
New research from YouGov for IPPR has revealed that 82% of school leaders surveyed believe SATs disproportionately impact disadvantaged students and 93% of respondents believe the SATs system does not support disadvantaged pupils well.
Over nine in ten (92%) school leaders surveyed believe that SATs should be scrapped or reformed in some way. Their dissatisfaction with the current system includes narrowing of the curriculum, stress for teachers and pupils and reduced time for enrichment activities. One headteacher quoted in the IPPR report comments, “I think we’ve forgotten what the word ‘primary’ means. Primary is what comes first. What comes first is a love of learning and fundamental skills. SATs cuts right across all of that.”
The government’s disadvantage gap index has remained stable for the past 15 years. In 2024/25, only 47% of disadvantaged children met the expected standard, compared to 69% of other pupils. Over two-thirds of school leaders surveyed say that schools do not have the support and resource they need to ensure SATs are experienced fairly and equally by all pupils. Nevertheless, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has committed to retaining primary assessment in its current form in a bid to close the attainment gap.
At today’s event, MPs will have the chance to try SATs questions for themselves and hear directly from headteachers working in disadvantaged areas and with SEND pupils.
Brighton headteacher, Emma Gale, comments, “Along with parents, we do all we can to make the SATs process as stress-free as possible. But the one-size-fits-all system is working against us, and especially against children from disadvantaged backgrounds. When 10- and 11-year-olds are made to sit high-pressure exams and schools are judged on the results, the negative consequences are inevitable.
“Of course, schools should be accountable and of course parents want to know that their children are where they should be academically. We want to give children the most rounded and inspiring education in primary. We are calling for a fairer, more accurate way to assess children and measure school performance.”
More Than A Score points out that school leaders, along with parents and teachers, have been calling for reform for many years. Alison Ali, spokesperson for the campaign comments, “The government claims to want to provide a ‘rich, broad and inclusive education for all children’ but these exams narrow the curriculum, cause anxiety and stress, and are particularly harmful to children from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with SEND.
“It’s time for the government to listen to heads, parents, teachers and pupils who understand that SATs don’t work. It’s time for forward-looking, fairer assessments which support all children, regardless of their circumstances, promote a love of learning and effectively measure school performance.”