Children are under too much pressure from primary school tests, say 63% of parents of 7 to 14 year olds polled, with nearly half of them whose child has taken a primary SAT test (48%) saying their children were anxious about taking the exams.
As nearly one million children, some as young as six years old, prepare to sit the SATs test this week, new research by YouGov for More Than A Score, looked at the impact of SATs on the well-being of children and their education.
62% of parents of children aged 7 to 14 said primary school children go through too much testing: 40% are concerned enough to support changes to the SATs tests, with only 13% happy with the status quo.
The polling confirms what parents have been telling us for years: SATs are damaging and pointless. Now we see even six and seven-year-olds worrying about tests.
Surely learning is about more than getting a perfect score? Children need a broad and rich curriculum that encourages them to be excited about learning, not terrified of failing at such a young age.”
That’s why we are calling for the government to scrap SATs, and commission an independent and expert review to produce recommendations for primary school assessments that are fit for purpose.