Even without the added pressure of teaching in these uncertain times, teachers have very little time to deliver interesting, varied lessons, as they have to ‘teach to the test’, which means largely focusing on English and maths. Pupils and parents also feel the stress that comes with fear of the stigma of failure – children believe that SATs represent a judgement of their abilities. Worse, more than a third of children taking SATs in the last few years had to be told they had failed just as they were about to start secondary school.

What purpose do these tests serve, anyway? Absolutely none, other than to judge schools against each other. Children become data points and their education is sacrificed to a system obsessed with league tables. It may have been designed to measure schools’ progress, but it’s not working out that way. With such a narrow curriculum, SATs can’t paint a true picture of all that a school has to offer.

According to research from YouGov, the majority of parents disagree with the government’s policy of using SATs and other formal tests to judge primary schools.

• Only 16% believe it is fair to use SATs and other formal tests to measure a school.
• 81% feel that their children’s happiness is more important than formal test results.
• Only one in four consider SATs results when choosing a primary school – it ranks 8th in a list of factors, and league tables are ranked 10th.
• 73% think that standardised tests put too much pressure on their children.

Research by YouGov in July 2020 measured parents’ attitudes following the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic:

• 75% of parents believe taking SATs and other government tests in the new school year will add to their children’s stress.
• Only 8% think that preparing for government tests this coming year is important.
• SATs are a low concern for parents: only 1 in 10 are concerned about their children missing these and other formal tests this year.

And children feel the same way:

• Only 17% of those surveyed enjoy practising for tests.
• 40% of children are already worried about taking SATs in the coming school year.
• 68% like to work on lots of different subjects.
• 48% enjoy working on large group projects.
• 44% like to work one-to-one with their teacher.

This snapshot shows why More Than A Score is campaigning for the government to scrap SATs, along with all formal primary school tests, in the 2020/21 school year. In the interests of our children’s wellbeing, mental health, and their broader education, join our #DropSATs2021 campaign and demand that this over-testing regime is changed urgently.