Commenting on Key Stage 2 statistics published today, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"SATs place intense pressure on school communities. This pressure results in narrower curriculums and in teaching ‘to the test’. SATs prevent a rounded and engaging curriculum, and hinder learning.
"Designed for accountability, rather than to support good teaching and learning, SATs are not a useful or accurate way of assessing what children can do at the end of their primary education. Much work has been done already to develop alternatives to our current assessment system, including the Independent Commission on Assessment in Primary Education (ICAPE) which provides policymakers with a long-term, workable vision for a better assessment system.
"We need a new approach that prioritises children’s learning and provides meaningful information to school staff and to parents. The new government must seize the opportunity to bring our assessment system into the 21st century, working with the profession to utilise their expertise and experience. Together, we can improve primary assessment so that the way we evaluate schools doesn’t narrow the curriculum on offer. The current approach squeezes out many enjoyable and vital aspects of primary school life, such as reading whole books, art activities and learning outdoors."