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National Sats tests for seven-year-olds set to be scrapped Sats tests for seven-year-olds in England set to be scrapped
(35 minutes later)
National curriculum tests taken by seven-year-olds in England are set to be axed under government proposals. National curriculum tests for seven-year-olds in England are set to be axed and replaced with teacher assessment of four and five-year-olds.
Instead, there will be a teacher assessment of four and five-year-olds when they start infant school. The government proposals to do away with Sats and replace them with new assessments at the earlier age is aimed at helping to “reduce the burden” of assessments on teachers and pupils, the Department for Education said.
The move will help reduce the burden of assessment on teachers and pupils, the Department for Education (DfE) said. Launching a public consultation on primary assessment, the education secretary, Justine Greening, said: “The government has reformed the primary school system to make sure children can master the basics of literacy and numeracy so they get the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in later life.
One union leader said the possibility of ending Key Stage 1 testing was good news and would give schools more time to focus on teaching, rather than “high-stakes assessment”. “Now we want to build on that by developing a stable assessment system that helps children learn, freeing up teachers to do what they do best: supporting children to fulfil their potential.”
The education secretary, Justine Greening, said: “The government has reformed the primary school system to make sure children can master the basics of literacy and numeracy so they get the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in later life. Sats in reading, writing, maths and science are taken by more than half a million children every year. Under the proposals, they will no longer be statutory.
“Now we want to build on that by developing a stable assessment system that helps children learn, while freeing up teachers to do what they do best - supporting children to fulfil their potential.” The proposed new baseline assessments will take place at some point during a child’s reception year, and pupils should not know they are being tested, the DfE has proposed.
Under the plans, the tests - known as Sats - in reading, writing, maths and science, which are taken by more than half a million youngsters each year, will no longer be statutory. The results of the earlier assessment would then be used as a marker of a child’s ability at the start of their schooling, and used to measure progress throughout their primary school years. Schools would then be held to account for progress, or the lack of it, made by the end of primary school.
The proposed new baseline assessment will take place at some point during a child’s reception year, but pupils should not know they are being tested, the DfE said. Sats for seven-year-olds will go ahead this year, with some improvements, including changes to the type and difficulty of questions. The proposals also include making improvements to the early years foundation stage, which records young children’s progress to the age of five.
The results will be used as a marker of children’s abilities at the start of their schooling and be used to measure the progress youngsters have made by age 11, at the end of primary school. Teaching unions welcomed the consultation. Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “The possibility of ending Key Stage 1 Sats is good news. This creates the time and space in a pupil’s primary years for teachers to focus on teaching rather than on high-stakes assessment.
It means schools will be held to account for the progress children make throughout their primary school career. “It will properly reward early intervention and it will reduce workload. Overall, minimising the number of high-stakes tests is the right way to go. This will help every school to deliver a rich educational experience for all children.”
Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said: “The possibility of ending Key Stage 1 Sats is good news. Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said Greening had been listening “but only partially” and there were reservations about the earlier assessments.
“This creates the time and space in a pupil’s primary years for teachers to focus on teaching rather than on high-stakes assessment.” “The consultation floats the idea that statutory assessment at KS1 will be set aside, but not until the early 2020s. This would be a welcome concession to the thousands of teachers who have protested against the effects of a test-driven curriculum on six and seven year olds,” he said.
Teaching unions have long called for an overhaul of primary school testing, arguing that children are assessed too often, and that testing puts too much pressure on youngsters at an early age.
Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “Ms Greening has been listening - but only partially.
“The consultation floats the idea that statutory assessment at KS1 will be set aside, but not until the early 2020s.
“This would be a welcome concession to the thousands of teachers who have protested against the effects of a test-driven curriculum on six and seven-year-olds.”
The government is consulting on the proposals, which also includes making improvements to the early years foundation stage - which records young children’s progress up to age five.
Sats tests for seven-year-olds will go ahead this year, with some improvements, including changes to the type and difficulty of questions at the start of the tests, to ensure children are not discouraged by tough questions early on.