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| Pupil tests 'should be replaced' | Pupil tests 'should be replaced' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Tests for primary school pupils and 14-year-olds in England should be replaced with teacher assessments, a think tank says. | Tests for primary school pupils and 14-year-olds in England should be replaced with teacher assessments, a think tank says. |
| The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said "too many" pupils left primary school unable to read and write and do mathematics well. | The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said "too many" pupils left primary school unable to read and write and do mathematics well. |
| It said regular teacher assessments of pupils' work should replace the testing of pupils aged 11 and 14. | It said regular teacher assessments of pupils' work should replace the testing of pupils aged 11 and 14. |
| The report was endorsed by the General Teaching Council for England (GTC). | The report was endorsed by the General Teaching Council for England (GTC). |
| The IPPR report criticised what it called the negative effects of the current testing regime, which included narrow learning, shallow learning, question spotting and risk-averse teaching. | The IPPR report criticised what it called the negative effects of the current testing regime, which included narrow learning, shallow learning, question spotting and risk-averse teaching. |
| It said the testing system encouraged "teaching to the test" rather than providing skills for secondary school. | It said the testing system encouraged "teaching to the test" rather than providing skills for secondary school. |
| The report suggested pupils should be assessed throughout each key stage by teachers - as they are at age seven in England and in primary schools in Wales. | The report suggested pupils should be assessed throughout each key stage by teachers - as they are at age seven in England and in primary schools in Wales. |
| Respecting teachers | Respecting teachers |
| IPPR associate director Richard Brooks said parents should get information about how their child is doing from teacher assessment, while sample tests scores of schools would give parents and the authorities an idea of how schools were performing. | IPPR associate director Richard Brooks said parents should get information about how their child is doing from teacher assessment, while sample tests scores of schools would give parents and the authorities an idea of how schools were performing. |
| The GTC wants to see a reduction in the overload of testing General Teaching Council for England | The GTC wants to see a reduction in the overload of testing General Teaching Council for England |
| "We should have a system where it is simply not possible to teach to the test," said Mr Brooks. | "We should have a system where it is simply not possible to teach to the test," said Mr Brooks. |
| Tests were making it "very difficult" to deliver the kind of teaching that was "sensitive to individual pupils", he added. | Tests were making it "very difficult" to deliver the kind of teaching that was "sensitive to individual pupils", he added. |
| In a statement, the General Teaching Council for England said: "We welcome the IPPR's report on assessment - it supports our view that the current regime encourages "teaching to the test" and that tests are being used for too many conflicting purposes. | In a statement, the General Teaching Council for England said: "We welcome the IPPR's report on assessment - it supports our view that the current regime encourages "teaching to the test" and that tests are being used for too many conflicting purposes. |
| "The GTC wants to see a reduction in the overload of testing and is proposing that samples of children are tested at the end of every key stage, to monitor national standards over time. | "The GTC wants to see a reduction in the overload of testing and is proposing that samples of children are tested at the end of every key stage, to monitor national standards over time. |
| "We also back the IPPR's call for more trust to be placed in the professional judgement of teachers to use assessment to support pupil learning more effectively." | "We also back the IPPR's call for more trust to be placed in the professional judgement of teachers to use assessment to support pupil learning more effectively." |
| INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH founded in 1988calls itself the UK's leading progressive think tankclose links with Labour Partythinking underpinned many policies of the 1997 New Labour governmentcurrent director Nick Pearce was a special adviser to David Blunkett at the Home Office and education department The Department for Education and Skills said tests were an integral part of effective teaching and learning and were "a non-negotiable part of school reform". | |
| "They provide valuable objective evidence in the core subjects, helping inform further improvements to teaching and learning," a spokesman said. | "They provide valuable objective evidence in the core subjects, helping inform further improvements to teaching and learning," a spokesman said. |
| "They are not designed to be 'pass or fail' examinations and we have stressed that preparation time should be kept to an absolute minimum and that teachers help children prepare best when they teach the core subjects as fully and effectively as possible." | "They are not designed to be 'pass or fail' examinations and we have stressed that preparation time should be kept to an absolute minimum and that teachers help children prepare best when they teach the core subjects as fully and effectively as possible." |
| The department said the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority monitored them to ensure they tested a depth of knowledge that could not simply be instilled by "teaching to the test". | The department said the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority monitored them to ensure they tested a depth of knowledge that could not simply be instilled by "teaching to the test". |