Text Box: A Headteacher writes: You might remember the furore caused by the “SATs fiasco” last summer and the controversy over the standard of marking and delays. I’m still not yet satisfied with the outcome of our appeals against some of the shoddiest marking I have ever seen. All our last year’s writing papers were re-marked and the scores adjusted on every paper. One child’s work ws marked down by 18% and another increased by 14% - that’s a range of 32%! That the marking agency expects us to pay for the remarking might be seen as a cynical way of deterring schools from challenging their marking. The match between socio-economic and SATs data is clear. So if individual pupil scores might have errors and the validity of school data is questionable why are our oldest primary pupils still subjected to the current SATs system? Scotland? Wales? SATs have been significantly changed for 7 year olds and abandoned completely for secondary schools and, of course, Scotland and Wales don’t do them. So why do our KS2 children still have to? Text Box: Do parents actually want them? I don’t know any parent who has told me they think they are useful. Some people like them because they sometimes confirm their own view of their school as doing well. I have known other parents get angry when league tables publicly humiliate whole communities — usually the communities that already face some of the most difficult circumstances. So they don’t seem to inform anyone about anything they don’t already know. As a professional body, most teachers recognize the importance of assessing children’s progress but are against such assessment being used in the way they are. Last year the school data wasn’t ready for the beginning of the autumn term but they made absolutely no difference to the children starting at secondary school. So why do we still have SATs? Parents don't need them; many children don’t like them and most professionals oppose the way that they are used. It seems that the only people who want to keep them are politicians. I have always supported the idea of trying to keep politics out of education—so is it time to get rid of SATs? The argument is clear—it’s time for SATs and league

SATs—What’s the point?

Blackpool NUT

                “in a nutshell”

Summer 1, 2009

Good News

 

Both the NUT and the NAHT will purpose a SATs boycott from next year at their Easter annual

conferences.

THE NUT

 

WE WORK UP TO A STANDARD NOT DOWN TO A PRICE

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