"Over-worked and over-stressed" - Parents concerned about new school tests

Concerned parents are being urged to head to the Borough Gardens after school tomorrow to show their feelings.

Protests are being held across the country in response to new SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) that have been introduced in primary schools. Tougher spelling, grammar and punctuation tests for seven and 11-years-olds at Key Stage 1 and 2 have been introduced this year to raise standards but some parents and teachers are angry, claiming they are setting children up to fail.

Critics say children are "over-tested, over-worked and in a school system that places more importance of test results and league tables than children's happiness and joy of learning".

While parents in some areas of the country are urging others to keep their children out of school for the day in protest, in Dorchester they say they are keen to work with the schools and, rather than disrupt their children’s eduction. So an after-school gathering is planned.

Mum-of-three and former teacher Michelle Cheeseman said: "I have spoken with friends and a headteacher at one school and they were concerned about the impact that it would have on schools.

"We thought a nicer way to do it was to meet after school, so we are not using our children as a way of striking but we are saying we are not happy with the way things are."

Michelle said that from her experiences the tests on Year 2 children are done in a way that children are not actually aware they are being tested, but she is concerned there was "something fundamentally wrong with them in the first place".

She said that in the Dorchester area there are partnerships between schools and plenty of evidence sharing that should ensure schools are being kept up to standard without the need for testing of very young children.

Michelle said: "A lot of time is spent doing informed assessments rather than just this kind of snapshot that asks questions of children that are not necessary at that age."

She said that for Year 6 children SATs tests were "another kettle of fish entirely" with children able to see where they rank among their peers, which added huge pressure.

Michelle said that the constant focus on testing could detract from youngsters' love of learning, which was the key to their development.

As an ex-teacher she said she understood the huge pressure they were under and it was wrong that it was politicians, rather than experienced teachers who were making the decisions on how to asses young children's development.

She said: "Teachers don't feel able to do anything about it, they feel they don't have a say in what is the best way of assessing children."

Michelle said she hoped to see as many people as possible at the event in Dorchester as now was the time to take action before it was too late.

She said: "In ten years time there could be a generation's worth of children who have gone through these crazy tests and we then find out it's the wrong thing to do.

"We're not saying abolish them but put it back in the hands of teachers so they can decided what's best rather than the Government."

For details of Tuesday’s event in the Borough Gardens visit the Dorset Parents Voice Facebook page.

A TEACHING union claims the new tests are flawed and unnecessary.

Geoff Cooke, from the Dorset NUT (National Union of Teachers), said: "First of all there is a huge amount of expert educational opinion that says the tests are flawed.

"The tests themselves need some more expert input from proper serving teachers in order to perfect them."

Mr Cooke said it would be of concern to parents that the benchmarking for their child's future development could be done against a 'flawed' baseline test done at a very young age.

He said teachers had always kept "very careful records" of children's development when they start school anyway and the test risked replacing that with a "simple judgement".

Mr Cooke said: "This simplifies everything so a simple judgement is made at the start of a child's school career and target setting is made from that baseline that a child is going to be straddled with through the rest of the primary school curriculum."

He added: "At the end of the day our position as as union is that there is absolutely no need to do this."

THE Department for Education says the tests are not done to put children under pressure, but are a way of ensuring schools are performing up to standard.

A spokesman said: "We are clear that tests should not be a cause of stress for pupils – they help us ensure schools are performing well, and we know the best schools manage them successfully.

“Our reforms are raising standards and thanks to the hard work of teachers there are a record number of children in good or outstanding schools – 1.4 million more since 2010.

"We want that trend to continue which is why the proposals in our White Paper will put power back in the hands of the teachers and school leaders who know their pupils best, alongside new measures to more swiftly tackle failing and coasting schools.

"Our reforms have given teachers the freedom to innovate and develop exciting lessons that inspire pupils.

“We know mastering the basics of literacy and numeracy at primary school has a huge impact on how well children do at GCSE, which is why we are determined to raise standards.

"We have updated the Key Stage 2 tests to reflect our new, more rigorous curriculum which will help every child fulfil their potential regardless of their circumstances. Tests help teachers identify and provide the support pupils need as well as giving parents a picture of how their child is doing.”