Headteachers warn ministers over tests chaos

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has issued a stinging criticism of “key mistakes” in the national assessments and tests being carried out this year.

This includes the leaking of a grammar, punctuation and spelling test which then had to be withdrawn and the decision to cancel the baseline assessment of reception pupils after a nationwide pilot this year.

The union, which starts its annual conference today, also highlighted “inappropriate content, a lack of clarity on standards and contradictory guidelines, a focus on tick-box skills rather than the quality of work and a lack of time to implement the new curriculum,” among the problems this year.

It has released the findings of a new poll which found that 98 per cent of heads who responded believe the Government’s current testing regime is chaotic.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of NAHT said: “Schools and parents cannot face another year of assessment chaos. Now is the time to call for a better system of assessment - one that works for parents, pupils and teachers, rather than one that just ticks boxes for bureaucrats and politicians. We reaffirm our offer to the government to work with us to get it right next year, but they have to listen hard now.”

The union said that serious mistakes have been made in the planning and implementation of tests this year, with a negative effect on children’s education.

And heads claim: “The tests no longer help teachers to teach or provide reliable information to parents about the progress of their children.

Mr Hobby added: “Testing has a role to play in the assessment of children, but the poorly designed tests and last minute changes we have seen this year do not add value to teaching.

“Increasingly, parents and teachers agree that high-stakes statutory tests like SATs can actually make it harder to find out what children are really learning and to improve their education.

“School leaders spend a lot of their time listening to parents.

“Quite rightly they expect us to get on and manage assessment and testing without creating stress on pupils or teachers. Additionally, our conversations with parents show that they want tests and assessments which help schools understand their children – on a regular basis with lower stakes – rather than what are fast becoming high profile high pressure exams.

“We want to find a clearer, simpler system that gives parents and schools the information they need to improve children’s learning.

“We cannot endure a repeat of this chaos. The government must step back from its piecemeal, last minute changes and engage with the profession now – well in advance of next year – in a fundamental review of assessment from reception to key stage three.

There is much that we can achieve if we work together.”

A Department for Education spokesman said: “Parents rightly expect their children to leave primary school having mastered the basics of literacy and numeracy and that is why we have tests at the end of Key Stage 2. A high-quality education in English – and the ability to communicate effectively – is an important part of the government’s commitment to extend opportunity to all. All of the documents necessary for the tests and teacher assessments at Key Stage 2 have been available since September 2015. We have also recently published materials to support teachers making their judgements. We are always willing to engage in discussion with teaching unions to ensure that this transition year goes smoothly.”