Catherine Scott: Why I'll be glad when SATS are over.

Like many children my ten year old is normally happy go lucky, full of energy and laughter looking forward to going to high school, but not at the moment.

I’m not against testing, per se, but the current SATS have turned into a complete fiasco which is serving no purpose other than to stress out thousands of children who should be enjoying their last,care free days at primary school before the hard work starts at secondary school. I don’t completely understand how or why this has happened.

It is only two years since my elder daughter sat SATS. It just seemed to be something she took in her stride - and she is naturally the more anxious of my two children.

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There didn’t appear any great build up of revision papers, or ‘mock’ tests like this year or need to swat up on what she had learnt in order to pass the tests.

I don’t know whether it is just the new tests which are tougher, or the teachers under more pressure to get better results. Some say it is parents putting their children under added pressure to do well - not in our house it isn’t.

We stress to our children to do their best and that is good enough for us.

But despite constant reassurances she, like many children up and down the country, struggled to get to sleep on Sunday night. A normally confident little girl who loves school and learning, was suddenly worried about failing.

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She is ten and like so many others about to embark on massive change in her educational life as she moves from primary to secondary school We are trying are trying to build up her confidence for this change not knock it down as the SATS seem to be doing. At school on Monday morning the hall was laid out with exam tables and quiet signs on all the doors. It was more like they were sitting GCSEs than primary school tests.

Many of the children haven’t managed to finish the first of the tests and teachers are crioticisng them for being too hard.

To make matters worse yesterday’s tests are now completely discredited due to the answers being put prematurely on the exam boards website - the government say on purpose in a bid to sabotage the test. I just cannot wait for the tests to be over and I get my happy little girl back. I just hope it hasn’t marred her zest for learning and school.

Twitter@ypcscott

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