Ministers have said that tests for year 6 pupils in England are “designed to be challenging” after concerns from a headteachers’ union that this week’s Sats exams had left some pupils “in tears”.
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said some staff struggled to understand the questions and it planned to raise concerns about Wednesday’s reading exam for 10- and 11-year-olds with the schools regulator, Ofqual.
The difficulty of the paper prompted a flurry of complaints online from parents and teachers, with one person saying on Mumsnet that her daughter found the paper “awful”.
However, on Friday, the Department for Education defended the difficulty of the tests. A DfE spokesperson said: “Key stage 2 assessments are key in identifying pupils’ strengths and where they may have fallen behind as they head to secondary school.
“Test development takes many years, with questions rigorously trialled with year 6 pupils and reviewed by education and inclusion experts to ensure appropriateness.
“The tests are designed to be challenging in order to measure attainment across the ability range, including stretching the most able children. Schools should always encourage pupils to do their best, but preparing for primary assessments should not be at the expense of children’s wellbeing.”
Sats, or Standard Assessment Tests, are used to measure children’s English and maths skills in year 2 and year 6, and consist of six 45-minute papers.
Sarah Hannafin, the NAHT’s head of policy, said: “We are very concerned about reports from our members about the Sats reading paper.
“Members have told us that the choice of texts was not accessible for the wide range of experiences and backgrounds children have and the difficulty was beyond previous tests, leaving children upset, with even staff struggling to understand the questions.
“We will definitely raise these concerns with the Standards and Testing Agency and also the Ofqual National Assessments team.”
Kerry Forrester, a headteacher at a Cheshire primary school, has written to her local MP expressing concern about the “negative impact” of the exams on the “mental health and wellbeing” of her pupils.
In a letter she shared on Twitter, Forrester said this year has seen “the most negative impact on our children that we have ever experienced”.
“Tears flowed from our most capable readers and stress levels rose amongst all others,” she said, adding that “this was the most challenging reading test I have seen in my 29 years as a teacher”.
Today was not acceptable. I cannot believe what we put our 10 and 11 year old children through for the government. SATS must go. Today I have written to my MP and urge you to do the same. @NAHTnews @NAHTCheshire @simonkidwell @edwardtimpson pic.twitter.com/xmWbzjxfAT
— Kerry Forrester (@ForresterKerry) May 10, 2023
The National Education Union (NEU) also raised concerns about the “punishing experience” for staff and pupils this week.
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the union, said: “This is not a system that is concerned about children and their learning.
“There are better ways of assessing pupils. There are better forms of school accountability. It is about time the government started looking at them.”
PA Media contributed to this report
