‘Scrap all tests’ call after SATs get the chop

FANTASTIC! That’s the reaction of an Oldham’s largest teaching union after national schools tests for 14-year-olds were sensationally axed.

But the National Union of Teachers (NUT) has called on the Government to go further and scrap all SATs.

The announcement by Children’s Secretary Ed Balls follows this summer’s marking fiasco which hit thousands of pupils’ results.

Mr Balls admitted English, maths and science tests at 14 has become “less and less relevant”.

From next summer internal teacher assessment will be used in the first three years of secondary education.

A small proportion of sample pupils will be tested each year to monitor standards and American-style school report cards introduced to help parents check the quality of schools.

But tests for seven and 11-years-olds will remain, although the latter could be replaced with a system similar to music grades which are taken when teachers judge pupils ready.

Bryan Beckingham, NUT joint Oldham branch secretary, said the scrapping of tests for 14-year-olds was “fantastic”.

He added: “It’s a few years too late, but it’s a step in the right direction. They now need to scrap the others.

“The case against testing has been made so clearly by lots of studies and academics, as well as internationally.

“The anxiety causes a lot of behavioural problems for our children. It makes children think they are failing and they become very alienated from the system — I think it is one of the reasons for deteriorating behaviour.”

Oldham NUT will launch a campaign in February to scrap the remaining tests.