Confusion over SATs

22 of 92 schools will run tests

THERE was confusion over the threatened SATs boycott today, with around one in four Oldham primary schools saying that they will definitely not boycott next week’s tests.

Only 22 out of 92 heads have confirmed to the local authority that they will go ahead with the English and maths tests for 11-year-olds. But a council spokesman said it was not known what the others would do.

Members of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the National Union of Teachers (NUT) voted for a national boycott of this year’s papers which are used to compile league tables.

It is now down to individual heads, deputies and assistants to decide whether to take part. Some are members of other unions not supporting the action. They would not have any protection if they took part in the boycott. Nearly 3,000 Oldham pupils are due to sit the tests which start on Monday.

Yew Tree Community School, Chadderton, is one of the schools where they will not go ahead.

Its 60 Year 6 pupils will instead take part in alternative assessments and head teacher Martine Buckley explained: “We will be testing our children in the same way we always do, but we won’t be using the SATs. The decision isn’t about knowing where children are in terms of their learning, it’s the high-stakes culture for schools that is the issue.

“We actually do well in SATs so it is not an issue for us. But for some schools in very challenging circumstances — where there have been staff absences, where it’s been difficult to appoint a head teacher for various reasons — they are labelled as failing through no fault of their own, but because of their SATs results, then people do not want to work there.

“SATs can encourage a downward spiral in a school. It’s not the testing of the children we are opposed to, it’s what the SATs are used for.”

No parents have contacted her expressing concerns after she wrote to them explaining the situation. She said: “We will have all the information that parents need and secondary schools need.

“The children will also have a good idea of where they are in their learning as well. It is important to them to know how well they have done because they have worked very hard.”

An estimated 750 schools have confirmed that they boycott SATs in a small-scale survey of 24 local authorities. NUT general secretary Chris Blower said previously that up to half of England’s 17,000 primaries were set to join in the action, making it impossible to draw up league tables.

Tony Harrison, joint branch secretary of Oldham NUT said: “We are finding that schools are going back to what we would call real education during that week for their over sixes.
An Oldham council spokesman said: “We are aware that 22 schools are not boycotting the SATs test, but we don’t know the intentions of the remaining schools.”