Should Parents Boycott Sats?

Should Parents Boycott Sats?

Do you have a child due to take Sats next month?

If you have a child in Year 6 at primary school, you might be interested to hear that parents across the country are planning to withdraw their 10 and 11-year-olds from taking Sats tests next month.

The move comes as a result of concerns about the effect of Sats on children's mental health.

The Independent reports:

Thousands of parents have downloaded a letter which sets out plans to stop their children from taking the Sats exams next month because of the “pressures of a high stakes testing system”.

You can download the letter fromLet Kids Be Kids, which campaigns for boycotting Sats.

The website states:

We aren’t against tests per se – teachers need a way to measure the progress of their children. The problem with the tests above are that they are HIGH STAKES tests for schools who are rated, judged and labelled by the DfE according to the achievements of our children. Teacher’s pay may also be linked to the results their classes get! The pressure coming from the DfE, to our LEAs, then to our heads and our teachers reaches it’s end point with our young children… they feel that pressure regardless of how good the teacher is at shielding it from them!

In schools in England, children take Sats in Year 2 and then again in Year 6. The tests focus on Maths and English and are designed to help teachers assess children's progress but critics, including teaching unions, argue that they put children under undue pressure and can have a detrimental effect on a child's mental health.

We'd like to hear your views on this story. Do you have a child due to take Sats? Leave us a comment here or come and join the conversation over on our Facebook page. And don't forget to take part in our poll to make your voice heard.


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