Local MP Lynne Featherstone and the Head Teacher of a Muswell Hill primary school are today welcoming the news that year 6 Science SATs will be scrapped, only two weeks after they presented a survey showing local concern about the controversial testing directly to the Schools Minister.

Coldfall Primary Head Teacher Evelyn Davies and the Liberal Democrat MP are now calling for the Government to take the SATs scrapping further and also include English and Maths in the plans.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I am glad to have been able to help the Muswell Hill teachers tell the Minister responsible just how concerned they are about these tests. But only scrapping Science tests simply doesn’t go far enough.

“As the Coldfall teachers demonstrated so well in the meeting last month, SATs are the wrong way to test kids at the end of primary school. The Government needs to listen to the experience of our local teachers and scrap Maths and English SATs as well.”

Evelyn Davies, Head of Coldfall Primary School, adds:

“I am very pleased that Ed Balls is reviewing the testing regime for primary children and would strongly urge the government to go further than just abolishing the science SATs.

“All the current national tests for both 6/7 year olds and 10/11 year olds should be abolished and replaced by robust teacher assessment based on children’s ongoing learning across the curriculum.

“It is absolutely essential that all areas of children’s learning and achievement are valued and that children leave primary school as confident, well rounded individuals with a love of learning and the skills for life long learning.”