MP Lynne Featherstone last week helped a local Head Teacher present the findings of a survey on school testing to the Schools’ Minister Jim Knight MP.
The survey of parents found that 90% of those who responded to the questionnaire at Coldfall Primary are opposed to SATS.
In the meeting in Parliament, Evelyn Davies, Head Teacher, and her colleagues gave a forceful presentation of the school’s experience of SATS testing and the negative effects they have on children and the curriculum.
The school urged the Government to give teachers, as the professionals, more power to assess and moderate children’s performance.
Commenting, Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, said:
“This is democracy in action. The school had something important to say and I helped them say it directly to the right person. I was immensely impressed by the work of the school and by the quality of their presentation.
“With SATS, something is terribly wrong when you have primary school children being made ill from the stress of these tests.Whilst not fully representative – this survey is a good straw poll of what local parents think.
“With the testing regime currently under review, I think it was a good time for the Minister to hear what the real experts have to say. It is vitally important that politicians never become disconnected from the reality of what goes on in schools.”
Ms. Evelyn Davies, Head of Coldfall Primary School, adds:
“The heart of the matter is that education for young children should be about developing the skills, attitudes and knowledge to enable each child to become a whole rounded, social, emotionally intelligent and capable individual, able to make choices and develop their skills and talents.
“Children should love learning and develop learn to learn skills, they should not be judged or valued on their test performance at such a young age. Our aim at Coldfall is to ensure children’s learning is relevant, meaningful and motivational and enable life long learning.”
