8th May 2019 9:00
By Blue Tutors
More primary schools than ever are running Easter revision classes for the upcoming Sats tests in May. Reported on the BBC, the NASUWT have expressed concerns over what they call “cramming sessions’ over the school holidays, a time when they believe children should be having fun and spending time with their families.
The results of the Sats tests are published in January in school league tables and the education secretary, Damian Hinds, has pointed out that the tests are supposed to reveal the quality of our education system, rather than something which pupils should be worried about performing well in. However, it’s clear that schools are feeling the pressure and look to gain an advantage by holding revision courses for year 6 students.
Darren Northcott is an official for the NASUWT and said that it is not clear what message is being sent to students and their parents, despite schools saying that the Easter courses are voluntary. He says that an appropriate amount of useful and productive homework during school holidays is fine, but children should be doing enjoyable and engaging activities with their friends and family as part of a healthy childhood.
This comes a week after Jeremy Corbyn said he would scrap the Sats tests if Labour were to come to power, claiming that it would improve teacher recruitment and retention. The focus was on creating individual learning plans for each student. Nick Gibb, the schools minister, countered this by pointing out that removing Sats would mean parents would not have access to the information about how well each primary school was performing.