Last term a wide-ranging select committee enquiry into the way children are tested in schools began to gather evidence – but changes in government mean that the outlook for its work is unclear. Patrick Kelly assesses the story so far.
The replacement of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), announced by the Prime Minister in June, casts a cloud over the future of the long-awaited MPs' enquiry into assessment.
The DfES has been replaced by two new Departments – the Department for Children, Schools and Families, under Secretary of State Ed Balls, and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, whose Secretary of State is John Denham. To mirror these changes two new Commons Select Committees will be created in the new session of Parliament with their membership – including chairs – confirmed after 6 November.
'The current Education and Skills Select Committee will continue working until the end of the parliamentary session at the end of October, finishing some short enquiries,' explains the GTC's parliamentary advisor Anne Roberts. 'Unfortunately, the testing and assessment regime is such a complex area that there’s just not enough time for members to be able to complete their scrutiny. At the moment, the prospects for this enquiry are up in the air.'
In the interim, the GTC plans to press the new committee to carry on with its predecessor’s enquiry. 'We’ve been asking for a government review of the testing and assessment regime for some time,' says Anne. 'When the initial announcement was made, we were delighted. We’ll be urging the new committee to continue this vital work.'
Key questions the original select committee was asking include:
- Why do we have a centrally run system of testing and assessment?
- What other systems of assessment are in place, both internationally and across the UK?
- Does a focus on national testing and assessment reduce the scope for creativity in the curriculum?
- How effective are SATs at assessing children's learning?
- Do SATs improve levels of attainment? And do they hold schools to account effectively?
- To what extent is there ‘teaching to the test’?
One school's view
Purbrook junior school is one of a number of Hampshire primary schools that submitted evidence to the original Education and Skills Select Committee enquiry. While the school fully supports the idea that they should be held accountable, the current reliance on testing, rather than teacher assessment, means that pupils suffer, says deputy head teacher, Nicola Tettmar.
She cites the case of a Year 6 student who broke his writing arm shortly before sitting his SATs. In his maths listening test, no consideration was given to
the fact that he couldn’t jot down ideas or notes in the five seconds allocated. 'It was impossible for him to communicate with his helper in the time allowed,” says Nicola. “But there was absolutely no flexibility.'
Rather than exploring pupils' knowledge of a subject, or how much they have learned, the current system simply tests whether they can complete the paper, says Nicola. Children who take longer to gather their thoughts or who write more slowly are disadvantaged. In its evidence, the school says that questions on SATs are becoming ever more obscure, in order to avoid repeating those from previous years.
'Papers are treated like the crown jewels, not exam papers for 10 year-olds,' says Nicola. 'Increasingly, SATs demonstrate a complete lack of trust in teachers’ professional judgement.' She recalls one class that witnessed a car accident only 15 minutes before they were due to sit their English SATs. 'Just when we had calmed the pupils down, we discovered that the paper was...an accident report. Some of the children were extremely distressed – but there was nothing we could do.'
