Councillor Pearce to move:

Reading Borough Council welcomes the commitment of the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party to abolish SATs and other high-stakes testing in primary schools.

This Council notes:

1      Statutory testing in primary schools has increased since 2010 and is increasing further: by 2020, children will be tested in Reception (the Baseline Assessment), Year 1 (the Phonics Screening Check), Year 2 (SATs), Year 4 (the Multiplication Tables Check) and Year 6 (SATs).

2      The pressures of statutory assessment contribute to the crisis of teacher morale, workload, recruitment and retention.

3      Tests are focussed on the requirements of school accountability and league tables rather than on support for children’s learning.

4      The pressures of testing in primary schools have a detrimental effect on children’s mental health.

5      Educational research has demonstrated repeatedly that teaching to the test narrows the curriculum and the educational experience of children, focussing on labelling, learning how to pass a test but not learning.

This Council believes that campaigning, by those who work in primary schools, parents and academics, to end the current high-stakes system of primary assessment should be welcomed, in particular the More Than A Score campaign.

This Council resolves:

1      To express its support for campaigns against the current system of primary assessment from parents, Governors, Schools and teaching unions.

2      To call a meeting of all interested parties to discuss the council’s position on these matters and to coordinate a response.

3      To lobby the Secretary of State for Education to listen to the growing number of voices who are calling for the abolition of high-stakes testing in primary schools.

4      To offer support and guidance to schools within the area which adopt an alternative approach to assessment.

Pursuant to Notice, the following motion was moved by Councillor Pearce and seconded by Councillor McEwan and CARRIED:

Resolved –

Reading Borough Council welcomes the commitment of the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party to abolish SATs and other high-stakes testing in primary schools.

This Council notes

1        Statutory testing in primary schools has increased since 2010 and is increasing further: by 2020, children will be tested in Reception (the Baseline Assessment), Year 1 (the Phonics Screening Check), Year 2 (SATs), Year 4 (the Multiplication Tables Check) and Year 6 (SATs).

2        The pressures of statutory assessment contribute to the crisis of teacher morale, workload, recruitment and retention.

3        Tests are focussed on the requirements of school accountability and league tables rather than on support for children’s learning.

4        The pressures of testing in primary schools have a detrimental effect on children’s mental health.

5        Educational research has demonstrated repeatedly that teaching to the test narrows the curriculum and the educational experience of children, focussing on labelling, learning how to pass a test but not learning.

This Council believes that campaigning, by those who work in primary schools, parents and academics, to end the current high-stakes system of primary assessment should be welcomed, in particular the More Than A Score campaign.

This Council resolves:

1        To express its support for campaigns against the current system of primary assessment from parents, Governors, Schools and teaching unions.

2        To call a meeting of all interested parties to discuss the council’s position on these matters and to coordinate a response.

3        To lobby the Secretary of State for Education to listen to the growing number of voices who are calling for the abolition of high-stakes testing in primary schools.

4        To offer support and guidance to schools within the area which adopt an alternative approach to assessment.