Home » World News »
Labour will abolish all primary school SATs tests if Jeremy Corbyn gets into No10
JEREMY Corbyn today revealed Labour will abolish all primary school SATs tests if he gets into No10.
The Labour leader said the exams are giving kids nightmares and “leaving them in floods of tears”.
And he vowed to replace the tests for seven and 10 year-olds with a more “flexible” system of assessment.
The radical policy would be one of the biggest shake-ups of the education system in a generation.
Unveiling his plan at the National Education Union’s conference in Liverpool yesterday, he said: “SATs and the regime of extreme pressure testing are giving young children nightmares and leaving them in floods of tears.
“Teachers are reporting instances of sleeplessness, anxiety and depression in primary school children during exam periods.”
He added: “These excessive exams are not driving up standards but they are driving up stress both for children and for teachers.”
Mr Corbyn also vowed to tear up plans to introduce new tests for reception classes too.
He said his plans will free up teachers to be more creative – rather than just teaching to the test.
He told the conference: “Teachers get into the profession because they want to inspire children, not pass them along an assembly line.”
Mr Corbyn – who left school with two E grades at A Level – said he would consult with teachers and parents before saying what his new tests would
be.
He said the tests would be a broader assessment of the child’s skills – rather than sticking rigidly to maths, English and science.
Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, welcomed the move, and warned that the “test-driven system” is causing “damage” to kids.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
'disastrous step' 
PM warns Putin invading Ukraine would be 'painful, violent and bloody'
Boris Johnson faces do-or-die week as he fights Partygate probe
No10 police questioned in 'partygate' probe as Cummings gives evidence
PM says he WILL hike National Insurance – here’s how it will hit you in pocket
But Education Secretary Damian Hinds blasted the Labour plan, warning: “Mr Corbyn’s plan to junk them puts ideology before children.”
And his deputy, Schools Minister Nick Gibb, said: “Abolishing these tests would be a terrible, retrograde step.
“Labour plan to keep parents in the dark. They will prevent parents from knowing how good their child’s school is at teaching maths, reading and writing.”
Source: Read Full Article
