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NUT wants ban on Sats tests for kids - councillors asked to sign petition



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Published Date:
20 May 2008
A CALDERDALE teachers' union is petitioning to ban national curriculum tests in schools.
The exams, known as Sats, were taken last week by pupils aged 11. They are also taken by 14-year-olds.

Sue McMahon, Calder-dale NUT division secretary, said: "Sats have a negative impact on a child's education.

"We find schools teach purely to the test, and end up with children tested to destruction, while performance tables pit school against school.

Last week a report by a committee of MPs suggested that testing was damaging children and pupils' education was focused solely on passing Sats.

Now Calderdale NUT members have started a campaign to abolish the tests.

"We are launching a petition which we hope that every Calderdale councillor will sign," said Mrs McMahon. "We hope all schools will join our campaign and we would encourage parents to get involved to add pressure on the Government to abolish Sats and enable teachers to teach and children to learn."

The petition asks the Government "to abolish Sats and enable teachers to teach and children to learn".

The Commons schools, children and families select committee warned this week that too much emphasis was being put on the tests, to the detriment of other aspects of the curriculum. Its report called for a reform of school league tables, basing them on a wider range of measures than just the test results.

The full article contains 244 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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  • Last Updated: 20 May 2008 3:46 PM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Halifax
 
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1

exile,

20/05/2008 19:04:15
Children are overtested, but banning them altogether will see a fall in standards. If you see the NUT calling for something, run the other way. They have far too many items on their agenda
2

,

20/05/2008 19:22:23
Comment Reported Unsuitable By User
3

exile,

20/05/2008 19:48:08
You do have to weigh it from time to time though, and give it health checks and injections. Otherwise you get a thick pig, and an unmotivated one.
4

a "friend",

20/05/2008 20:44:47
I have just finished my dissertation on SATs and testing within the primary school, and the research thats been conducted in recent years is disgusting.
There's so many other ways kids can be tested, without the pressure of "teaching to the test" that teachers are obliged to do.
The government need to pay attention to this petition. I think the recent panorama documentation highlighted a lot of valid points, and proved how much of a pillock Jim Knight, the schools minister, actually is.
5

ryburn36,

20/05/2008 20:54:56
yes all ok in theory just assess each child, simple trouble is a teacher only sees the kids they teach.

in the early days kids were tested and if they didnt reach the required standard the school didnt get its grant.

today of course its different, but they need a test to place on a wide plane.

NUT aload of nuts

now I believe a pillock is a pregnant fish? mmmmmmmmmm interesting
6

a "friend",

20/05/2008 21:26:33
pillock was a much nicer word. this government is destroying education. plowing millions of pounds into new academies doesnt solve the problem thats in secondary schools, and SATs don't improve standards in primary schools! its been proved in other countries, and its finally beginning to be proved in this country as well.

yeah its fair to say that teachers only see the children that they teach, but this doesnt have to be the case.
take montessori schools for example. children basically assess themselves- creating portfolios from an early age so that they can show their work and take personal interest in the subject, and evaluate their work afterwards to learn from their mistakes. this has also extremely good research to back its claims. children are more mature and creative with their work, and socially assertive. this will mean that kids go into secondary schools with respect for themselves and will be less likely to turn into the adolescent scum that are walking the streets these days.

just my opinion..
7

Polly Pocket,

Halifax 20/05/2008 22:07:21
SATs have turned Year 6 classrooms into a boot camp. There are schools out there that do nothing but practice SATs papers from January to May - no History, Geography, Art etc. Not what you would call a rounded education & guaranteed to turn kids off learning altogether!
8

White Rose,

20/05/2008 22:16:14
Whats the point in teaching kids to be exam robots. Teach them a broad range of topics and subjects rather than honing in on those that are tested on.
when I was in school a few years back the teachers knew what questions we would be getting in our exams pretty much so we'd all just revise specific topics and totally ignore others.
9

exile,

20/05/2008 22:42:28
I said at (1) that children are overtested, and I agree with a lot that posters are saying here, but don't forget this. Parents first and foremost want their children to achieve standards in literacy and numeracy. I see this as a school governor time and again. Yes they pay lip service to happiness at school, making friends and all the rest. But they want their kids to be able to read and spell and add up.

Tests were implemented because standards of literacy and numeracy were dumped in the 1970's with so-called discovery methods and the flight from standards.

Yes some of the silly SATs could and should be abandoned, but scrapping the tests reduces teacher accountability, makes what goes on in the classroom more and more of a mystery, and ensures we go back to the daft old days, when the NUT really did rule the roost.

Montessori is fine but they cater for mainly middle-class kids who prosper whatever teachers throw at them.
10

Mushy Peas,

20/05/2008 23:24:26
The NUT have lost a lot of credibility since their recent one day strike. I will not be renewing my subscription.
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