Sats 'not the be all and end all', says head

Suffolk head teacher Maria Kemble said Sats had some place in schools, but they should not be the only measure

A head teacher has said primary school Sats should not be the only measure for children as the government refused to rule out abolishing them.

Sats (standardised assessment tests) are used to measure primary school pupils' performance in Year 2 and Year 6, but have been criticised for causing stress for children by education unions.

Education minister Catherine McKinnell said the national curriculum tests had a part to play in schools, but when questioned by West Suffolk's Conservative MP Nick Timothy, she would not confirm if they would be kept or not.

Maria Kemble, who is head of two Suffolk primary schools, said the exams were "not the be all and end all", but said they did help determine if the curriculum and schools were working effectively.

"I think the Sats have morphed into something that they were never intended to be," she added.

"When you have parents worrying about what will happen if [their] child doesn't reach the expected level and the impact that will have when they go to secondary school, I think they've become far too high-staked."

Sats are used to measure school performance and to ensure individual pupils have support before heading to secondary school, according to the government

In 2010, head teachers led a boycott of the exams and some parents had since chosen to withdraw their children from the tests.

On Monday, in response to the West Suffolk MP's question, McKinnell said "assessment clearly has an important role to play" in supporting achievement and development.

"We will consider how the reformed curriculum and assessment will affect schools, and we recognise the importance of supporting schools with any changes that come forward in the interim and the final report," added the minister of state, who is responsible for school standards.

Ms Kemble, who is in charge of St Edmund's Catholic Primary in Bury St Edmunds and St Joseph's Catholic Primary in Sudbury, added she believed Sats only measured "a tiny amount" of the curriculum and there was "so much more to education".

"I think at a point in time when we're hearing so much about children's mental health and their wellbeing to have a system that actually pressurises young people at such an early age is not helpful," she added.