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A former Shropshire primary teacher has raised serious concerns over the testing regime for primary schools in England.
Adele Conlon, a former teacher at Mereside Primary School in Shrewsbury and Captain Webb Primary in Dawley, fears teachers and pupils are being put under too much pressure.
Her comments come as the National Association of Head Teachers holds its annual conference in Birmingham this weekend and as parents across England prepare to keep their children off school next Tuesday (May 3) in protest over Sats tests.
Whilst it’s unclear how many parents in Shropshire will be joining the Let Our Kids Be Kids campaign and boycotting school, Miss Conlon, who is also mum to eight-year-old Finn, says it’s not an ideal situation for anyone.
She said: “The testing regime in primary schools is causing a lot of stress for teachers, parents and pupils and the situation has not been helped by the cancellation of this year’s planned spelling and grammar test for seven-year-olds following accidental publication of the tests online.
“Next week events are planned all over the country whereby parents will be keeping their children off school in protest over Sats testing.
“It’s really not an ideal situation for anyone and highlights the need for education ministers to take a serious look at the testing system for next year..”
Miss Conlon, who set up private tutoring company Shropshire Tutor three years ago has been working with children across Telford and Shrewsbury over recent months helping them to prepare for the forthcoming Sats tests.
She said: “The Sats tests have been around in one form or another for a while but this year, for the first time, they will reflect the newly introduced national curriculum.
“There has been much discussion and debate about the new curriculum and it is considered much harder than in previous years.
“Understandably therefore teachers, parents and pupils are extremely anxious.
“As both a parent and a private tutor I understand this anxiety and there is no question about it, this year’s tests will be considerably tougher than previous ones.”
Headteachers gathering at the NAHT conference are urging the government to work with them to set up a new assessment system for next year following concerns about the lack of time to implement the new curriculum.