What excellent news that three more national organisations are joining forces to campaign for teacher assessment and the scrapping of tests for six- and seven-year-old children in England ('Alliance targets KS 1 testing', News, 17 April). Since last September I have worked across England with nearly 3,000 Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 practitioners. They are unanimous in their dislike of the tests and cite good reasons - the tests narrow (ie dumb down) the curriculum for five- to seven-year-olds; the targets are set in order to get 'good' test results and put pressure on the Foundation Stage to be too formal; classroom assistants and teachers talk about the growing number of children disaffected by the age of six (particularly boys and children with special needs); and the pressure of preparing for the tests lowers staff morale.
What excellent news that three more national organisations are joining forces to campaign for teacher assessment and the scrapping of tests for six- and seven-year-old children in England ('Alliance targets KS 1 testing', News, 17 April).
Since last September I have worked across England with nearly 3,000 Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 practitioners. They are unanimous in their dislike of the tests and cite good reasons - the tests narrow (ie dumb down) the curriculum for five- to seven-year-olds; the targets are set in order to get 'good' test results and put pressure on the Foundation Stage to be too formal; classroom assistants and teachers talk about the growing number of children disaffected by the age of six (particularly boys and children with special needs); and the pressure of preparing for the tests lowers staff morale.
Teacher assessment and its moderation have been well developed and it is now a highly professional skill. If the Government supported that professionalism by scrapping the tests, morale in the early years would be raised overnight. Just as important, the curriculum for children aged three to seven could be enriched and children would benefit.
Jean Ensing, Bognor Regis, West Sussex
