PM: Testing vital in schools

October 30 2009

The prime minister Gordon Brown has spoken out in favour of the current testing regime in schools.

In an article for the Times Educational Supplement, Mr Brown wrote that the Sats tests play an important role in holding schools to account.

"Progress … relies on the need to retain clear accountability through testing. This means at the end of primary school just as much as at the end of secondary," he wrote.

Nonetheless, teaching unions are arguing that change to the current regime is necessary. The current testing system should be replaced with a teacher assessment programme, the NUT and NAHT believe.

Arguments against the testing of primary school pupils have been ongoing for a number of years. Other teaching unions, including the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, have also expressed their desire for a change to the current regime.

Earlier this week, the Department for Children, Schools and Families released statistics revealing attainment levels at Key Stages 2 and 3. Schools minister Vernon Coaker welcomed the findings, which showed improvements in the number of pupils reaching the expected levels in core subjects.

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