Teachers criticise 'unreliable' Sats exams

A union representing professionals in teaching jobs has criticised key stage two Sat exams for ten and 11-year-olds.

This week, Ofqual published a report which found that many candidates have been given the wrong grades, because the subjective nature of some of the answers, particularly in English, means inconsistent standards are being applied by markers.

According to the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, this proves that a "substantial percentage" of Sats exams are unreliable.

Martin Johnson, deputy general secretary of the union, has therefore called on the government to acknowledge these findings and act accordingly.

Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: "A sensible government would accept all the irrefutable evidence and consign Sats to the dustbin of history."

He added that relying on test scores can be "highly dangerous" if the results themselves are flawed.

This comes after the Campaign for Real Education stated that while Sats do need to be improved, they still provide essential information and should not be scrapped.

Posted by Harriet McGowan
 



Published On 27/07/2010