Gove orders a review of primary school exams

The government has claimed that teachers are spending hours “drilling” students to pass SATs tests, to ensure that their school climbs official league tables.

A document setting out the remit of the SATs review said there was evidence that “too many schools feel they must drill children for tests and spend too much time on test preparation in year 6, at the expense of productive teaching and learning.”

Mr Gove said: “it is not our intention that the accountability system should be punitive or unfair to schools working in difficult circumstances, but it must be able to identify and tackle cases of sustained under-performance.”

“Equally I recognise concerns from heads and teachers about the current system. That is why I have ordered a review – to see whether there is a better way to give parents the information they want and hold schools to account, while overcoming the concerns.”

The inquiry, led by Lord Bew, is likely to lead to significant changes in the way that pupils are assessed in their final year of primary school.

The review is expected to be submitted to the government by June 2011.

General secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Christine Blower, has said: “for too long children’s education has been blighted by an assessment regime which limits the curriculum and encourages teaching to the test.”

“We need assessment that is meaningful, more accurate, focuses on what children can do, and arises from teaching activity making it manageable in terms of eacher workload.”