More findings have come in from Cambridge University’s Primary Review and they’re not positive.
The Primary Review, led by Cambridge University’s Robin Alexander and launched in 2006, is an independent inquiry into the state of primary education. This week the Review has launched three reports, touching on testing and assessment, the curriculum and international comparisons. Each report identifies fundamental misgivings about primary school arrangements in this country, however the most damning findings are on our testing and assessment arrangements. The Review’s conclusions have prompted the Times Education Supplement headline ‘Tests fixation sets England apart’ – which might well be re-headed ‘Tests fixation sets England back.’
Comparing England with the rest of the UK, France, Norway and Japan, Professor Kathy Hall found that there is more external testing in more subjects, testing begins at an earlier age, test results are published in league tables and the tests are “high stakes”.
As ever it’s the same story; the bogus standards focus is fuelling a testing regime which is undermining real standards. The government’s response to the Review’s accusations of over-testing is that they ‘make no apology’ for what they refer to as an emphasis on standards and mechanisms of “accountability”. But the issue is who is benefiting from this accountability: certainly not children. Currently test results are generating statistics for the government to brandish as evidence of high standards, without the necessary input.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has said (by way of not apologising): ‘We want every child to achieve to the best of their abilities, succeed and be happy, and we know that parents and teachers want that too. The idea that children are over tested is not a view that the government accepts. The reality is that children spend a very small percentage of their time in school being tested. Seeing that children leave school up to the right standard in the basics is the highest priority of government.’
The trouble is that a) whilst being officially tested for a small time, the amount of time being taught to the test through a necessity incurred by poor policy is great; b) that this focus on standards is not equating with high standards of learning. As a result pupils are not leaving school with the right standard in the basics.
The government may not be sorry now but they will be later - when faced with another cohort of illiterate and innumerate secondary pupils.
Comments (2)
No, they won't be sorry later because a gullible public will believe the government's bogus statistics of high performance "resulting from NuLabour's historic investment in education".
Posted by Perdix![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.civitas.org.uk/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 11, 2008 2:08 PM
Posted on February 11, 2008 14:08
the question i have is, how do you get the government to listen and to acknownledge that what your saying is right? and i totally agree with you.
the whole education system and way in which children are taught needs a radical overhaul.
Posted by Antonio | February 9, 2008 9:21 AM
Posted on February 9, 2008 09:21