Primary School Children Over Tested

Primary school children in England are subject to more testing at a young age than most other western countries. The testing, which in many cases is unreliable due to ambiguity and misinterpretation of questions, is supposedly collected for monitoring educational standards. However, the collected data often does not reflect real educational benefit and is used for providing league tables, putting huge pressure on schools to perform regardless of their social economic intake or catchment area.

Whilst many teachers and parents agree that children are over tested, this is not a view that is accepted by the government.

Recent independent reviews suggest too much pressure is being heaped upon four and five years old to perform. Some children are experiencing the symptoms of stress.

Key findings from The Primary Review and the National Foundation for Educational Research suggest that:

• England has largest primary schools, 224 pupils being the average.
• Educational alternatives, including home schooling, produce better academic success.
• In England, equal emphasis is placed on English, maths and science. Other countries place a higher importance on language skills.

The final recommendations for the Primary Review Report are due in October 2008