Responding as actor Anna Maxwell Martin joins 22 parent groups and campaigners in delivering an open letter to the education secretary arguing the current SATs testing system 'actively harms' children with special educational needs (SEND), Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“There is an urgent need for the government to rethink the value and purpose of statutory assessments for schools, parents and children.

“Strictly timed test conditions get in the way of some pupils properly demonstrating what they can do and the progress they have made, particularly children with special educational needs (SEND). 

“When we surveyed school leaders on primary tests last year, just 12% agreed that they supported children’s progress, only 8% felt they informed future teaching and learning, and little over a quarter (28%) believed they provided useful information for parents. At the same time, 94% thought they had a negative impact on children’s mental health and wellbeing.

“If statutory tests are here to stay, they must be designed to be accessible for the vast majority of pupils, they should recognise the attainment and progress of all children, and they should not damage children’s confidence or cause distress.

“Improvements could include making time limits more flexible – many pupils may be perfectly capable of completing a task correctly, but it may just take them longer than their peers.

“Adaptive tests, where difficulty is adjusted to reflect the performance of each pupil, would create a more positive experience for all children.

“The way that the results of SATs are reported must also change. The simplistic, overarching labels mean that the progress of too many children is ignored and can send the wrong message to pupils, impacting their confidence and motivation.”