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End of Key Stagetests are severely criticised in a survey* covering more then 30,500 teachersin England and Wales analysed for the National Union of Teachers by Dr SeanNeill of Warwick University.
Three out offive teachers believe that the end of Key Stage tests interfere with theirprofessional judgement.
Only 6 per centof teachers believed they were a reliable method of evaluating pupilachievement. More than three-quarters said they did not help teachers diagnosepupils learning needs. More than two-thirds said they were unreliable.
Even thoughsecondary teachers were more likely to see them as reliable than primary teachers,only one in ten did so. Just 5 per cent thought the tests raised standards ofachievement.
Teacherassessment was seen as a viable alternative to the tests by 85 per cent ofrespondents. This view was most strongly held by primary teachers at 87.8 percent but 78.9 per cent of secondary teachers also agreed.
And a massive 91per cent of those responding said the tests placed additional workload onteachers and 93.1 per cent of primary and 85 per cent of secondary teacherssaid they were stressful for pupils.
Some 90 per centof teachers felt the tests diminished pupils access to a broad and balancedcurriculum. This view was strongest among primary teachers at 93.1 per centcompared with secondary teachers at 84.3 per cent.
The survey showed substantialsupport for a ballot by the NUT to boycott all end of key stage tests.
Support wasstrongest for a ballot to boycott Key Stage 1 tests at 82.5 per cent, with 71.4per at Key Stage 2 and 64 per cent in favour at Key Stage 3.
The age profileof respondents closely matches that of the profession generally with 65 percent over 40 years of age, 20.1 per cent, aged 31-40 and 14.8 per cent 30 orunder.
Only 17.2 per cent of respondentshad fewer than five years experience with 67.9 per cent having more than 11years in teaching.
E N D PR79b/03
Copies of the full report, NationalCurriculum Tests by Dr Sean Neill of the Institute of Education, WarwickUniversity, are available from the NUT Press Office on request.
For further information contact:Olive Forsythe tel: 020 7380 4706 (office) 0r 07879480061