Students distraught over arduous Sats test

Primary teachers have raised concerns after school children were left upset after taking ‘one of hardest’ tests yet to be seen in the Key Stage 2 qualification.

The news comes as 600,000 children across England took the tougher new tests, designed to measures students’ abilities in reading, writing and math. The tests have been made more rigorous in order to raise standards in schools and more adequately identify pupils’ performance.

However, teachers have reported that even some bright students were unable to finish the exams, claiming the experience was even ‘demoralising’ for some. According to the Times Education Supplement (TES), many teachers said the Sats were ‘incredibly difficult’, ‘ridiculous’ and ‘staggering’.

The results of the examinations will be used by the government to assess school performance, however, ministers have maintained pupils sitting the exams should not be made to feel like failures.

A Department for Education spokesman said: “The 2016 reading test was developed in the same way as the sample test. Trialling of the 2016 test showed that the difficulty of the paper was broadly similar.

“These tests should not be a cause of stress for pupils ‎- they help teachers make sure children are learning to read, write and add up well. The truth is if they don't master literacy and numeracy early on, they risk being held behind and struggling for the rest of their lives - we are determined to prevent this by helping every child reach their full potential.”