In response to a recent article on exam anxieties, readers have voiced serious concerns about the current Sats curriculum for primary school children in England. Margaret Ogden, a former primary school teacher, expressed her distress while helping her 10-year-old granddaughter prepare for the tests. She described the English curriculum as far too advanced, noting that concepts like the subjunctive, fronted adverbials, and modal verbs were introduced to her only at age 18 while studying French. Ogden questioned who devised such material, doubting that former teachers were involved. She also criticised the maths curriculum, which she found more challenging than what she taught to year 9 pupils as a supply teacher.
Impact on children and teachers
Ogden highlighted the negative consequences of the current system, including rising teacher attrition and increasing numbers of children disengaging from education. She pointed to alarming rates of non-attendance and mental health issues among young students. She called for strategies to restore joy in learning, emphasising that education should be a pleasure, not a punishment.
Alex Dickie, an exam invigilator in Edinburgh, offered a contrasting perspective, noting that modern schools provide substantial support for students who might struggle with exam stress. Accommodations such as private rooms, scribes, and extra time, which some may view as mollycoddling, actually give a fair chance to those who would have been overlooked in the past.
International perspective
Prof Colin Richards, a former HM inspector of schools, recalled a Danish colleague describing England's obsession with testing primary-aged children as a form of institutional child abuse. He argued that the current system also mistreats parents who are forced to help their children prepare for exams that ultimately 'don't matter'.
These letters reflect growing unease among educators, parents, and experts about the direction of primary education in England, with many calling for a more balanced and child-friendly approach.
