No one will miss Sats

Published: 21 May 2010

• I TOLD your reporter that our school staff group continued to hold an anti-Sats position but we recognised the reluctance of schools to “go out on a limb and make themselves vulnerable” by boycotting the Sats “where word is that other schools are not going ahead with the  boycott” (‘Loss of nerve’ sees Sats go ahead despite boycott, May 14).

Because of a misprint, the word “not” was omitted from your report, so it implied the very opposite of what I said.  

The borough’s children and teachers have been badly let down by the failure of Islington’s  headteachers to collectively support the majority position of their union as tested in a national ballot. 

Thankfully, there was much more concerted action in other areas of London and across the country.

Sats have long been recognised by many serious educationalists as damaging, stressful and disruptive to children’s right to a broad-based creative curriculum. 

Successive Labour governments knew this but were reluctant to admit the faults of the system they had inherited and maintained. 

We can only hope that, for the sake of the children, a new government will wish to address this question in a way that will bring England into line with the situation pertaining in Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

When the Sats finally go no one will miss them.

David Rosenberg
NUT representative, 
Hanover Primary School,
Noel Road, N1