Year 7 resits – the worst idea of all

I’ve got to be honest with you and say that I think the year 7 resits are an absolutely awful idea. In a year of mistakes and confusion on assessment, this one takes the biscuit. So many of the secondary school leaders I’ve been talking to agree, and yet the government has recently reaffirmed its commitment to these additional tests. So much for listening mode.

The proposal is that any student who doesn’t achieve the expected standard at the end of primary will resit their SATs early in their first year of secondary school.

Securing the basics by 11 is essential if children are to access the secondary curriculum, but more high-stakes tests are not the answer; it feels like a policy of “If in doubt, test it”, which is a threadbare approach to raising standards. Additional tests in year 7 will increase teacher workload and drive a wedge between the primary and secondary phases. They will increase the burdens, particularly on those schools serving the most challenging intakes.