#24 Children are worth more than a piece of paper

Today we sent home our reports. And with them...SATS results.

In my class, the children broadly fell into 4 categories.

The majority worked hard and got the results they deserved.

A very small minority didn't work hard (despite high levels of support) and got what they deserved - poor results.

An even smaller group didn't work as hard but managed to pull off good results against my expectations.

Finally, some children worked hard but didn't  get the grades they were aiming for.

It is this final group who I feel for the most. The truth of the matter is, some children test well, and others don't. I watched one girl crumble under the pressure of the Mental Maths test. She picked things up in the written paper but didn't  get the Level 5 she deserved. So she, like a couple of others, we're left with a Level 4, which up until recently was seen as a good grade.  Now it's just average. Some children see that as a failure, which is probably due to the burden of expectation from schools, parents, and yes, although I hate to say it...teachers too.

As I write this,  I know that practically the whole of Y6 will be talking in a secure internet chat room about their results. For some, there will be celebration. Others will feel crushed.

I'm  not against testing. I think it does develop character. But it doesn't work for all children. Six years of primary schooling should not be summed up by a week of tests under pressure.

Before they left this afternoon, I talked to my class, fully aware that some did not 'perform' (a horrible word) as well as they might. I told them how much we valued them as children rather than valuing their test scores.

And I can honestly say that I have seen the best of the children in my class over the last fortnight - not in classroom activities, but in our Y6 production of Joseph, and our residential trip to East Barnby.

Here, I have witnessed their confidence grow; their relationships flourish; their level of challenge increase; their creativity set free; and their laughter flow. They have been doing what children should be doing.

No test could ever make up for that.