In a survey of 1,200 teachers and headteachers, nearly three quarters (72 per cent) said that they did not think Year 2 children should be doing the phonics screening check this term. The main reasons cited were ‘added pressure at an already difficult time’ and that it is ‘not necessary to use a statutory assessment to understand children’s level in phonics because teachers already access it’.
Just one in four teachers (25 per cent) believed it provided any useful information on how well children could read, and only 13 per cent thought it had a positive impact on their teaching.
Almost half (43 per cent) of teachers said the tests caused additional stress for pupils, particularly at a time when they were settling back in after lockdown.
One teacher described the process as, ‘Depressing that I’ve been forced to put year 2 through the wringer, when they’ve had such a terrible year and were so pleased to be back.’
A high proportion of teachers, 82 per cent, also said that the test has caused additional stress for them.
One teacher commented, ‘We have SATs stress and phonics stress and six months of catching up stress.’
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