New school tests. 63% of parents already confused says survey


TODAY Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg unveils plans that could see children as young as five face “baseline” tests when they start reception as part of a new push to support pupils.

According to a new survey, 63% of parents of school age children are not satisfied with school data that is currently available. Understanding test results is a major complaint with two thirds of parents polled expressing confusion over existing levels and measures.

Victoria Bond, founder of SchoolGuide.co.uk, an online resource that puts official school data at parents’ fingertips, says adding further tests to the national curriculum will create more confusion. “Introducing a whole new set of tests will only serve to make parents feel more perplexed about how their child is actually performing. We all understand what an A grade means at GSCE or A Level but what about a 4b SATs result or a Value Added Score that is meant to tell us whether our child is making sufficient progress?

My own five-year-old recently came home with an end of term report sheet that simply said, 'Expected.' What exactly is expected? The new plans suggest he would sit a 15-minute long test at a computer. I am hugely sceptical that this is meant to benefit him."

The survey conducted by Usurv polled 1,000 participants of parents of children aged five to 18 in full time education. 38% of parents also said they wanted to find school information in one place rather than trying to decode spreadsheets and tables on the Department of Education’s website.

School Guide makes finding information on schools as easy as ABC according to the BBC. The website puts essential school data from official government sources in a colour coded format and helps parents find the best school for their child.