The Midlands and more tests

Working in the Midlands last week with Keynote presentations in both Leicester and the University of Warwick Science Park. At such meetings I always take the opportunity to meet and discuss with School leaders their individual challenges. The sheer professionalism of colleagues in the face of adversity is remarkable. The Government is sensible in providing more freedom and flexibility for school leaders to raise standards. What it must not do then is to ramp up the already overpowering accountability regime of OFSTED and SATs with the further distortion of the curriculum which will follow a high stakes reading test for six year olds, and an English Bacc for 16 year olds. Colleagues in the much vaunted Finnish Education system are able to work with children and young people who do not have to undertake an external test until the age of 18 years.