Separating primary school children in preparation for SATs could be ’damaging’

A fear of poor SATs results is driving headteachers to separate pupils by ability despite the impact on children's self-esteem and confidence, according to a study by UCL researchers. The findings, published in in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Sociology of Education, provide new evidence of a high-stakes culture around testing where some pupils are prioritised above others and physically segregated from them. The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) study, which included an online survey of 288 heads of primary schools in England and 20 in-depth interviews with headteachers, shows that more than a third (35%) said SATs were the reason for grouping children into different ability sets for English, and just under half (47%) said the same for maths. Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) are used to assess a child's educational progress and form the basis of school league tables. The most significant in Key Stage 2 take place in May of the final year of primary education (year 6). For this type of testing, the focus of recent research has been largely international, not on how schools and pupils in England are affected. The paper shows evidence of three approaches used towards separating children in relation to SATs.