Government says appraisals help schools

The controversial assessments for primary one pupils were introduced across Scotland last year.

They have since faced criticism from teachers and parents, as well as teacher’s union the Educational Institute of Scotland .

Opposition parties believe the tests are not in line with playbased learning and risk putting too much pressure on children at too young an age.

However, the Scottish Government has insisted that the outcomes of the exams are not high-stakes and they help schools to assess whether children might need extra help in their earliest years of education.

A review by the Scottish Government of the first year of the standardised assessments concluded that questions in the tests were “stage appropriate” and said there were no plans to change their range or difficulty at the primary one level.

The tests ask pupils questions on a variety of subjects, including maths, literacy and identifying animals.

The assessments are carried out using a multiple choice computer exercise, designed specifically for five-year-olds.