‘Secrecy’ blamed for P1 testing anger as MSPS begin inquiry.

Rollout of national policy blamed for ‘political frenzy’ around assessments

Parents have blamed the “secretive” rollout of national testing for the political frenzy surrounding the policy.

The National Parent Forum of Scotland (NPFS) said the Scottish Government’s reluctance to share information on the controversial assessments at the outset allowed “fear and anxiety” to spread.

MSPS begin their inquiry into Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSA) tomorrow after parliament voted in September to scrap them for the youngest pupils. Education Secretary John Swinney refused to do so and instead launched an independent review of the tests for four and five-yearolds, which also starts this month.

Fife Council last month defied Mr Swinney by voting to scrap the P1 tests.

The NPFS criticised the approach taken by Holyrood, which it said left parents in the dark over why SNSA is needed, saying: “We acknowledge, but still dispute, the Scottish Government’s reason for not highlighting the SNSA rollout to parents.

“But, as the NPFS made clear at the time and we then saw earlier this year, when there is a vacuum of information it allows fear and anxiety to spread.”

The literacy and numeracy tests were introduced in 2017 for pupils in P1, P4, P7 and S3, with the aim of helping teachers judge a child’s progress.

Politicians and unions raised concerns about the time and resources consumed by the P1 tests, as they say a play-based approach to learning is required. There have also been reports the tests have caused stress and anxiety for pupils.

In its submission to the Scottish Parliament inquiry, the union EIS said it was “truly baffled” by the fixation with standardised tests, saying: “There is a strong evidence base to suggest that large-scale standardised testing is an inhibitor of equity, and of student wellbeing which is inextricably linked to young people’s ability to make good progress in their learning.”

However, the Scottish Government said in its submission: “By expanding that evidence base and by providing diagnostic information to teachers and schools to help them tailor future teaching and learning, the SNSA are a key part of that reform and improvement agenda.”

When there is a vacuum of information it allows fear and anxiety to spread

John Swinney has come under fire from parent and teacher groups regarding SNSA assessments.