London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 25, 2025

Year 6 Sats: Children 'distraught' after reading paper

Year 6 Sats: Children 'distraught' after reading paper

Parents and teachers of Year 6 pupils say a Sats reading paper was so difficult it left children in tears.

One mother told the BBC that her child, who loves reading, was unable to finish the paper.

A head teachers' union said even staff had struggled to understand the questions, and it would be raising concerns about the paper.

The Department for Education (DfE) said it worked to ensure that "all tests are appropriate".

Some parents said on social media that their children were "distraught" after the paper, which is part of a series of national curriculum tests known as Sats.

A head teacher in Cheshire wrote to her MP calling for Sats to be scrapped after her primary school pupils were left "broken".

Jill Russell, from Cumbria, said her daughter, Pashley, was "very close to tears" when she picked her up from school on Wednesday.

Pashley, who is autistic, loves reading and is the subject ambassador for English in her school. She had been worried about Sats, but reading was "the one she was least concerned about".

Pashley (l) is a keen reader, says her mum Jill (r)


"She usually ends up having a lot of extra time left over, and she said 'I don't think I got to the end of the paper.... I didn't understand a lot of it. It didn't make sense'," Ms Russell said.

"It's definitely made her more anxious about going back in today [Thursday]."

Ms Russell thinks it is "good, in a way, to have some kind of tests" before GCSEs and thinks Pashley's school is "fantastic", but feels that schools in general are under too much pressure to perform well in Sats.

"It kind of feels like they're being taught how to pass the test, as opposed to being taught, and then the test is an addition," she said.

The government has advised that the content of the test paper should not be published until all Year 6 pupils have had the chance to take it.

Sarah Hannafin, head of policy for the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said the union was "very concerned" about the paper.

"Members have told us that the choice of texts was not accessible for the wide range of experiences and backgrounds children have and the difficulty was beyond previous tests, leaving children upset and with even staff struggling to understand the questions," she said.

She said the NAHT would raise the concerns with Standards and Testing Agency, which delivers assessments, and Ofqual, England's exams regulator.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said the Sats this week had been "a punishing experience for many pupils and staff".

She said that children who do not meet expected standards in results this year "will take this demotivating label with them into their secondary schools".

"This is not a system that is concerned about children and their learning. There are better ways of assessing pupils," she said.

A DfE spokesman said Key Stage 2 assessments "play a vital role in understanding pupils' progress and identifying those who may have fallen behind".

"Our test development process is extremely rigorous and includes reviews by a large number of education and inclusion experts and professionals, including teachers, and we trial tests with hundreds of pupils over several years to ensure that all tests are appropriate," he said.

"It's important that schools encourage pupils to do their best, but preparing for these exams should not be at the expense of their wellbeing."

Last year, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected levels in reading, writing and maths - down from 65% in 2019.

The national curriculum tests were cancelled in 2020 and 2021.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
×