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Answered by Fabian Hamilton

I think we will have 'end of secondary school' tests for the foreseeable future. Employers and other education institutions need some objective  information about the diligence and competency of the people... Show more »I think we will have 'end of secondary school' tests for the foreseeable future. Employers and other education institutions need some objective  information about the diligence and competency of the people  applying to them. Young people themselves need goals towards which they can work. I also think we need reliable measurement at the end of the primary stage but I am not persuaded of relying solely on teacher assessment. For standards to be universal teacher assessment would have to be closely moderated and that is very expensive and would take out of the classroom many hours of teachers time. My broad brush solution is for the Key Stage 2 tests to continue but for them to be marked by the teachers in the schools as part of a revised teachers' contract. That process would need checking but at least pupils would be sitting the same papers. I would not allow any repeat testing to be done by secondary schools on pupils as soon as they are admitted. I am also worried about the abolition of KS3 SATs for pupils aged 14. Secondary years are precious and we must be sure that schools intervene early if pupils fall behind. I am not sure we can yet rely on idiosyncratic school assessment methods in all cases to spot, in time, pupils who are not making expected progress. Show less »