Ministers should pause Sats and all statutory assessments in primary schools in England to give children time to catch up on lost learning, a coalition of headteachers, parents and MPs has said.

And the planned introduction of the controversial baseline assessment for four- and five-year-olds should be postponed, according to a report published today by the More Than A Score campaign group.

A YouGov survey of 2,012 parents in England with children aged 4 to 11 suggests that only 15 per cent think spending time preparing for Sats should be included in a “catch-up” programme for pupils.

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More than two in three parents (67 per cent) would prefer the programme to include children taking part in activities not available during lockdown - such as group sports, outdoor play and drama, the poll shows.

Call to pause Sats and other primary school assessments

The findings came after Sats in England’s primary schools had been cancelled for the second year in a row.

But the statutory introduction of the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) - a new one-to-one assessment for pupils in Reception - is due to take place from September, after it was delayed by a year owing to Covid-19.

Only 11 per cent of parents surveyed said they were unhappy that their children were unable to sit Sats or other statutory tests this year, according to the report.

A separate poll of 230 primary school leaders in England suggests that only 4 per cent think that preparation for Sats and other statutory assessments should be part of a recovery plan for primary schools.

Chris Dyson, a headteacher at a school in Leeds, said: “No Sats this year will see an additional two months of learning time. This is what we would all like.”

The More Than A Score report calls for statutory tests to be dropped during the 2021-22 academic year to give primary schools and pupils the time required to bridge any learning gaps caused by the pandemic.

It also calls on the government to pause the introduction of the RBA, as well as Sats and all other statutory assessments in Years 1, 2, 4 and 6 - including the phonics and times tables checks.

The calls for action have been signed by a cross-party group of MPs and peers, writers, including Michael Rosen and Jamila Gavin, and hundreds of headteachers, academics and education experts.

Alison Ali, a spokesperson for More Than A Score, said: “Everyone’s talking about catch-up and lost learning. At More Than A Score, we say there’s a simple solution for primary schools: don’t bring back Sats and the other assessments children have to sit in five out of seven years.

“Cancelling them for two years has had zero negative impact. Keeping them out of schools will give teachers and children the time they need to bridge learning gaps and focus on wellbeing.

“Change to the system is long overdue and any focus on true recovery is incomplete without an acknowledgement of this.

“The chorus of parents, heads, children, unions, MPs and dozens of organisations working in the field agree: the time has come to turn the page on the current primary assessment regime.”