Dear Gavin Williamson, claw back some respect by pausing Sats, league tables and Ofsted | Michael Rosen

It’s time to listen to teachers and heads who are calling for primary tests to be suspended because of coronavirus

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I think we are getting a good picture of what kind of secretary of state for education you are. You completely messed up last year’s GCSEs. Now there are big question marks over whether you have made schools safe from Covid-19, with many parents afraid to send their children in. You’ve told schools they must do online teaching, without any extra money for it. To top it all, you and your schools minister, Nick Gibb, voted against Marcus Rashford’s idea of providing free school meals for hungry children.

Perhaps it is time to claw back some credibility. One way would be to start listening to teachers and headteachers who are calling for Sats to be suspended. They have also called for Ofsted inspections and league tables to be postponed because of the trauma on schools and children from the pandemic.

Related: Teachers urge suspension of English school league tables in 2021

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2HGlkdR