SOME have questioned how much testing schoolchildren should undergo during their education suggesting it leads to unnecessary stress.
In my view the pressure on many pupils today is not the fault of the examination papers but the atmosphere they are surrounded by both at school and at home.
Huge pressure caused by the impression that everything depends on excellent grades comes not from testing itself but by the way in which some schools, and particularly parents, try to guide them.
My parents always encouraged me yet always said that as long as I tried my best that was enough for them to be proud of.
Contrast this with some of the pushy parents on Child Genius and you see the real cause of the problem.
It comes from good intentions so it’s easy to understand why they push, but it does not produce the best outcome.
The education system must be class-blind, colour-blind and blind to everything apart from talent.
Tests allow us to tell pupils apart so they find the most appropriate path in life and to highlight where further help is needed to get them ready for the workplace, hence we should not be afraid of them.
Let’s have state, teacher and parent trade the current obsession with targets and academic success for a more relaxed, practical and philosophical approach.
Dr Scott Marmion, Woodthorpe, York
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