Government claims SAT exams that 'left 10-year-old's in tears' are 'supposed to ... trends now

The Government has defended SAT exams that left 10-year-old's 'in tears' by saying they are 'designed to be challenging' - despite an open revolt from parents and schools.

One head teacher said the English reading test included 'GCSE-level' questions, with some pupils unable to finish the paper.

The difficulty of the exams has fuelled a debate among teachers and parents about the purpose of SATs.

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said the tests were 'designed to be challenging'.

The government previously pledged it had worked to ensure that 'all tests are appropriate'.

The Government has defended SAT exams that left 10-year-old's 'in tears' by saying they are 'designed to be challenging' - despite an open revolt from parents and schools [File image]

But according to the BBC, when asked for further comment on the English reading paper, the DfE said SATS had to be hard in order to 'measure attainment across the ability range, including stretching the most able children'.

The government advised that details of the content of the test paper should not be published until all Year 6 pupils have had the opportunity to take it.

Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson, head teacher at Anderton Park Primary School in Birmingham, claimed it was 'heartbreaking' to see children struggling to get through the reading paper.

Mrs Hewitt-Clarkson, who has two daughters who have recently taken their GCSEs, said: 'I'm not a secondary English teacher, but... some of those questions were definitely of that level. It's just unfair.'

The difficulty of the exams has fuelled a debate among teachers and parents about the purpose of SATs [File image]

The government said it converts children's raw test scores into 'scaled scores' so that tests can be compared.

Davina Bhanabhai, a writer from Leeds, said her daughter was 'really flustered' by the English reading paper on Wednesday.

'Children came out feeling distraught, anxious and stressed,' she said.

Standard Assessment Tests, or Sats, are tests that children take in Year 6, at the end of Key Stage 2.

'One size does not fit all for 10 and 11 year-olds': Fury over 'disgraceful' SATs exams which 'left kids in tears' as parents and teachers call for tests to be abolished... so could YOU answer these questions?

By Laurence Dollimore

Fury is growing among parents and teachers today after 'incredibly difficult' questions in this year's SATs left 'even the most able pupils broken and in tears'.

Labour MP Mary Kelly Foy said young people 'shouldn't have to go through this' following hundreds of complaints over the reading examination questions, which even some staff reportedly struggled to answer.

Children aged 10 to 11 are sitting the milestone tests this week, which are statutory assessments taken by youngsters at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

Teachers across the UK are now calling for the abolition of the SATs after witnessing how 'tears flowed' and 'stress levels rose' as students sat the reading exam.

Vice President of the NAHT Head teachers' Union Simon Kidwell told Good Morning Britain on Friday that it was 'very disappointing' to see the tests were causing 'such distress' among pupils.

Fury is growing among parents and teachers today after 'incredibly difficult' questions in this year's SATs left 'even the most able pupils broken and in tears'

There have been hundreds of complaints from both parents and teachers, with one union claiming that even some staff were left dumbfounded

Parents and teachers branded the exams a 'disgrace' as they take to social media to vent their frustrations overnight and this morning.

One wrote: 'SATs testing a disgrace... one size does not fit all for 10 and 11 year olds.'

Another father said: 'Yesterday, my daughter sat her yr6 reading exam and was shaken by the experience.

'Fortunately, she is resilient; more resilient than an 11yo should have to be.

'I can only imagine how this paper will have impacted pupil confidence and attainment in the subsequent maths exams.'

Labour MP for Durham Mary Kelly Foy appeared to join calls for the exams to be scrapped.

She tweeted: 'SATs get in the way of teaching, but they also put children under extreme pressure.

'Young people shouldn't have to go through this.'

It came after staff said that this year's reading exam was more difficult than previous tests and was 'not accessible' to the 'wide range of experiences and backgrounds' among pupils.

The SATs have previously come under fire from both parents and teachers, who feel it's unnecessary to test children at such a young age and not a fair assessment of their overall abilities.