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Northern headteacher praised for reassuring pupils on ‘useless’ SATs exams
‘Whatever happens during SATs week does not shape your future one little bit’
A Northern headteacher has been praised for a letter he allegedly sent out to pupils reassuring them that their upcoming SATs exams were ‘useless’.
A post shared onto the Facebook page Mum in the Moment shows an email sent out to Year 6 pupils by Chris Dyson, the headteacher at Parklands Primary School in Leeds.
This is the first time SATs have been held since before the Covid pandemic in 2019, with the government saying they decided to go ahead with the exams to ‘provide vital information to parents about their child’s attainment, support the transition to secondary schools and identify where additional support is best target to individuals’.
While these exams have been criticised in the past for putting unnecessary pressure on children, stress amongst students after two years of disrupted education is higher than ever.
So, in his email, Mr. Dyson offered a little reassurance to all pupils about to sit their SATs by pointing out that the exams ‘do not shape your future one bit’ and reminding them to ‘just try your best’.
The email read: “Dear Y6 children, whatever happens during SATs week does not shape your future one little bit.
“Just try your best, smile and look forward to climbing a tree, playing football, singing, dancing, cooking or reading when you get home.
“After all the disruption you have had over the past three years, my heart goes out to you sitting these useless exams.
“Sadly the Government say you have to do them so we have no choice. We can, as teachers, head teachers, be there for you if you feel anxious – so talking is good.”
The post has since had over 1,000 reactions, with countless parents praising the headteacher for his kind and progressive words.
One mum wrote: “They are useless my daughter got GCSE targets as F due to her SATS – yet this week we attended her Master’s Degree Graduation”.
Another commented: “Absolutely fantastic! What an inspirational headteacher!”
A third noted: “Amazing, couldn’t agree more. We should celebrate each child’s achievements what ever they are and stop making them feel bad when they don’t make the SATs grades. Let’s raise happy, healthy children.”