A year ago this week, my then 11 year old was about to go through one of the hardest weeks of his school life. Even though he has dyslexia and anxieties, he had to sit the KS2 SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) English papers, and the maths SATs tests. He was as prepared as he was going to be, and there was no pressure at all from home. We know from the experiences of his big brother that exam results aren’t everything, and even not so good results can actually lead to better than good situations. So, off he went with a heavy heart, and my day (and my week) was spent trawling social media for hints of how good or bad the tests had been.

Social media was full of horror stories of how the top students had ended up in tears as the test was so hard, that the reading age of the comprehension was higher than expected, and that there were ambiguous grammar questions that could have more than one answer. My heart dropped each day, and each day I waited at the school gates with a smile, a hug and something sweet to each (for each of us).

His results were, actually, really good, above benchmark in everything apart from spelling. In a strange way, I think his SEN and barriers helped; he went into the exams with no expectations except that this was going to be the week from hell. He thought they were going to be hard, and they were. He thought that there would be words he had no hope of spelling, and there were. He thought that the reading was going to be ridiculous, and it was. Therefore he was not shocked or stunned when he opened the paper. He just knuckled down and got on with it, got through it, and did very well.

Facebook memories, and posts by friends, informed me this morning that it was SATs week again. I don’t know how much the tests have changed since last year, and I don’t know if the science SATs have been introduced, as we are now Y7 parents, and I teach year 12+.

Facebook and social media posts, and walking through the corridors at work this morning also informed me that this week is Mental Health Awareness week.

If it hasn’t clicked, let me make the ironic connection obvious.

SATs and Mental Health Awareness are the same week.

At a time when mental health is decreasing in school age children, and when there is an increase in primary school children who are being treated for depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, when agencies such as CAMHS is incredibly overstretched and underfunded, we need to take a moment and take stock of what we are doing to the younger members of society.

We make them go to school 5 days a week, 37(ish) weeks a year. From 5 they have some form of testing. At 7, where if they were in Finland they would still be learning through play (see yesterday’s post for more info),  they have government tests. At 11 they have tests that many adults (and many teachers if they are honest) would struggle to pass, and then they go off to secondary school where they now face a new grading system in line with the new GCSEs, and as the schools are under more pressure to hit the benchmarks, so are the children.

In my opinion, more testing does not make a better education system. More homework does not make a better education system. More pressure does not make a better education system. Making teachers work more and more hours ticking boxes and preparing for more tests, does not make a better education system.

All these do is increase the stress in our schools, and increase mental health issues in children, young adults and teachers (who are leaving the profession at an alarming rate).

A further irony within this subject, is that I have booked my students onto tests this week – 4 took them this morning, another 3 will take tests tomorrow, and 4 on Wednesday. The difference is that I haven’t put pressure on them, and I have waited until they were ready before I booked the test. And I have said to all of them that if they don’t pass, in the big scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter.

My priority this week is going to be mental health – my children’s, my students and my own. Mental health is far, far more important than grades, and that’s what I’m going to focus on.