SATs will disappear from school curriculum for seven-year-olds from 2023

Pupils in English schools will no longer have to sit SATs at age seven, the government has confirmed.

The national curriculum assessments - which are taken by more than half a million children every year and test skills in reading, writing, maths and science - will no longer be required from 2023.

The government will also no longer require submission of teacher assessments which are testing pupils' maths and reading skills at age 11, because SATs for 11-year-olds already offer a probe of relevant skills.

The decision to scrap the tests comes as part of a review of primary school tests, but it will also introduce new tests as the SATs at age seven are phased out.

A baseline assessment at the beginning of their school career will allow the Department for Education to track pupils' progress up until they leave primary school.

This will allow the government to monitor the performance of schools, the Birmingham Mail reports .

Ministers have also confirmed plans to introduce a times table test, for children who are eight or nine, in 2019.

It is part of former education secretary Nicky Morgan's plan to teach all children multiplication tables up to 12x12 by the time they leave primary school.

But children will be tested on "fluency in mathematics" two years younger than originally planned, meaning pupils' multiplication skills will be assessed in Year 4 instead of Year 5.

Education Secretary Justine Greening said: "These changes will free up teachers to educate and inspire young children while holding schools to account in a proportionate and effective way."

But Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: "The reception baseline assessment and multiplication tables check will be of no educational benefit to children and break the promise not to increase the assessment burden on primary schools."

Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: "The decision to make SATs for seven-year-olds non-statutory in favour of a new reception baseline assessment may well be met with trepidation by some, but it is absolutely the right thing to do.

"Under current accountability arrangements, the hard work and success of schools during those critical first years is largely ignored.

"If designed properly, these new assessments can provide useful information for schools to help inform teaching and learning while avoiding unnecessary burdens on teachers or anxiety for young children."

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