Press Release

Over-testing is sucking the fun out of learning, says new ATL president

1 September 2008

From the moment they walk into pre-school until they leave after A-levels children are tested to death, and that sucks all the interest and fun out of what they are learning, according to Andy Ballard, incoming president of the 160,000 strong Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).  

Mr Ballard, who lives in Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, taught general science and biology to A-level in a secondary school in Somerset for 22 years has been the ATL branch secretary for Somerset since 2001.

He said:  “Over-testing just gets in the way of good and creative teaching and fulfils no useful function.  From the moment they walk into pre-school until they leave after A-levels children are tested to death, and that sucks all the interest and fun out of what they are learning.

“I believe a lot of the bad behaviour in schools is a result of boredom due to over-testing and the constraints this put on what and how children are taught.  Teachers need to have the freedom to be like the youngest pupils – wide-eyed with enthusiasm because everything is strange.

“Teachers care passionately about the well-being of their pupils.  They go into teaching because they want to make a difference to children’s lives.  So they get deeply frustrated when children get turned off school and become disruptive because they are fed up being tested.”

Mr Ballard added:  “During my presidency I want to champion looked after children and those from deprived backgrounds.  They start off at school at a huge disadvantage and fall further behind with each passing year.  We know there are no easy solutions, but we must not give up on them.  Every wasted potential is a rebuke to all of us.”

Andy Ballard is only too well aware of the deterrent effect of low salaries on attracting and keeping good teachers in the profession.  After a couple of years teaching he left school and worked in retail and banking jobs because he found it difficult to survive on a teacher’s salary.  He will be fighting ATL’s corner to make sure teaching salaries do not fall behind and continuing the pressure to get the pay gap closed for further education lecturers.