SATs week: 45% of school children scared they’ll be “embarrassed” by their results

Emma Finamore
15 May 2018

Nearly a quarter said they couldn’t concentrate on their work because they felt so under pressure, with 15% worrying their friends would get better marks.

Placeholder — Research has revealed SATs exams leave 45% of British school children anxious.

In the same month as SATs week, new research has revealed the exams leave 45% of British school children anxious, as they fear being “embarrassed” by their results.

A poll of 1,005 pupils who took their Key Stage Two SATs last year shows increasing numbers of children are becoming weighed down by exams – with nearly a quarter admitting they couldn’t concentrate on their work because they felt so under pressure.

AllAboutSchoolLeavers also explored the growing trend in anxiety and stress among school children last month.

Worryingly, the research lead by Kellogg’s, showed that the majority (41%) of the children struggled with their tests describing them as ‘quite difficult’ and nearly one in ten (9%) said they were ‘very difficult’.

Sadly it would appear that peer pressure also comes into play for studying children, with around 30% of 10-and-11-year-olds surveyed across the UK confessing their biggest concern was being embarrassed by their results, with 15% worrying their friends would get better marks.

Parents also play a big role in stress when it comes to getting top marks: nearly 40% of kids described their biggest worry during their exams as letting their parents down.

All this means children pay the ultimate price when it comes to happiness, as many (22%) studying for their SATs exams felt it drove them to no longer ‘enjoy learning’.

Deputy head, Katy Quilter, Windmill and Low Road Music Federation, which houses Windmill Primary School and Low Road primary school, in Leeds, said:

“I do worry about the pressure that pupils of 10 and 11 years old face with these formal statutory tests. Our teachers make sure that they get the best out of the pupils and that means not putting unfair and undue pressure on them. We explain that these tests are their chance to show off how much they have learned throughout Key Stage 2.

“We work very hard to ensure that our children know that they are worth much more than just a set of results and we also celebrate their talents and successes in the wider areas of the curriculum that aren't tested, but it is difficult.

“To help the children cope with stress we have had to put on a special breakfast club, to allow the children to have a calm start to their day. It also provides us adults a chance to chat to any of the pupils on a 1:1 basis who we know get particularly anxious. It's an informal, relaxed time for the pupils to chat to their friends and the adults in order to get the nervousness and anxiety out of the way before we start the formal tests.”

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