Prominent actor Anna Maxwell Martin has joined forces with 22 parent groups to issue a stark warning about the devastating effects of primary school tests on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
In an open letter to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, the coalition demands an urgent reform of the standard assessment tests (SATs), arguing the current system actively harms vulnerable pupils.
A System That 'Actively Harms'
The letter, sent on Tuesday 18 November 2025, states that the rigid testing framework actively harms children with SEND, often leading to disengagement from school as they transition to secondary education.
Maxwell Martin, known for her roles in Motherland and Line of Duty, emphasised this is a systemic failure, not the fault of individual teachers. She urged the government to look harder at making schools better for all children, particularly those with SEND.
Damaging Research Findings
Research cited by the SEND parent groups reveals alarming statistics. It found that only 24% of SEND children passed their SATs.
Furthermore, a significant 67% of SEND children did not want to attend school because of the tests. The impact extends beyond the classroom, with half of the parents surveyed reporting their child's self-esteem was damaged, believing SATs would have a lasting negative effect.
The open letter powerfully states: Forcing children into a system that actively harms them is not the answer. Changing the system so that our children want to attend is.
Broader Criticism of SATs
The criticism extends beyond the impact on SEND pupils. Lee Parkinson MBE, a primary school teacher and education consultant from Manchester, argues that SATs are a negative process for all children, not just those with SEND.
He told Sky News that SATs were never designed to support learning, labelling them a blunt accountability tool used to beat schools with, rather than help teachers understand children.
Mr Parkinson elaborated, claiming the tests are built to catch pupils out. Speed is rewarded over understanding, and memorisation over genuine thinking. This approach disadvantages many children, but for those with SEND, the gap becomes a chasm, as processing speed, anxiety, and working memory difficulties are not accounted for.
He added that for many SEND pupils, real success involves communication gains and emotional regulation, which SATs fail to measure. Instead, the tests label, limit, and distort their progress. The letter also highlighted that children with SEND who fail SATs spend Year 6 convinced they are not clever enough.
Calls for an Urgent Rethink
Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at the school leaders' union NAHT, said there is an urgent need for the government to rethink the value of SATs. She stated that if tests must remain, they must be accessible, recognise all children's progress, and not cause distress.
In response, a Department for Education spokesperson defended the tests, stating they play a vital role in helping pupils achieve and identifying those needing support. They pointed to the government's Curriculum and Assessment Review panel, which included SEND experts, and highlighted a £740 million investment to create more specialist places in mainstream schools.
