Sometimes an idea comes along that is so distasteful, so against all that you believe to be right, that you have to stand up and say “No”. If the Government is planning to implement that idea as a policy, then if you do not say NO, you basically say yes. The idea of resits in Year 7 can only do damage to children, cause grief for teachers and schools, cost lots of money, deepen the recruitment crisis, and it doesn’t do anything useful either. Oh, and parents will hate it. It’s a policy answer, in search of a question that doesn’t exist. If, when we are faced with such a situation, our response is to lay down and say “okay, we’ll do it because we have to”, then we have become the servants, and our political representatives have become the masters. The idea of a ‘listening’ government is a nonsense. If the petition, and the tweets, and the blogs don’t work, then I think the unions and the head teachers need to stand firm. Why on earth would schools comply with a policy that is unworkable and a waste of time?
If you think SATs resits are a bad idea, please sign this petition. Please let’s resist resits. With all our might.