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Educational Assessment System Reform
15 October 2025
Lead MP
Josh Dean
Hertford and Stortford
Lab
Responding Minister
Georgia Gould
Tags
NHS
Word Count: 14618
Other Contributors: 19
At a Glance
Josh Dean raised concerns about educational assessment system reform in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The system should be reformed to provide flexibility and support for all students, ensuring a fairer approach to assessment where wellbeing and academic success are not at odds with one another.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Over a million pupils will have access to school-based mental health support, but exams are causing significant stress. Research shows that over 60% of GCSE and A-level students struggle during exam season, experiencing panic attacks or suicidal thoughts. Sixteen-year-olds in England spend approximately 31.5 hours sitting their GCSE exams compared to other countries like Australia, Canada, Poland, and the Republic of Ireland.
Hitchin
Emphasised the importance of integrated reforms to ensure every young person can succeed in school, highlighting that current system disproportionately impacts the most disadvantaged.
South Devon
Ms Voaden spoke about the importance of a holistic approach to education that nurtures social and creative skills alongside traditional subjects. She also mentioned the role of standardised testing in maintaining high educational standards.
Damian Hinds
Con
East Hampshire
Assessment is important but should not be overly stressful. Linear study and terminal exams provide consistency and comparability across the country, while SATs measure schools rather than pupils.
Al Pinkerton
LD
Surrey Heath
Agrees that reformed GCSEs have created stress and anxiety; suggests focusing on creativity and critical thinking skills instead of memorising curriculum.
Lauren Sullivan
Lab
Gravesham
Questioned the impact of a knowledge-based system on scientific inquiry and curiosity.
Georgia Gould
Lab
Camden North
Ms Gould emphasised the importance of creating an environment where assessments are seen as part of a wider accountability process and not individual pressure for children.
Helen Hayes
Lab
Dulwich and West Norwood
Asked about the unacceptable feature of around a third of young people leaving without recognised qualifications and discussed the need for urgent reform in post-16 education to stop cycles of demoralising failure.
Iqbal Mohamed
Con
Ealing Central and Acton
Discusses the need for an education system that helps every child achieve their best, criticising current assessment system for damaging young people's mental health. Mohamed supports the idea that exams are not an accurate measure of a child's ability, citing his own experience with university exams.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Acknowledges the stress associated with exams and emphasizes the importance of doing one's best while leaving room for God's intervention, reflecting on personal experiences and parental advice.
Jonathan Davies
Lab
Mid Derbyshire
Davies discusses the negative impact of endless resits on students' mental health and advocates for prioritising creative subjects to improve young people’s mental health.
Asked whether exam-related stress equates to severe mental health issues like panic attacks and self-harm.
Lee Barron
Lab
Corby and East Northamptonshire
Hosted a roundtable which revealed that 56% of 10 and 11-year-olds were worried about their abilities due to SATs, highlighting the need for lower-stakes assessments and trust in teaching professionals. Mr Barron argued that the pressure children feel is due to their awareness of upcoming exams, not necessarily how schools prepare them.
Stratford-on-Avon
Further education lecturers in her constituency are worried about the strain that current assessment methods place on students, particularly those with learning difficulties. She advocates for fairer and more flexible ways to assess student progress.
Rachael Maskell
Ind
York Central
Supports scrapping SATs due to mental health issues among young people. Proposes continuous assessment reflecting diversity in learning styles and portfolios of assignments for GCSEs. Ms Maskell highlighted that the current assessment system widens inequality and stifles social mobility, holding many young people back from opportunities they could have. Asks the Minister to consider how young people can develop portfolios around their learning, similar to professional development for adults, to map their educational journey.
Sam Carling
Lab
North West Cambridgeshire
Agreed that SATs are inadequate, noting secondary schools often retest pupils upon arrival due to lack of trust in SATs results. Hosted a 'Truth about SATs' parliamentary drop-in, highlighting how SATs exams harm children’s mental health; suggests focusing on broader understanding and skills instead of detailed knowledge. Expresses concern about employers indicating a lack of skills among young people leaving education and questions the effectiveness of current metrics.
Saqib Bhatti
Con
Meriden and Solihull East
Acknowledges the success of the current English education system but raises concerns about potential reforms that could undermine this success. Emphasises the importance of a knowledge-rich curriculum and rigorous assessment. Defended exams as necessary for high standards and fairness, addressing concerns about stress and mental health.
Sarah Hall
Lab/Co-op
Warrington South
Proposes assessing pupils' social and emotional development alongside academic progress to improve attendance, behaviour, and reduce exclusions. Calls for guidance around exam times and protection of the classroom environment.
Vikki Slade
LD
Mid Dorset and North Poole
The hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole highlighted the failure of the current assessment system, citing factors such as school inspections focused on pass rates, narrowing curricula, insufficient funding, increased mental health issues among students, and the impact of the pandemic.
Warinder Juss
Lab
Wolverhampton West
The hon. Member for Wolverhampton West raised concerns about the impact of school assessments on children's mental health and future life chances, mentioning that almost 20% of pupils in her constituency have identified special educational needs. She also noted that 96% of headteachers have expressed concern about SATs having a negative impact on pupil wellbeing. Juss agrees that exams do not test resilience and shares a personal story of exam stress lasting years after taking A-levels.
Government Response
Georgia Gould
The Minister for School Standards
Government Response
Stresses the commitment to high standards and ensuring no child is left behind. Discusses mental health support initiatives, including expanding mental health support teams to cover 60% of pupils by April 2026 and aiming for full coverage by 2029-30. Emphasises the importance of well-designed assessments in supporting young people's development. The minister reassured concerns about primary assessments, including SATs, noting that they help pupils build necessary skills but should not cause undue stress. They stated that schools must balance assessment preparation with providing a broad education and referenced Ofsted’s focus on inclusion.
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Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.