**TL;DR - Children have too many tests in school resulting in unnecessary stress and pressure which can lead to severe mental health issues.** Many studies show the damage of extensive testing such as SATs on children. A survey by the National Education Union in 2016 found that 89% of those who completed the survey thought that testing was the biggest cause of pressure in children. A survey of primary school headteachers found that 80% see an increase of mental health issues among children during testing period and national tests with some children suffering from panic attacks and sleeplessness. [1][2][3] The NEU surveyed 730 education staff working in early years, primary, secondary, sixth-form colleges and FE colleges and found, overall, that more than half (56%) of pupils’ mental health issues are leading to self-harm, 45% reported pupils having eating disorders, and 48% said pupils were having panic attacks. According to 82% of respondents, tests and exams have the biggest impact on the mental health of pupils. Sixty-seven per cent said they feel it is due to pressure from schools to do well.[4] These beliefs are gaining popularity. A petition to abolish SATs has been signed by 49,000 parents. With this growing rate of mental health issues among children, the priority in school needs to be the child’s health and happiness and not academic tests. Testing only suits a small minority of individual’s yet all children are forced to take tests. This can have a big impact on children who do not test well as they thrive in a different environment and can lead to a massive lack of self-confidence and worth in children as they grow. Instead of prioritising the child’s health, the message seems to be that children should be resilient and ‘toughen up’. This sentiment is contrary to parents' views. A survey by YouGov of 2028 parents found 73% of parents surveyed think children are under too much pressure because of government testing. 44% believe SATs had a negative impact on their child’s well-being and almost one in three believe they affected family life negatively. Additionally, this report has found that 63% of parents surveyed believe happiness is the most important factor for their children in school. Additionally, only 12% believe schools should be measured by these standardised tests. The most important factor for parents is how happy pupils are at school, cited by 63% of parents in the survey. In sharp contrast, only 12% believe schools should be measured on the basis of standardised tests taken under exam conditions. [5] Resources: [1]https://reclaimingschools.org/2019/06/07/primary-school-tests-and-childrens-mental-health/ [2]https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/may/01/sats-primary-school-children-suffering-stress-exam-time [3]https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/sats-exams-tests-mental-health-children-endangering-learning-house-commons-education-committee-a7711276.html [4]https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/pressures-school-making-pupils-suicidal-neu-survey [5]https://www.morethanascore.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Parents-research.pdf

**The amount of tests in secondary education in England can and has negatively impacted children’s mental health.** When taking their GCSEs, consisting of around 10-20 individual exams, this can no doubt be a stressful time. A lot of pressure is placed on the importance of excelling in exams and less so on the acquisition of knowledge and enjoying time at school. Having gone through the system myself, revising for 22 exams took the enjoyment out of school and was preoccupied about the future instead of being appreciative of the present and being young. In 2018/19, Childline offered 2,795 counselling sessions about exam stress specifically, a third of these taking place in April and May (the time when most GCSE pupils sit their exams) According to [Childline] (https://www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/news-opinion/2019/young-people-struggling-cope-exam-stress/), some of the young people’s concerns including disappointing their parents, fear of failure, excessive workloads and lack of motivation. Others reported suicidal ideation and self-harm. These statistics are from the year before the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, which saw a major shift in how pupils were examined. GCSEs were cancelled, which some saw as a relief and others felt disappointed that their hard work was going to be wasted - for example this article in [Young Minds] (https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/how-im-coping-with-exams-being-cancelled/) reflects both of these perspectives It will be interesting to see if there will be any significant reform in education post-covid, especially as the last year has shown that teachers and schools can be more adapting, and whether any considerations will be made for the mental health of pupils sitting exams.

**The amount of tests and the *kinds* of tests given in school negatively impact children’s mental health.** * The points made before me laid out great statistics and facts surrounding how tests impact child mental health. In addition to the sheer number of tests, the kinds of tests given also need to be considered. * Standardized testing, for example, implies that every child should have a certain amount of general knowledge and should possess the ability to fill out the answers to a set of questions. While there are sometimes [accommodations](https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iep-assessments/) for children with learning disabilities, standardized tests suggest that there is an average intelligence-level that students should be achieving. These types of tests put pressure on students to perform well, lest they be considered less intelligent than their peers. * Tests are often conducted in silent classrooms under observation. This type of environment can be extremely anxiety-producing for certain children. [Talking out loud](https://hbr.org/2017/05/talking-to-yourself-out-loud-can-help-you-learn) can actually help individuals learn and possibly perform better on tests. The environment in which tests are usually taken is hostile to different learning types, even for students without learning disabilities. * Physical tests, such as the [FitnessGram PACER test](https://fitnessgram.net/pacertest/), [the mile run](https://sites.google.com/a/petk12.org/phspe/fitness-testing/mile-run), and the [shuttle run test](https://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/shuttle-30ft-agility.htm) can be extremely isolating to children who may not participate in sports or simply happen to be slower runners than others. These tests can also worsen [children’ body image](https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/body-image-report/childhood). * Testing should be limited in both numbers and variety to promote a safer and more comfortable environment for children to learn in.

**Testing is a necessary evil in gauging a student's progress.** Stress and anxiety are concerning side effects to test taking. However, there are a few key reasons why it's unavoidable, including: → [Advancement](https://gradehub.com/blog/testing-to-improve-learning/): When conducted properly, research shows that testing actually boosts learning and encourages better studying methods among students. → [Assessment](https://mrbartonmaths.com/resourcesnew/8.%20Research/Memory%20and%20Revision/10%20benefits%20to%20testing.pdf): Testing is crucial in identifying a student's strengths and weaknesses. Without the insight these tests provide, it would be harder to discern which areas students struggle with most, and there would be no effective alterations to lesson plans addressing these problem areas. → [Application](https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/testing-can-be-useful-for-students-and-teachers.html): Recalling information helps students remember specif information and improves retention. A [recent study](https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.14-11-0208) found that the retention rates from testing were higher in comparison to studying. Testing is difficult, but it's meant to be for a reason. Constructing educational obstacles provides the opportunity for students to do well and therefore excel, but also to perform poorly and in return get the help they need.