New education chief called spelling tests ‘draconian’, newly resurfaced comments reveal | Politics | News

Britain’s new education minister has spoken out against spelling tests for primary school teachers and called on teachers to encourage creativity in their students instead.

In comments that have resurfaced since he took control of the education brief, he also criticized that children could be at risk of failing some GCSE exams if they make spelling mistakes.

It has now been revealed that he once described spelling tests as “cruel” and suggested the tests were being used to “micro-manage” teachers.

His own post online attracted comments from Tory rivals, who republished it with additional comments highlighting an error in the first line.

It has now been revealed that the new education boss criticized compulsory spelling tests at primary school level in an interview with Tes seven years ago.

He specifically targeted spelling, punctuation and grammar (Spag) tests, which are still compulsory in his current education system and which the Conservative Party introduced in 2013.

“With testing and the data-driven approach, the pendulum is starting to swing a lot in the other direction,” he told Tes.

“There were concerns in the past that you would be able to achieve this. [to] Do whatever you want, teach whatever you want, that’s covered.

“But ridiculous Spag exams in primary schools, or students failing exams if they get a few things wrong, have gone too far.”

The new education chief said in that interview that tests were taking the “joy” out of education, adding: “It’s becoming overly prescribed and micromanaged. And it’s the same for teachers. Some of the joy is gone.”