Mountpleasant Primary School in Dudley made the move after its head, Gail Bedford, became concerned about how her youngest pupils were coping. She said, 'I have become quite concerned over the last two years in particular about the experience that Year One pupils have been having. It is not an exaggeration that some children are becoming quite stressed.'
Mrs Bedford, a teacher for 36 years and headteacher for the past 19 years, said that while the Foundation Stage curriculum was less formal and more child-focused, the Government's need to meet its own literacy and numeracy targets was forcing Year One children into a rigid and formal learning environment which is stifling creativity. She said, 'We try to give children confidence and experiences that will not stress them. What we have from the Government are a culture of testing and compartmentalising of children's progress at the expense of creativity.'
Mrs Bedford emphasised that while she wanted SATs at seven to be scrapped she is not opposed to assessment, but wants it to be done less formally.
Language and early years consultant Marion Whitehead welcomed the move. She said, 'There is a very powerful lobby among educators to get rid of Key Stage One SATs. I am delighted that this school has realised children are being pushed too soon.'
Early years consultant Margaret Edgington said a number of schools in England were now taking the same route as the Dudley school. 'The Foundation Stage has shown people how important play is in early learning.
It's particularly important for the development of their writing because it is in playing with each other that children develop storylines,' she said.
'There has been too much emphasis on thrusting a pen into their hands at an early stage, and not enough attention paid to developing what they have to say.'
The Dudley school's development of a child-focused approach was given impetus by a successful lottery bid three years ago which helped to create a children's centre at the school to actively engage families in their children's learning from a very young age.
Mrs Bedford said she was confident that the strategy would pay off. 'If we can engage families with children at six months old and get the learning experience right at six years old, then we shouldn't have to worry about booster classes in Year Six for literacy and numeracy.'
Responding to the Dudley school's stand, a spokesman at the Department for Education and Skills said, 'Learning through play is one of the key principles of the Foundation Stage. We welcome innovative approaches to help ease the transition of children through their early education.
'Although schools must follow the statutory requirement to cover the programme of study for each national curriculum subject, there is nothing to prevent schools from using creative and play-based methods to deliver it.'