The proposals were published in a policy document, Wales: The Learning Country, last week. It was described by Jane Davidson, minister for education and lifelong learning, as 'the first comprehensive strategic statement on education and learning in Wales covering the whole age range from early years to adulthood'.
A Welsh Assembly spokeswoman said the proposal to introduce a less formal curriculum for three-to seven-year-olds and the abolition of SATs at seven was influenced by Ms Davidson's study of approaches in other European countries. She said Ms Davidson felt that children are being pushed into formal education too young and that early testing did not indicate a child's true development, while evidence suggested that teacher assessments and test results were often the same.
Abolition of the tests would not require primary legislation, but the changes to the curriculum would entail more training.