New York Times text featured in 'middle class, scary' Sats test

A primary school Sats paper that reduced some pupils to tears included texts adapted from a New York Times article on a giant bat colony, a camping trip featuring sheep rustlers, and aboy on a remote Scottish island who hears a wolf.

- Sally Weale 

The 12-page reading test, featuring three substantial texts followed by 38 questions to be answered in an hour, was sat last week by 10- and 11-year-old pupils in year 6 in England, and was widely criticised by teachers and parents, who complained it was too difficult. Even children who excelled in practice papers were unable to finish the test.

The paper was published yesterday "due to public interest".

"Utterly miserable, scary and quite middle class," was the verdict of Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson, the headteacher of Anderton Park primary school in Birmingham. "Most of my kids, English is not their first language, but they're strong readers. They devour books, and yet this is how they will be judged," she said.