Star of BBC sitcom Motherland Anna Maxwell has signed an open letter to the Government saying SATs leave children with special educational needs and disabilities convinced they are ‘not clever enough’
Actress Anna Maxwell Martin has joined a group of parents to warn that primary school tests have “devastating effects” for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Actress Anna Maxwell Martin has joined a group of parents to warn that primary school tests have “devastating effects” for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
The star of BBC sitcom Motherland has previously spoken out about her personal experience navigating the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system in England, describing it as a “gauntlet of horror” and a “crisis”. Now along with 22 parent groups and campaigners, she is calling on the Education Secretary to reconsider reforming primary SATs.
They are delivering an open letter to Bridget Phillipson on Tuesday which says the current SATs system “actively harms” children with SEND. They say these tests leaves them often disengaged from school as they move on to secondary.
READ MORE: Dad whose son left school due to bullies has now been threatened with finesREAD MORE: Parents warned of major school changes with attendance targetsChildren with special educational needs are left feeling not clever enough by sats(Image: PA)
The large proportion of children with SEND who failed SATs “spend their entire year 6 convinced they are not clever enough”, the open letter states. “They feel they don’t belong. They try harder every day, but the odds are so stacked against them that the weight of it all eventually breaks them,” it said.
Ms Maxwell Martin, 48, a mum of two, who also appeared in Line of Duty, said: “The Government needs to look much harder at how to make things better for children in schools, particularly children with SEND.”
She called for a more inclusive approach that recognised children’s mental health and individual needs. She said: “This is a systemic failing within our assessment system, not the fault of any individual teacher or headteacher.”
In 2025, some 24% of children with SEND passed their SATs by meeting the expected standards in reading, writing and maths. The Government said last week, in its response to the curriculum review, that it had “no plans to radically change the shape” of primary tests.
Anna Maxwell Martin starred in Motherland a BAFTA winning BBC comedy(Image: BBC/Merman/Natalie Seery)
It was announced there would be changes to how writing was assessed, and grammar and punctuation and more support for children with SEND to access phonics in year 1 to improve their reading, but only minor amendments were suggested to year 6 SATs. The letter signatories said the current SATs system narrowed the curriculum and encouraged teaching to the test.
Polling of 520 SEND parents whose children did not reach the expected standard in SATs found two-thirds (67%) said SATs results negatively impacted their child wanting to go to school. Half also said their child’s self-esteem was damaged, and that they believed SATs would have a lasting negative impact.
The polling was carried out by Omnisis for campaign group ‘More Than A Score’. The open letter says: “Forcing children into a system that actively harms them is not the answer. Changing the system so that our children want to attend is.
“The run-up to secondary school is already a vulnerable time. Just when we want to work with schools to build confidence, SATs dismantle it-leaving self-esteem and nervous systems in tatters. Too many children leave primary school disengaged from learning, carrying only a badge of failure for all their efforts.”
The Government had been expected to set out its reforms to the SEND system this autumn as part of the Schools White Paper. But Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced recently that this would be delayed until 2026 to allow more time to test reform proposals with families as well as teachers and experts.
SEND parent Kirsti Hadley, from consultancy and campaign group Generation Alphabet, said: “Ahead of the Schools White Paper, Bridget Phillipson has said she wants to listen to parents, especially parents of children with SEND. So, we are saying loud and clear: think again about SATs.
“Forcing children into a system that actively harms them is not the answer. Changing the system so that our children want to attend school is.”
When asked to comment A DfE spokesperson said: “Primary tests and assessments play a vital role in helping schools ensure every pupil can achieve and thrive, while also identifying those who need additional support. The government’s independent, expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review panel contributed to the reform of our national curriculum, and included a SEND expert.
“We are actively working with parents and experts to improve support for children with SEND, including through more early intervention to prevent needs from escalating and investing £740 million to encourage councils to create more specialist places in mainstream schools.”
