ASSESSMENT AND THE SELF-ESTEEM OF PUPILS WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

In a bid to improve performance and accountability, the UK government introduced the curriculum in all state funded schools and along came league tables and high stakes testing. This noble effort was meant to drive performance and help drive the goals for 'Every Child Matters'. But, at whose peril did the standards rise, if at all they rose? While this initiative improved performance and test results, it also brought with it a lot of teaching to test and a negation of teaching values as well as suffering to some pupils. More and more struggling pupils are now labelled as having low self-esteem. Is it not a case of a carpenter blaming the wood instead of his workmanship? Self esteem is a personality issue and there is no evidence to suggest that pupils performing poorly suffer low self-esteem or do they?