The TES campaign against the tyranny of testing appears to be paying off - at least as demonstrated by the remarks of the chief executive of the QCA reported in today’s paper (June 29).

However, why is it that the government and its senior advisers only react when they are confronted with the excesses of assessment at secondary level - as witnessed by the inquiry into AS levels and by David Hargreaves’ suggested framework for secondary qualifications?

The really pernicious effects of testing are felt much earlier on in children’s education when they are learning what kind of person they are and how far their abilities are valued.

As the Jesuits might have said “Test a child until he is seven and I give you the man” .

Professor Colin Richards
Spark Bridge,
Cumbria