English children "most tested"

Primary school children in England are tested more heavily than most other developed countries.

A ‘testing culture’ means pupils face more testing, in more subjects, from an earlier age, a report by the Cambridge-based Primary Review found.

Comparisons were made with 22 other countries, including the Netherlands, France and Japan.

Children who start school early were also discovered to be at a disadvantage.

Those beginning at the age of four sometimes found the experience stressful. They performed less well all the way through education, and achieved lower grades at GCSE.

Primary schools in England were also found to be larger than in other countries, with an average of 224 pupils.

The Structure and Content of English Primary Education: international perspectives