This is the email we sent to the headteacher at our 5-year-old's school. I urge all parents of primary school children in the country to do the same.
Dear X
I hope you are well and enjoying every aspect of your busy life.
I'm writing to run something by you about the Phonics Screening Check for 5-6 year olds.
Having thoroughly researched this test, we would like to opt out, but would like to understand whether there will be negative consequences of this action - either for you and the school, or for M. We would appreciate your guidance on this.
This is not about M (or, later, M2), as he finds phonics fun, and they happen to work for him. This is about children everywhere, and about teachers. The opt out is for these reasons:
1) Children of five and six are too young to be told that they have 'failed' at anything. Infancy should be a time of possibility, potential and curiosity. Tests quash all of these.
2) Teachers are the experts, not politicians. It is unacceptable that such directives are issued to experts by politicians and bureaucrats.
3) Phonics don't work for every child. They may work for some (including M), but there is no reason to elevate children like him above children who tend more towards sight recognition or, indeed, children who have not yet been able to read at all.
4) Time and resources spent drilling children for the test would be better spent on other things, such as art materials, books and extra support for slower learners.
We don't want to cause any problems for you. We have every faith in all the staff of Y and love the school with all our hearts. We know that F, and others, don't need this test to tell them how the children are doing. They already know, just as you, as Head, already know how your teachers are doing.
We're doing this for the children and in solidarity with teachers and teaching unions, whose voices the government has ignored, and will continue to (try to) ignore.
We're inspired by the actions of parents in New York State who, after teaching unions were ignored in their calls for a boycott of standardised tests, decided to boycott it themselves.
Please do tell me if this will cause problems for you. I realise that even reading this email has caused you extra work and inconvenience, and we apologise for that.
Warm wishes
Alex and E