Young people need the government to be ambitious on assessment reform
4 min read
The Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is a vital opportunity to tackle a major cause of the youth mental health crisis.
This summer, another cohort of students finished their exams, with many left feeling overwhelmed, anxious or uncertain about the future. I believe we need a fairer, more supportive approach to assessment, to make this experience positive rather than traumatic. With the final report on the Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review due this autumn, we have an opportunity to listen to young people and rethink how we measure success, so we can break the link between exams and poor mental health.
I was politcised at school, witnessing my friends’ struggle to access Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and through experiencing my own mental health challenges. However, conversations with young people, families and teachers in my constituency have shone a light on just how widespread the youth mental health crisis has become. That’s why I hosted YoungMinds in Parliament to launch their Missing the Mark campaign, which echoes my call for bold reform of the assessment system, bringing MPs together to reflect on these challenges and how we can tackle them.
We’ve seen a sharp increase in the number of young people with a probable mental health condition, with 1 in 4 now in England struggling and rates amongst 16 – 24 year olds up by over a third in the past decade. I’m pleased the government is taking meaningful steps to address this challenge. This year, nearly a million more young people will benefit from school-based mental health support as part of Labour’s plan to provide universal support by 2029/30, and 8,500 new mental health workers are being recruited across the NHS.
As the government improves support for those struggling, the Curriculum and Assessment Review presents a vital opportunity to address one of the key drivers of the youth mental health crisis: our high-stakes, exam-heavy assessment system.
YoungMinds’ research reveals the profound impact exams are having on young people’s mental health. Over 60 per cent of GCSE and A Level students struggled to cope during exam season, with half having trouble sleeping and 1 in 4 experiencing panic attacks. Students reported that exams and academic pressure were having a greater impact on their mental health than social media.
I was struck by the experiences of Year 6 pupils taking SATS, with over half saying they were left questioning their abilities for the first time. A system that has such an impact on 10 and 11-year-olds cannot be right. There must be a better way to drive high standards without placing the burden of accountability on children at such a formative age, and we must rethink our approach to primary assessment.
The last major review of the assessment system took place over a decade ago, long before the current peak in the youth mental health crisis. That review placed greater emphasis on end-of-course exams, reduced coursework, removed modular qualifications and restricted opportunities for resits. What we’re seeing now is the fallout of these changes: a much less flexible system putting added pressure on young people and contributing to a deepening mental health crisis.
As we prepare for the review’s final report, we must seize the opportunity to get this right for young people. A more balanced, multi-modal approach, reducing the dominance of high-stakes exams and restoring the role of coursework, could allow students to showcase a broader range of strengths, support their wellbeing and better prepare them for life beyond school.
We cannot ignore the impact the assessment system is having on young people’s mental health. By embracing ambitious reform, we can tackle one of the key drivers of the youth mental health crisis and build a fairer system that supports both well-being and academic success.
Josh Dean is the Labour MP for Hertford and Stortford.
