Sats exams ‘designed to be challenging’, DfE tells aggrieved parents and teachers

Ministry responds to reports of children upset and teachers baffled by reading test for 10- and 11-year-olds

Ministers have said that tests for year 6 pupils in England are designed to be challenging" after concerns from a headteachers' union that this week's Sats exams had left some pupils in tears".

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said some staff struggled to understand the questions and it planned to raise concerns about Wednesday's reading exam for 10- and 11-year-olds with the schools regulator, Ofqual.