To the editor
I wish to complain about the overt political bias over your reporting of the pupil strike regarding the SAT tests.This is not news simply bias as you do not give any opposing view.
Michael
local resident
editor reply:
Bay Life accepts that the stories published with regard to the local primary school strike organised by parents did not give an opportunity for an alternative view of SATS tests to be expressed.
Whilst we could not find any local headteachers that were prepared to go on record with an alternative view, nonetheless we did not express the view of the Department of Education that the new SATS test represents an opportunity for primary schools. At the National Conference of Headteachers (30 April), Nicky Morgan, Secretary of State for Education, said “I recognise the pressures this term brings in terms of assessments, but it’s because we, like you, want to continue raising standards for young people that we made changes to primary assessment”.
Not to have explained this view as part of any of these stories was a fundamental mistake. We accept what Bay LIfe reader Michael has said and apologise to him and other people in the local community that share his views, that our account of the local primary school strike was ‘biased’.
It was an error of judgement not to have included the point of view expressed by the Department of Education as part of these stories.
We accept that a fundamental mistake was made and apologise for the error.
