NEW classroom assessments for Scottish schools left pupils "drowning", according to an official survey.
Research by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said pupils were at risk of "collapsing" under the burden of the new workload.
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The survey of pupils and staff was overwhelmingly negative on the impact of the new national qualifications with 88 per cent of teachers saying internal assessments had "worked badly".
The SQA report identified a "huge concern about the volume of unit assessments" across all subjects with one teacher commenting "there is never an escape".
Worryingly, most teachers did not think that the assessments improved teaching or learning and instead viewed them as "just something to get through".
Parents have contacted some schools to warn that the extra pressure was endangering their children's mental health with one pupils saying he felt like he was "drowning".
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Overall, teachers largely saw the Curriculum for Excellence in secondary school as being driven by assessment despite the fact it was supposed to do the opposite.
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union said: "It is clear that the assessment regime is not working and is unsustainable in its current form.
"The SQA has spent five months confirming to themselves what people have already been telling them for the past year. If they had spent that time actually dealing with the issue we would be a lot further on."
An SQA spokesman said: "We have already introduced various measures in the areas for which we have responsibility, including changes which directly address the unit assessment related issues.
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"We are confident that the measures SQA has put in place will alleviate workload concerns arising from assessment, re-assessment and the recording of evidence while, at the same time, maintaining the standards and credibility of our qualifications."
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