Thousands of students have sat the first round of NAPLAN exams today despite fierce debate about the testing continuing.

NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes has called for the literacy and numeracy examination to be scrapped but the government isn’t giving an inch.

Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School principal Andrew Hill tells Ben Fordham we shouldn’t be forcing young children into these “high stakes” tests.

“In our view, age nine is about when they’re ready to be formally tested.

“Even doing that, it’s best to do it in a classroom setting by a professional teacher rather than some high stakes testing like this.

“In these early years, it’s really quite inappropriate as a testing tool.”

Principal Hill says a different assessment tool is needed, with large-scale exams like NAPLAN making educators teach to a test.

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