Primary school children’s understanding of science is harmed by the way England’s testing system holds schools and teachers to account, reports say.

Two reports for The Wellcome Trust charity said the "high stakes" nature of tests led to the drilling of pupils rather than teaching for understanding.

The researchers said tests had a negative impact and called for a new approach to science teaching.

The government said there was no evidence testing had a negative impact.

One of the reports, by Durham University’s Peter Tymms - a long-standing sceptic about claims of rising standards - said many argued that school league tables based on national test results were harmful to education.

School science "should foster a sense of curiosity".

‘Foster curiosity’

"The results are therefore ‘high stakes’ and pressurise primary teachers to teach to the test rather than encourage them to teach for conceptual understanding, even if the tests themselves are designed to encourage clear thinking," he said.

"Despite the pass rates in public examinations later in secondary school, research suggests few students acquire a proper understanding of the science curriculum."

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