Children are left in TEARS by reading tests that one teacher claims is the hardest EVER set by the Government

Teachers claimed today's reading test was the 'hardest ever' (file picture) 

Teachers and parents today condemned the 'hardest ever' reading test imposed on hundreds of thousands of 10 and 11 year-olds, reporting some pupils were reduced to tears by the exam.

Almost 600,000 children sat the reading test this morning in the first example of exams on a new tougher national curriculum.

After the test was complete, teachers took to the Times Educational Supplement forums to protest at how hard the SAT was.

Parents took to social media to vent their fury describing their children as 'crying, shaking and terrified'.

There were even reports of some children being unable to finish their exams due to their tears during the test. 

One teacher said: 'That was, without doubt, the hardest reading test I've ever seen. Unbelievable. I'm so angry right now.

'That has completely demoralised a number of children in my class. It wasn't even like the sample paper they released. Much harder.'

Another added: 'The texts weren't so bad but the questions and the wording of them (vocabulary etc) was like something I have never seen before.

'I'm staggered.'

The TES reported another as posting: 'The questions were ridiculously hard from the start and I had a child in tears within five minutes, because in her words, ''I don't understand the questions''.

'This wasn't even a less able child.'

Another teacher claimed: 'Children who had succeeded previously in the 'sample' test were sobbing! More able not finishing.

'If ever a test was set up to prepare children to fail, this was it.'

The test was intended to be harder than in previous years and the Government had said it was at a level met by around 80 per cent of pupils.

Parents expressed their anger on Twitter about the exams after their children came home from school. 

Katie K wrote: 'My daughter said the children in her class sat their Sats (sic) today, some were crying, shaking, terrified, the gov needs to rethink.

King's Lynn and West Norfolk Tory councillor, Sandra Squire, tweeted: 'Ever seen a 6y old in tears as they think they're stupid as they can't pass a test? When you have come back & tell me sats are important.'

Felicity Baumflough added: 'Don't think it counts if they only threw up at home, as ours did. And tears aren't THAT important, are they? #SATS' 

Teachers posting on the TES forums suggested the level was higher than what the government had said.

But a Department for Education spokesman told the magazine today: 'The 2016 reading test was developed in the same way as the sample test.

'Trialling of the 2016 test showed that the difficulty of the paper was broadly similar.

'These tests should not be a cause of stress for pupils ‎- they help teachers make sure children are learning to read, write and add up well.

The Government was also under fire over SAT exams for younger children last week as around 2,000 pupils were withdrawn by parents in protest 

'The truth is if they don't master literacy and numeracy early on, they risk being held behind and struggling for the rest of their lives - we are determined to prevent this by helping every child reach their full potential.' 

The Government met further protests on SAT exams last week as almost 2,000 six and seven-year-olds were withdrawn by their parents from other tests. 

Critics claim testing the children in Year 2 is causing mental health problems - while some parents say their children are being 'set up to fail' so the Tories can force through its academies plans.