Teachers in boycott threat

TEACHERS are planning to boycott Standard Attainment Tests (SATs) in schools in an attempt to force the Government to abolish them.

Joint action is proposed by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the National Association of Head Teachers against the controversial exams taken by seven and 11-year-olds.

Key Stage 3 tests sat by 14-year-olds have already been scrapped after a marking fiasco last summer which saw millions of pupils receive their results late or not at all.

Tony Harrison, joint branch secretary of Oldham NUT, said: “We think the same logic should apply to youngsters in primary schools, even more so than in secondaries.

“Unfortunately, the Government won’t listen to the argument which we think we have won hands down.

“SATs stop real education, they force schools to teach to the test. In some schools they stop doing what we would call proper education for months in advance so they can teach pupils to pass the test.

Alternative

“It restricts the curriculum, it restricts creativity and it stops education being exciting. It’s a bit like driving. The driving instructor teaches how to pass the test rather than drive.

“We think the boycott will happen over the next year, especially given that we now have head teachers on board.”

Mr Harrision said it was important that schools were monitored, but believes there is a better alternative.

He added: “One way is through normal teacher assessment which would assess the children throughout the year rather than in a one-off test.

“In order to check that’s being done properly, every year a certain number of schools would be sampled and tested, rather than sampling the children.”