Teaching unions ballot members on Sats boycott
Published Date: 26 January 2010
Teaching unions were on a collision course with Schools Secretary Ed Balls over Sats tests today after announcing they are to ballot members on a boycott.
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said they were "saddened" that the Government had failed to respond to their calls for the tests to be abolished.
National curriculum tests - known as Sats - in English and maths are taken by 11-year-olds in their final year of primary school.
The unions are now pressing ahead with plans for a full ballot of members after indicative ballots at the end of last year showed widespread support for a boycott.
Any action would be highly embarrassing for the Government as it is likely to fall around the time of the general election.
Both unions say they have put forward "clear and positive alternatives"
to the current testing system.
NUT general secretary Christine Blower said: "The lack of a positive response from government is disappointing. We want to avoid industrial action and call upon the Government, even at this late stage, to enter into meaningful talks."
The unions said the aim of any industrial action would be to "frustrate" the administration of the tests, which are due to take place during the week beginning May 10. There will be no strike action, they said.
Children will go to school as usual but, instead of taking the tests, will have a normal teaching week.
Both unions said they give parents an "absolute guarantee" that their child's progress will still be accurately reported by schools taking part in a boycott, and the information passed on to secondary schools.
NAHT general secretary Mick Brookes said: "We have put forward a viable and professional alternative which would have improved the assessment process and ensured that no child leaves the primary phase with incorrect grades.
"The current system has resulted in thousands of children moving to the next phase of their education with misleading information about their ability. It has also led, quite unjustifiably, to schools and their communities being labelled as 'failing' with the consequence of damaging recruitment of head teachers and worsening their working environment."
Ministers have said any move towards a boycott is "irresponsible" and insisted that any industrial action would be unlawful.
In the NUT's indicative ballot, which saw a turnout of just under 25%, 76% of responding members said they would support a boycott.
And the NAHT's first survey of 22,000 members showed "strong support" for a boycott.
The two unions originally passed resolutions at their annual conference last year, proposing the action if the tests are not scrapped
They want to see Sats replaced by teacher assessment and argue that the tests are bad for children, teachers and education, and cause unnecessary stress.
They also want to see school league tables abolished.
In November, Mr Balls left the door open for Sats to be scrapped when he announced that teacher assessment of pupils' achievement will be published alongside Sats data in achievement and attainment tables in future.
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