18/09/2009

Teachers May Boycott Tests

Teaching staff may refuse to work on primary school testing.

Their unions are to consult embers on whether they would back a boycott of England's national tests.

Head teachers' union the NAHT and teachers' union the NUT want the government to scrap national tests, or 'Sats', for primary pupils.

They argue such tests damage children's learning and should be replaced by internal teacher assessments.

However, Ministers said a boycott of statutory tests would be irresponsible and disruptive to pupils.

Nevertheless, both unions passed resolutions at their annual conferences, earlier this year, pledging to take joint action to boycott the tests if they were not scrapped.

Now the National Union of Teachers said it will hold what it calls an indicative ballot, which will ask whether members would support a boycott if another solution is not found.

The National Association of Head Teachers is also to test the opinions of its members in a survey, before deciding on whether to ballot for a boycott.

Already, 10,000 people have signed a petition by two teaching unions calling for "mind-numbing" Sats to be scrapped in England.

(BMcC/GK)

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