UK school pupils face most exams in the Western world

Headteachers yesterday demanded an end to the Government's testing and targets regime, calling for time to be set aside for pupils to have more fun in the classroom.

Delegates at the National Association of Head Teachers' conference in Bournemouth warned that children in England were the most tested in the Western world, facing at least 30 tests or exams during their school life.

They called on ministers to end their obsession with the "three T's", testing, targets and league tables. This, they said, was turning UK children into the unhappiest in the West, according to Unicef, the UN children's charity.

David Tuck, president of the Naht, told the conference: "We must remind the Government what education is all about. Children learn when they enjoy things. Giving us more than an initiative a week to implement detracts from the real purpose of education."

Mr Tuck, headteacher of Dallow primary in Luton, Bedfordshire, added: "This Government needs to allow teachers time to teach and develop proper relationships with children. I'm not saying we can do away with basics but there must be more than the three Rs."