Union urges teachers to disrupt tests

'Civil disobedience' is the only way to stop 'damaging' Sats, says NAHT chief

The leader of Britain's biggest headteachers' organisation says "the time has come for civil disobedience" in primary schools in order to scupper next year's national curriculum tests.

The comments by Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, were made ahead of union members voting at the weekend on a ballot to boycott the tests for Britain's 1.2 million seven and 11-year-olds.

The move, which has been unanimously agreed by the association's executive, is almost certain to be passed at the annual conference in Brighton and would be the first time the headteachers' organisation has ever balloted its members on industrial action.

In an interview with The Independent, Mick Brookes said the organisation had been calling for the abolition of Sats since 1995. "After 14 years, you can't keep on doing the same thing – you have to do something about it," he said.

"If people don't vote to boycott the Sats but just shout about them they'll be there for ever more.

"I don't want to over-egg the pudding but there have been times in history where there has been civil disobedience.

"If it hadn't been for civil disobedience, women may never have got the vote. If it hadn't been for civil disobedience, India may well have not got its freedom. If there hadn't been civil disobedience, people wouldn't be free to ramble across parts of the countryside.

"It may be that the time has come now for civil disobedience in schools to save pupils from the damage caused by the tests."

The heads believe the tests have led to a narrow curriculum – which is a result of too much coaching to pass them to ensure a good position for the school in league tables.

Mr Brookes' comments follow a government warning that action by headteachers to scrap the tests could be illegal. They also come on the day that the Government is to unveil the results of its inquiry into the primary school curriculum.

Sir Jim Rose, the former Ofsted inspector who headed the inquiry, has referred to the tests as "the elephant in the room" that people he consulted wanted him to address. However, the remit given to him by Schools Secretary Ed Balls precluded him from declaring a verdict on them.

In his report, Sir Jim is expected to stick by a plan to declare that children should be allowed to start schooling in the September term after their fourth birthday.

This comes despite criticism that the majority of teachers believe that is too early an age to begin formal schooling. However, Sir Jim believes the change will help overcome the problem of summer-born children falling behind in exams.

His report will also back a more flexible approach to the primary school curriculum – although insisting that technology should be upgraded and put on an equal footing in the timetable with the core subjects of English, maths and science to avoid creating a "digital underclass" who do not have access to IT.

However, the Conservatives produced figures to show that three million youngsters had failed to reach the required standard in both English and maths tests at 11 since Labour came to power. Opposition ministers are urging ministers to stick to a strong subject content in the curriculum as a result of the review.

Mr Brookes is adamant that the Rose inquiry should have been able to tackle the issue of the Sats and is also worried that an "expert group" set up to review testing by Mr Balls has been similarly hamstrung. It is due to report its conclusions next month.

Members of the National Union of Head Teachers have already voted to hold a ballot on a boycott next year.