Education ministers 'in a time warp' as headteachers prepare for a Sats boycott

Headteachers accused ministers of "declaring war" on schools today by refusing to abolish Sats, amid fears of another marking fiasco within weeks.

Britain's biggest heads' union, the National Association of Head Teachers, is threatening to boycott primary school tests in a joint campaign with the National Union of Teachers to force Children's Secretary Ed Balls to change his mind.

The NAHT said ministers were "stuck in a time warp" and claimed the Government's "intransigent" attitude was forcing the country's most senior school professionals into drastic action.

A national boycott of next year's Sats would cause serious disruption to schools and make league tables impossible to compile. Ministers claim such action could be illegal.

The threat comes 10 days before 600,000 children sit their Sats tests in primary schools across England.

Unprecedented marking problems last year forced results for all pupils to be delayed.

Four London primaries never received their results and there are already signs of difficulties this year. Test papers delivered to one London primary school were apparently left in the playground overnight after a passer-by was asked to sign for them. They were only discovered in a box by the headteacher the following day.

The unions believe Sats revision takes up too much time in class and piles excessive pressure on children and teachers, damaging the quality of primary education.

Mick Brookes, NAHT general secretary, said delegates at the union's annual conference in Brighton would vote this weekend on whether to ballot members for a national boycott next year: "We don't want to go there. But do we want to continue to administer something that we know is disrupting children's education?

"The Government appears to be stuck in a time warp. These tests should be consigned to the past.

"A letter from (Schools Minister) Jim Knight to an MP said Sats were 'here to stay'. That sounds like a declaration of war to me."

The Government has commissioned a group of experts to review Sats, but Mr Balls hinted recently that Sats for 11-year-olds could remain with some relatively minor tweaks.