Sats boycott vote date announced

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Head teachers have turned up the heat on the government in England, announcing a date for a ballot on a boycott of this year's Sats tests.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the NUT teachers' union will vote from 15 March, weeks before the tests are due to be taken.

The NAHT says it is frustrated and saddened that attempts to reach an agreement with ministers have failed.

The government says a boycott of the tests would amount to a breach of duty.

The tests - in English and maths - are taken by 11-year-olds in England and are used to draw up the primary school league tables.

Both unions have carried out what they call "indicative ballots" of their members to gauge the likely support a ballot on industrial action over the Sats would bring.

At their annual conferences last year, delegates voted for a ballot on a boycott if efforts to persuade the government to change the system failed.

The other big teaching union, the NASUWT, is against a boycott.

Mick Brookes, general secretary of the NAHT, said that of those who took part in his organisation's indicative ballot, 94% said they wanted to see the system changed.

Turnout was 41%.

Mr Brookes said: "That is a massive show of confidence that we are doing the right thing."

The two unions had been talking to the government and hoped ministers would agree to take more account of teachers' assessments of pupils achievements.

Pilot schemes along these lines are under way.

Following a successful ballot return, action would be taken to frustrate the administration of Sats - it would absolutely not be strike action Christine Blower, NUT

Mr Brookes said: "We are saddened that, despite us putting forward a number of alternatives to the current assessment regime, ministers have not been prepared to make the necessary changes required to protect our colleagues from the current uses and abuses of statistical data drawn from unreliable and inaccurate tests."

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Following a successful ballot return, action would be taken to frustrate the administration of Sats - it would absolutely not be strike action.

"Children would be taught in school as normal without taking the tests in the week commencing 10 May 2010."

The government has said it is very disappointed with the decision and says a boycott of the Sats would amount to a breach of statutory duty.

The unions argue that the tests adversely affect their members' terms and conditions of work.

In a statement they said: "The use of publicly available league tables, based on the result of these tests, have negative consequences for the pay, tenure and career progression prospects of our members".

It is understood this would be their legal argument if the matter went to court.