A HEADTEACHER has assured Swindon parents that their children will not be disadvantaged by a national boycott of academic tests.

Plans for headteachers to boycott Sats tests for Year 6 primary school pupils next month have been announced following a vote by teaching unions.

Goddard Park Primary School headteacher Mike Welsh, who is vice president of the National Association of Headteachers, said there is considerable support for the move in Swindon.

He said: “Parents are still going to be informed where their children have progressed to, secondary schools will be given information on where the children are at, the teachers know where the children are.

“We spend £23 million on Sats – why don’t we use that on more teachers?

“We got rid of Sats for 14-year-olds and no-one noticed, this is the last piece in the jigsaw puzzle.”

The action is supported by two teaching unions the NAHT and National Union of Teachers (NUT), but not by the NASUWT.

The NAHT has said there will be no coercion to persuade headteachers who do not want to take part.

During the tests – due to be taken between May 10 and May 13 – exam papers will remain locked in the cupboards and students will either complete old exam papers or spend the day learning.

Mr Welsh argued that Sats took up unnecessary teaching time, caused unnecessary stress for pupils, were often mismarked and did not fairly reflect pupils’ performance.

“The boycott will improve Swindon children’s learning, we’re doing it one for our children and two for school leaders,” he said.

“We have lost very good headteachers in Swindon following Sats.

“We have got to properly prepare children for secondary school by having more teaching time.”

Churchfields School teacher Peter Smith, secretary of Swindon NUT, said he had not spoken to one teacher who wanted to keep the Sats, which he said added to teachers’ workloads.

“The Sats have distorted education for the sake of a test that generates no useful information,” he said.

“Hopefully the Government will see sense.”

The proposed boycott follows a ballot in which 61.3 per cent of NAHT members voted in support the boycott, from a turnout of just under 50 per cent.

From a turnout of 34 per cent of NUT members, 74.9 per cent voted in favour.