We are campaigning to make 2009 the last year of SATs because:

 teachers should be allowed to teach and children should be allowed to learn.

Campaigning to end SATs is the right and professionally responsible thing to do.

The NUT and NAHT’s national campaign calling on the Government to get rid of Key Stage 2 testing has gained a great deal of interest and support. People from all walks of life who have seen the damaging effect SATs have on the education of our children have joined our campaign. 10,000 people have now signed the NUT and NAHT’s petition calling on the Government to end SATs.

Michael Rosen, former children’s laureate, has spoken in this month’s NUT Teacher magazine, giving his backing to our campaign. His message to Government is, “Abolish SATs - they're utterly useless and they drive children, teachers and parents nuts”.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union, said;

“SATs are bad for education, bad for children and bad for teachers. They encourage teaching to the test, a narrowing of the curriculum and the unfair and misleading system of league tables.

“Getting so many people signing our petition is a clear indication that we are not alone in our concern about the detrimental effects that SATs have on our education system. I urge Ed Balls to listen to the many voices that agree with us that we must see an end to SATs.”

Mick Brookes, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said:

“Our members were very clear about what they wanted - a positive change to the assessment arrangements in Year 6 that will result in schools being held to account for the broad sweep of achievements across the whole school.

“We are determined that this year top primary pupils will receive a broad and balanced curriculum, unhindered by the mind-numbing rehearsal of past SATs papers, and that league tables are either abolished or at the very least become an irrelevance

The Government plans to require teachers to be re-licensed every five years from September 2010.

The NUT is lobbying:

• against this proposal and

• for the introduction of a minimum funded entitlement annually for teachers’ professional development

Show your support for our campaign by e-mailing your MP here.


Petition

The government plans to require teachers to be re-licensed every five years from September 2010.


Show your support for the professionalism of teachers by signing our online petition