Rather than testing every 11-year-old, Prof McGettrick advocated taking a 5% sample of a cross section of pupils from different backgrounds – either on a school or geographical basis.
He said: “You would still be able to measure performance, but it will stop the narrowing of the curriculum. At the moment headteachers are nervous wrecks thinking about these tests.”
Peter Price, chairman of the National Primary Headteachers' Association and head at St Christopher’s primary, Speke, said he supported the scrapping of Sats and sampling of children could work – if based on submitted assignments and not tests.
He said: “Sats figures make no allowance for age, some children are nine months apart, they make no allowance for socio-economic factors and they narrow the curriculum as schools live for the tests.”
The NAHT and NUT stress in the event of a boycott their child’s progress will still be accurately recorded and given to secondary schools.
The government has pledged to include teacher assessment of pupils’ achievement alongside Sats data in performance tables.
Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said: “I am very disappointed that NAHT and NUT think a boycott is in children’s best interests.”
