The Hertfordshire Division of the NUT have launched the statement below as part of a campaign for a SATs boycott. Jon Berry, Secretary of Herts NUT, is asking colleagues to

1. Put their NUT Division or Local Association name to the document.

2. Ask for the signatures of: Heads of English, Maths and Science in secondary schools; headteachers; teachers of years 2 & 6 in primary schools; school governors.(Signatories should email their name and position to secretary@hertfordshire.nut.org.uk)

3. Pledge a small amount of finacial support to this campaign (cheques payable to "Herts. NUT" with "SATs campaign" on the reverse, posted to Herts NUT, 61 Cambridge Road, St. Albans, AL1 5LE).

The Hertfordshire Statement

SATs do not benefit children. School life has now become so dominated by these tests that the curriculum has been narrowed down and the experience of children severely limited. Despite the best efforts of teachers, the joy of learning and the thrill of discovery have been curtailed because of an anxious need to perform well in league tables. Exploration, creative writing, experimentation and extended private reading can, without exceptional vigilance by schools, give place to rote learning, repetitive exercises and practice tests.

SATs do not tell teachers, children or parents anything that they do not already know but they do encourage a rigid practice of teaching towards tests. Teachers are more than capable of making professional assessments about a child's progress - and all teachers use tests, in the right place and at the right time, to help them make these judgements.

SATs are a symbol of everything that is currently wrong with the education of our children. Instead of allowing young people to develop at their own pace and find out where their talents and abilities lie, the government's need for the generation of data means that they are shunted through a system where they are graded and measured during almost every year of their school life. Our children are among the most examined in the world. The government tells us that it does not believe in a "one size fits all" philosophy, yet it insists on subjecting all children to the same inflexible tests at exactly the same time.

We call upon the government to abolish SATs at Key Stages 1, 2 & 3 in favour of a system of properly moderated Teacher Assessments. We call for the abolition of the league tables which have done so much damage to our children's education. We call upon teachers and parents to support this statement and to campaign for a better education for all of our children.