Teaching union calls to 'scrap exams before the age of 16'

The General Teaching Council said Labour's obsession with over-testing youngsters was putting massive stress on both pupils and teachers.

Forcing youngsters to sit exams from the age of seven was failing to drive up school standards, the council said.

The watchdog went on to call for Standard Assessment Tests for seven, 11 and 14-year-olds to be scrapped under a "fundamental review" of the system.

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The proposals, in a report to the Commons Education Select Committee, say teachers should be given more opportunity to teach rather than 'drilling' students for exams.

But the conclusions were rejected as 'profoundly wrong' by Education Secretary Alan Johnson.

The council says schoolchildren in England and Wales are now the most tested in the world, facing an average of 70 tests and exams before they reach 16.

GTC chief executive Keith Bartley said some teachers have resorted to fiddling and cheating to keep schools at the top of league tables.

He said: "The pressure is on and it is growing. What we are saying to the Government is that we do not think their policies are best serving the young people in this country or their achievement.

"The range of knowledge-and skills that tests assess is very narrow and to prepare young people for the world they need a set of skills that are far broader."

The council has called for a "sampling" system under which fewer than one per cent of primary schoolchildren and three per cent of secondary students would take national tests.

The move would mean the end of school league tables, which are based on national test results.

Mr Bartley added: "You do not have to test every child every four years to know whether children are making more or less progress."

Psychologists are now going into schools at unprecedented rates to tackle exam stress, with children as young as six suffering from anxiety.

Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, backed the call to overhaul the exam system. He said: "The GTC is

absolutely right. All the research we have done among our members has shown that an enormous amount of time is used up by the tests.

"Teachers feel compelled to teach towards the tests because of their high-stakes nature for the school. This means an inevitable narrowing in children's education."

But ministers rejected the calls and insisted that league tables were driving up standards.

Mr Johnson said teachers were 'profoundly wrong if they are suggesting that the abolition of tests is going to do anything to lift educational standards.

"Our responsibility is to ensure children leave school with a good grounding in English, maths and science."

He added: "Parents don't want to go back to a world where schools were closed institutions, no one knew what was going on in them."

Tory spokesman David Willetts said: "National tests are crucial for improving standards. If it weren't for testing we would not know that 40 per cent of 11-year-olds leave primary schools without reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and arithmetic."

But Liberal Democrat spokesman Sarah Teather said: "The Government's obsession with testing continues to be questioned by those who know most about how to teach our children.

"This gigantic, expensive system with its escalating costs is no longer serving the best interests of our young people.

"Teachers should be able to concentrate on what's best for their pupils - personalised teaching - not feel compelled to teach to national tests."

Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, accused the GTC of attempting to rob parents of the chance to see how their children and schools were performing.

He said: "These recommendations appear ludicrous. I think this is led by teachers who do not want the stress of having to do their job to a standard that ensures children pass exams and pass exams well.

"League tables are vital for parents to monitor their children's education. And I think exams are quite healthy for children to get used to. As adults they will be tested each day in some manner."

Ministers last week announced a pilot scheme that will see pupils take shorter tests more frequently, when they are ready for them. The idea is to measure progress better and personalise education. But critics say it will simply increase the burden on children.