Sats regime contrary to human rights laws on children, says union leader

National Union of Teachers' general secretary Christine Blower said that under international law children have the right to a broad education, and not just to be expected to prepared for passing exams.

The NUT, along with the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), is halfway through a ballot over a boycott of this year's Sats tests which are sat by pupils at seven and 11-years of age.

Ms Blower said: "Some of the articles (of the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child] are about basic human rights, these include the right to a name, the right to be safe and the right to be educated in the round, not only to pass exams.

"I think that's a pretty high authority on which to rely when we say the Sats regime is wrong and it must go."

She added: "The NUT says yes to risk taking and exciting approaches to learning and no to children as little bundles of measurable outputs."

Speaking after the conference, Ms Blower said the boycott was focused on headteachers being undermined by the creation of league tables using Sats results. Sats in English and maths are due to be taken by around 600,000 11-year-olds in the week beginning May 10 - less than a week after the country goes to the polls.

The ballot closes on April 16, and a result in favour means a boycott could be the first battle a new government – of whichever party – has to face.

The NUT and the NAHT want to see Sats replaced by teacher assessment and argue the tests are bad for children, teachers and education, and cause unnecessary stress. They also want to see school league tables abolished.