Hundreds of teachers are preparing to stage industrial action this week by boycotting Sats tests for primary school children in England.
The action is being led by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the National Union of Teachers, after teaching staff complained the tests damaged education by forcing them to “teach to the test”, and humiliated schools that do not perform as well.
The BBC contacted 113 councils and found of those that responded, 15% were not doing the tests.
The councils that provided information covered 73% of England’s 17,000 primary schools.
Mick Brookes, the general secretary of the NAHT, said the action would be “patchy”, but in some areas participation in the boycott could reach up to 80%.
He said: “I hope that those people who feel strongly about the way in which children are assessed in Year 6 will now have the ability to express their disquiet in a positive way.”
On Sunday, members of the unions held a mass picnic in central London to mark their protest.
