EAST Lancashire schools have welcomed Government proposals to reconsider the use of SATS and National Tests to assess children's abilities.

Under the new proposals, national tests at 11 and 14 could be scrapped in favour of a series of shorter but more frequent assessments which pupils take when they are ready.

And three East Lancashire headteachers and a representati-ive from the National Union of Teachers said the plan was a good idea.

Andrew Bateman, headteacher at Moorhead High School, Queens Road West, Accrington, said schools wanted to see reforms which put the power back in the hands of the teachers.

He said: "What they should do is to leave it to the public exams, and to the professional judgment of the teachers and individuals to test the children to see if there are any areas of learning they have missed.

"We support getting rid of the SATS and key stage three tests and this is the right step towards giving teachers freedom back to make choices about children's abilities."

Mike Tull, headteacher at Marsden Heights Community College, Nelson, echoed Mr Bateman's sentiments.

He said: "I would welcome a re-evaluation of the appropriateness of the SATS and look forward to seeing the firm proposals for their replacement.

"Every student has their own personal needs, strengths and areas for development.

"This should be recognised through the assessment regime that is established."

Gwen Onyon, headteacher at Witton Park County High School, Blackburn, said: "We want to test the children's progress from the starting point to establish what they have learnt in a given period of time. It seems nonsense to test them all the same."

Simon Jones, national executive member for the Lancashire NUT, said: "We will be very glad to see the SATS abandoned because they are a completely artificial way of assessing pupils.

"The SATS were not doing anything but teaching pupils what they needed to know to pass the tests.

"For nearly twenty years successive Governments have clung to the idea that testing at seven, 11 and 14 is set in stone, irrespective of the evidence that it undermines children's learning.

"They have done tremendous damage to the school system and have pitted school against school."

The plan will be piloted for two years in 10 areas from September.

At present, pre-GCSE national tests consist of children across the country being assessed at the end of each national curriculum "key stage" by their teachers when they are seven, and through tests in English, maths and science when they are 11 and 14.

Officials envisage the pilot involving two test opportunities each year, in December and in May or June. Teachers would enter any pupils they felt were ready to move up to the next national curriculum level.