Commenting on the passing of motion 10 at Annual Conference in Harrogate, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"Testing for testing's sake, starting with our youngest children at primary school, has constrained the subjects taught and led to an exam factory culture in England’s schools.
"The government have been rash to determine the future of primary testing before the Curriculum and Assessment Review panel have made any recommendations – undermining the purpose of the review. They should not ignore the extensive evidence of the damage caused by SATs and other primary testing: over half the teaching week in primaries is now dedicated to just English and maths, at the expense of all other subjects, because of statutory tests.
"Along with the EBacc in secondary this has caused the arts to be squeezed out, a trend which must be reversed.
"Assessment should go beyond the sole reliance on written tests and allow students to use broader, more relevant methods to demonstrate all they’re capable of.
"The ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review should be the start of a reset of our education system that puts children and young people at its centre. It needs to take on board the views of school leaders, teachers, and support staff. These are the people who daily see what works and doesn’t work."