PARENTS from across Tynedale gathered in Hexham on Tuesday to join national opposition to new tougher SATs exams.

Armed with placards, they marched from the gates of the town’s Sele First School into the Market Place to protest against the changes to primary testing which will affect children in years two and six.

Among the protesters were whole families who had chosen to join in the nationwide boycott and keep their children away from school for the day.

The new, more formal, exams are said to be tougher than previous years’ tests, as the Government aims to raise literacy and numeracy rates.

An online petition set up by the national ‘Let Our Kids Be Kids’ campaign has now been signed by more than 40,000 people who agree that children are “over-tested, over-worked and in a school system that places more importance on test results and league tables than children’s happiness and joy of learning.”

Families from schools across the district, including Corbridge, Broomhaugh and Sele first schools gave the campaign their backing and have sent a petition and a letter outlining their concerns to Hexham’s MP Guy Opperman and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan.

Mother-of-two Sarah Stovell, an author and university lecturer, said: “We feel strongly that initiatives such as constant and early testing are being implemented without due consideration for the implications, and that as a result our children face unnecessary testing and a curriculum that limits enjoyment, real understanding and is ultimately detrimental to their wider education.”

Dr Laura Coulthard, a clinical psychologist, said she had opted for her children Leo (7) and Poppy (5), who attend the Sele school, to have an educational day at the Discovery Museum.

“I’ve seen children suffering from stress headaches. I also know a child suffering from acute anxiety due to SATs. I don’t think it’s good for the mental health of children,” she said.

“We all know children develop in different ways and at different speeds, so setting a bar which will never be met by many is not the way forward.

“Trusting teachers to find a meaningful way of monitoring achievement, which includes outdoor learning, is something I would support.”

Headteacher at Broomhaugh First School, in Riding Mill, Jen Stephenson, said: “There were a smattering of parents who decided to keep children of all ages away from school. Those parents who chose to do so wrote me very detailed letters explaining the reasons for their decision, stressing that it was nothing to do with school directly.

“Parents can see what’s coming with these tests, which don’t add to a child’s learning. I think our parents acknowledge teachers know how to teach and that we are already assessing their children.”