MORE than half the borough's primary schools were today taking part in a national boycott of Sats tests.

More than 600,000 10 and 11 year-olds were due to sit the controversial tests from today.

In Waltham Forest, 25 out of the 49 schools where pupils were due to take the tests were boycotting them and the remaining 24 were going ahead with the tests.

The industrial action is being taken by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT).

Schools taking part in the boycott include Dawlish School, in Jesse Road, Leyton, Gwynn Jones School, Hainault Road, Leytonstone and George Mitchell all-through school, Farmer Road, Leyton.

The unions are against the tests, which are used to produce school league tables, because they say they restrict teaching and learning.

Steve White, deputy secretary of the Waltham Forest branch of the NUT, said: "We think it is a good thing that the Sats are being boycotted because it will mean that the league tables will go.

"The tests themselves narrow the curriculum because many schools teach to the test and they don't give an accurate reflection of the child's ability.

"It would be very good for teachers to have more autonomy in terms of how they will be teaching and assessing."

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