SATs Protest: Parents 'Strike' Against Year 2 Tests By Taking Their Kids Out Of School For The Day

'My kids are going to explore the bluebell woods.'
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Nearly 45,000 parents have signed a petition to protest over the Year 2 SATs exams by taking their children out of school today (Tuesday 3 May).

The Let Our Kids Be Kids campaign encouraged parents to keep their kids off school, saying they 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".

Parents who have taken part in the protest, and opted for a "day of educational fun instead", have been tweeting their reasons using the hashtag #KidsStrike3May.

However not everyone supports the strike, and some people are arguing that it is wrong to keep the children off school just because of "a test".

The petition was started by a group of parents who felt the tests are too difficult and putting children under “unnecessary pressure”.

“We really are just a few parents fed up of endless complaining about the education policies affecting our young children,” a spokesperson for Let Kids Be Kids told The Huffington Post UK.

“We all felt that fellow parents in the school yard were at a complete loss as to what to do to fight back and have their voice heard.”

In an open letter to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, published on their website, the parents behind Let Our Kids Be Kids said they "represent the voice of parents across the country who want an end to SATs now".

They wrote: "Please take a long, hard look at this.

"You have the power to stop these tests. NOW. Our children, our teachers and our schools deserve better than this."

Marilyn Nieves via Getty Images

Commenting on the protest, shadow education secretary Lucy Powell said, according to PA: "This Government is creating chaos and confusion in primary assessment in schools, with a huge number of changes to SATs specifications since children started school last September.

"This is on top of the calamity of putting the Key Stage 1 Spelling and Grammar test online early, forcing the paper to be cancelled, rendering the work of children, teachers and parents null and void.

"Whilst I don't condone children being taken out of school, the blame for the lack of confidence we are seeing in these tests lies firmly with this Tory Government and education ministers, who have ridden roughshod over the concerns of headteachers and parents over the constant chopping and changing of the exam and assessment system."

Schools Minister Nick Gibb added, according to PA: "These tests are vital in helping schools to ensure that young children are learning to read, write and add up well.

"The truth is if they don't master literacy and numeracy early on, they risk being held behind and struggling for the rest of their lives."

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