Several speakers at the National Association of Head Teachers conference in York described the annual tests as "Senseless Activities for Traumatised Students" and "annual torture".

The exams are taken by state school pupils in England at the ages of seven, 11 and 14 and are aimed to monitor national curriculum learning targets.

However, there are concerns that they inflict unnecessary pressure on teachers and pupils and do not always give an adequate indication of school performance.

Do you think that Sats are a useful way of improving education standards? Or are they an unnecessary burden for both pupils and teachers?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of views we have received:

SUGGEST A DEBATE This topic was suggested by C. J. Horwood, UK As a parent, I'm deeply concerned about what I feel is the unnecessary annual examining of young school-age children. Send us your suggestions for Have Your Say debates

As a parent governor we have very few complaints from parents with regard to any form of exams that students take. Exams check the progress of individuals so that teachers can support the students who are falling behind in certain subjects. Our students are quite capable of coping with all these tests.
David Evans, England

In a week's time, I start my AS level examinations. Last year I sat my GCSEs, two years prior to that I sat my KS3 SATs, I also took KS1 and 2 SATs, next year I take my A2 levels. How can we be expected to learn anything if we spend all of our time preparing for exams? Being good at exams doesn't mean standards are rising.
Adrian, England

When will we go back to being tested on what we have covered in a school year, as opposed to learning what is going to be in the exam? As a postgraduate at uni now responsible for marking undergrads, I am now seeing a huge decrease in the ability to actually think and reason out problems.
Jim, UK

What a terrible waste of teaching hours Sarah Whitehead, England

I am 19 years old. I was in the 'guinea-pig' year in school - first to go through SATs, Key Skills, and AS/A2 levels. While I would not consider exams to be 'torture', I got so fed up with being constantly examined that I decided not to go to university, despite excellent A2 level results. Now they are starting examining very young children, putting them under an incredible strain. I know at that age I would not have been able to cope with the stress. What a terrible waste of teaching hours, that would be better spent in the classroom teaching the 3 Rs.
Sarah Whitehead, England

The increase in the number of tests in schools has had an adverse effect on motivation which can be clearly seen later on. I am a university lecturer and the students we see joining each year are now only motivated to learn what they will be tested on. It is the very rare student who is willing to read around the subject or pay attention to subjects that will be useful after the degree but are not directly assessed.
Ellie, UK

As a parent I can't understand all the fuss over SATS. I have three children 10, 13 and 16, all of who have undergone SATS testing since their introduction. I have seen no signs of stress or anxiety over SATS from my children, in fact each of them have viewed them as a personal challenge! If parents of children sitting SATS believe they are causing stress, then they will have an even bigger shock when their children sit their GCSE, AS and A2 exams.
However, I believe that SATS has placed pressure on teachers and schools with the publication of SATS league tables. It is clear that teachers are very uncomfortable with this direct exposure and are reacting against it. The one argument which may have some weight is the impact on the curriculum as a result of the tests. At my children's schools I have not seen any significant re-balancing of the curriculum as a result of the introduction of SATS testing, I am therefore supportive of the tests as an objective assessment of my children's progress at school.
James, UK

Of course children need some form of assessment, no matter how old they are. But SATs are not the way to do it. Too much time is spent in our schools teaching the children how to get good results in their SATs rather than teaching them how to read and write. Scrap the SATs and put in place a system of continuous assessment, evidence of which will be kept and presented to inspectors. That way we can continue monitoring the quality of education in our schools, at the same time as we improve it.
Christine, UK

We fell into the trap of comparisons that didn't take into account the amazing diversity of our children Lynn, UK

SATs are divisive and torturous to students, teachers and parents. I am sure they seemed a good idea at the time but the - sorry - weakness of us mere mortals prevailed yet again. We fell into the trap of comparisons that didn't take into account the amazing diversity of our children. We all learn differently, think differently and present our ideas differently. SATs kills individuality. So much is stuffed into these poor kids that they don't have time to enjoy what they are learning. Again, price over value.
Lynn, UK

It's the teachers who are tortured by SATs, more than the children. What happens if a child doesn't do well in SATs? Very little. What happens if a teacher's class doesn't do well in SATs? Then their job is on the line. With so many parents now refusing to encourage their children to enjoy learning and treat themselves, other children and teachers with respect, it's hardly surprising that good teachers prefer to go to schools where good parents turn out good children and therefore SATs results are better.
Gemma, UK

Torture involves beating people, electrocuting them and other nasty things. It does not involve making the sit exams. When our soldiers took Basra they didn't find the secret police headquarters full of exam papers and folding desks. As usual the teaching profession damages its cause by being melodramatic and self important.
Peter,UK

Children getting traumatised by SATS? Get real! They are traumatised by the teachers who fear for their jobs if the kids don't do well. It is the teachers who are the culprits, not the tests.
Jeff, UK

Let's not forget parents on the stress list. I am having to pay out over �400 a month for private, additional tuition to cover the failing of my children's school in an attempt to prevent the education system writing them off at 11. If only teaching basic reading and writing was as important as the school play!
Tony King, UK

I did most of my education on the continent, it was very common to have tests of all types from the age of 7. I can remember having the odd spelling test, the times tables and other basic knowledge tests. When I was 11, I would have to sit end of term exams on a multitude of subjects, the time varying from 45mins to 90mins. These exams were part of my yearly marks, if I didn't pass I would have to redo the exam. I think the children in the UK have it easy. If they pay enough attention in class they should pass. At least that what it was like for me.
Andy, UK

My friend's 5 year old has an hour of homework every day with SATs practice papers on top. She is the youngest in her year and very stressed out. No pre-secondary school child should have to sit exams or do homework. I despised the little I had to do and it was a miniscule amount by comparison. If the government hasn't overhauled this ridiculous system by the time I have school-age children, I shall decamp to Spain, where my partner is from. Children are allowed to be children there.
Catherine O, UK

I have 7 year old twins and an 11 year old son, so we are in SATs hell at home at the moment. I've explained to all 3 that the SATs are a meaningless political instrument to produce fatuous statistics and that the only people who could benefit from the system are politicians. The amount of coaching my 3 have had must be detrimental to a more balanced education. The school seems obsessed with SATs. Scrap them now.
Dave Hay, England

I'm 18 years old and I've done exams all my life Ali, UK

Oh stop complaining, we need SATS as an aim to work towards. It also brings us into the idea and preparation for real exams such as GCSEs and A levels so the children know what to expect in the future. I'm 18 years old and I've done exams all my life. Even though I really hated them, I look back and I think how much I needed them in order for me to keep on track with school work and make head and tails of it all.
Ali, UK

The last time we boycotted Sats we said it was a workload issue but many of us knew what was coming and the boycott was an issue of conscience. What will a Labour government do to its teachers? Sack us all? Let's have courage in our collective educational convictions and just don't do the Sats! The we can see an end to league tables, cramming, booster classes et al!
Hilary Bills, UK

League tables don't help anyone, this is not football Mark, UK

If the intention is truly to monitor achievements versus targets, then the results should be confidential to each school which would reduce the pressure to "perform". League tables don't help anyone, this is not football, nobody should be betting on the outcome.
Mark, UK

Over a decade of home education I have seen Sats rival bullying as the main reason why parents turn away from schools and adopt home education. Presumably if the option to home educate were better known The most common anxiety we hear from parents is the appalling strain that tests and homework put on very young children. If parents, teachers, heads and children don't want it, why is it still done? Ah yes, because we live in a democracy.
S. Jayran, UK

Testing schoolchildren is not wrong Derek, UK

Sats are another arbitrary measure solely to enable meaningless targets to be set. Having said that, there should be a way of assessing teachers' performance and linking it to reward in a way which doesn't damage the education of the children in their care. Testing schoolchildren is not wrong, but linking this process to the pressure on schools and teachers to achieve targets is wrong because it creates dishonesty in the education system and stress on the children, who are the people least likely to benefit from the results.
Derek, UK

My girlfriend teaches them and is told by the head to tell them the answers to maintain the school's place in the league tables.
Phillip Ellis, UK

Children do need some sort of assessment in order to gauge their level of learning - some may need special attention which may go unnoticed, but at the moment it's all about league tables and not the individual.
Linda, UK