Thousands of British to take kids off school to boycott exams next week

Worrying that their six or seven year old kids might be "over-tested", thousands of British parents would keep their children off school on May 3 to boycott tests.

Over 32,000 people have signed online to join the campaign "Let Our Kids Be Kids" to avoid their children attending SATs exams next week.

They included primary teachers, junior doctors, neuro scientists and people from different walks of life, according to local media reports.

In an open letter to British education secretary Nicky Morgan, the campaign said, "Children's mental health is at risk because of the increased pressure they face through primary school testing."

May 3 "will see thousands of primary school children staying off school in support of teachers and schools and in protest at the Department for Education's testing policies," it wrote, demanding an end to SATs.

In response, a spokesman of Britain's Department for Education said, "Only exceptional circumstances warrant a child being taken out of school during term time."

"We are clear that tests should not be a cause of stress for pupils -- they help us ensure schools are performing well, and we know the best schools manage them successfully," said the spokesman.

Families will face fines of up to 120 pounds per child in beach of this rule.

However, local media said that some supporting headteachers would give tacit approval by recording the absences as "educational" rather than "unauthorized".

SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) are taken by children aged six or seven in school Year Two and then again in Year Six, aged 10 or 11, before a third set in Year Nine aged 13 or 14.

In May, children in Year Two will sit a whole weeks' worth of exams as part of government testing policies. Endit