SOUTHAMPTON’S education boss has warned that head teachers face disciplinary action if they boycott compulsory national tests for 10 and 11-year-olds.

The tough talk comes as three out of 40 city schools have said they will take part in the national protest this week.

Twelve out of 305 Hampshire County Council-run schools have said they will be taking action.

The results of the SATs are used to compile primary school league tables, in which Southampton last year recorded the third-worst performance of any local authority.

Clive Webster, director for children’s services and learning for Southampton City Council, said “Administering these tests is part of each head teacher’s contract and they are in breach of it if they choose to boycott.

“Governing bodies have a legal duty to ensure the tests take place and we have advised them of action they must take if necessary.”

But one of the teaching unions behind the boycott said it is not sure what punishment can be handed out to heads, and added it will support those who join the action.

“It’ll be the governors who have to discipline them,” said Southampton’s NUT representative, Pete Sopowski.

“The worst that’ll happen is they will be docked some pay to stand up for their principles. The NUT has said we will support any teacher who is disciplined.”

Foundry Lane Primary School head teacher Andy Withers is one of those backing the boycott.

He said Year 6 pupils were not sitting SATs this year. Instead, “more accurate” teacher assessments would be used to give information to parents and secondary schools.

Mr Withers said: “The tests can narrow what is taught in primary schools by squeezing out time for other teaching.

Teaching in this way can lower the self-esteem of too many children.

This system does not present a fair reflection of the breadth or depth of work done by the pupils or the school.”

But Bitterne Park Junior School head teacher Ceinwen Curtis has condemned the boycott.

She said: “The children have been working so hard that we wholeheartedly believe it would be inappropriate to boycott the tests at this stage.”

In Winchester, the Daily Echo contacted 21 schools and all said they were running the tests this week albeit some reluctantly.

Alison Langrish, head teacher of Otterbourne Church of England Primary School, said regular teacher assessment was better than one-off tests.

But she said the school would go ahead with the SATs tests because children started Year 6 expecting to sit them and teachers had worked hard to prepare them.

She said: “I believe that to take part in the boycott would be unfair to children, parents and staff.”

Additional reporting by Jon Reeve