National examinations for children aged 7, 11 and 14 should be replaced by the random testing of a sample of pupils and a system of teacher assessments, according to the professional body for teachers.

In a powerful attack on the testing system in schools, the General Teaching Council said that far from raising standards, it encouraged a narrow curriculum that turned students off learning and increased their anxiety.

“England’s pupils are among the most frequently tested in the world, but tests in themselves do not raise standards,” Keith Bartley, chief executive of the council, said in a submission to the Commons Education Select Committee. “Tests are used for too many purposes and this compromises their reliability and validity.”

Mr Bartley said he was not advocating the end of all testing, but rather the replacement of “high-stakes” national testing – in which all pupils sit the same paper on the same day – with a system that monitored the progress of individual pupils. “There is a growing sense of frustration with the current system and a realisation that attainment is not rising as fast as we would like. We need to allow teachers to deploy their judgment more in assessing pupils and we need to allow pupils to participate in that process,” he said.

Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary, said it was “profoundly wrong” to suggest that the abolition of national tests would lift standards. “Our responsibility is to ensure that our children leave school with a good grounding in English, maths and science,” he told the BBC.

The council suggests that standards can be monitored by a system of random sampling, in which 1 to 3 per cent of pupils in key year groups would sit national tests, but not necessarily the same paper. It also recommends replacing the Key Stage national curriculum exams with a bank of tests or tasks to be used when the teacher judges that pupils are ready.

The attack by the council is the latest in a series against the current system, which requires a typical pupil to sit 70 tests.

This year Ken Boston, the head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, called for the exam system to be overhauled. Christine Gilbert, the Chief Inspector of Schools, has called for a government review of the national curriculum “as a matter of priority”.

The Conservatives have emphasised the importance of testing to measure school performance, but a policy review commissioned by David Cameron is expected to recommend a system of “fewer but tougher tests”.

Although the Government has emphasised repeatedly its commitment to national testing and performance tables, last week it introduced a pilot system of progression tests, called level-by-level testing, in which pupils will sit short tests every December and June if teachers think they are ready.

The Commons Education Select Committee is holding an inquiry into the testing system.

How progress is assessed

Year 2 Tests at age 7 cover reading, writing (including spelling) and maths. Also a formal teacher assessment. Many are unaware of tests taking place

Year 6 Tests at age 11 last just over five hours covering reading, writing (including handwriting), spelling, maths, mental maths and science

Years 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 Pupils also sit optional tests in English and maths to test progress in Key Stage 2 and 3

Year 7 Progress tests at age 12 in English and maths for pupils who did not reach the expected level in Key Stage 2

Year 9 Eight hours of tests plus assessment of English, maths, science, history, geography, ICT, foreign languages, art and design, music, PE, RE and citizenship Source: parentscentre.gov.uk

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