National assessment tests for 14-year-olds were scrapped by the Government today.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls announced that they would be replaced by more frequent classroom assessments by teachers in years 7, 8 and 9.

The Key Stage 3 tests – introduced by the Tories in 1993 – had become "less and less relevant", he said.

He stressed that the compulsory national testing of 11-year-olds at Key Stage 2 were "here to stay".

Clare Bradford, chairwoman of Bristol's secondary heads group, said she thought the news would be generally welcomed in schools.

"There has been a great deal of unhappiness this year at the way the Sats tests have been handled. There is also anxiety that the relentless focus on testing students throughout their school careers deflects us from addressing their basic skills. This will allow us more flexibility to focus on developing students' skills for future success at GCSE," she said.